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chain restaurants vs. local

USS Triumphant said:
sojourner said:
That's just an odd view to take for me. I have traveled extensively and never regretted having some great new meal. (bad meals, yeah, there have been some). The meals just help build fond memories.
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Maybe you aren't prone to addiction like I am - it's a family trait. I've never fallen prey to cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs, like some of them have. But foods are a weakness, and I will CRAVE a food, sometimes maddeningly.
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I know exactly what you mean. I very much crave specific food items. I feel like I just HAVE to have them right away or my whole day is off. I understand your frustration about companies changing formulas perfectly - and even chains do this to me. They've stopped serving some of the dishes I really loved at Chilis and it irritates the hell out of me. Also, I went to this very nice restaurant out of town that served the best raspberry creme brulee I'd ever had, it was so amazingly good. I actually managed to make it back to the same restaurant years later, only to learn that they haven't served it in a while and couldn't make it. I was devestated! I still think about it every so often and wish I could taste it again. It absolutely sucks.
 
{ Emilia } said:
Well, sheesh... learn how to make the food you enjoyed so much and you're sorted.
I got pretty good at cooking Indian food simply because I enjoyed eating it in restaurants. Takes some effort but oh well... ?
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Ah, but there's the rub. I'm also very lazy. :lol:

Actually, I have made the effort to learn how to cook dishes in the styles that I like - but that isn't the same thing as learning the exact recipe to restaurant A's house Mongolian BBQ sauce, or restaurant B's house Creole shrimp seasonings. It doesn't change anything.
Timby said:
I'd much rather say, "Man, I had this incredible seafood fra diavolo dish in [Insert City Here], if you're ever there, you have to try it, because I'll definitely go back if I ever get the chance," than say, "Yep, I went to [Insert City Here], went to the conference. Didn't do much, just ate at McDonald's and the hotel restaurant."
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Yeah, well, like I said - I'm far from perfect at adhering to my own rules. But you said a key thing in there: "I'll definitely go back if I ever get the chance". That's hard if you know you almost certainly won't.
 
USS Triumphant said:
Maybe you aren't prone to addiction like I am - it's a family trait. I've never fallen prey to cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs, like some of them have. But foods are a weakness, and I will CRAVE a food, sometimes maddeningly.
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Food is the closest thing to an addiction I have gotten. I will eat the same thing for a week at a time. I have been craving a certain candy bar for over a week now, but hey, I am diabetic so....

Doesn't mean I regret the time I ordered two 3lb lobsters at a Portuguese restaurant in New Jersey. Or the week I worked in Rhode Island and ate lobster every day at the local shack. Or the Lasagna (best ever) I had at the little cafe in Nice, France. or any other number of meals.
 
USS Triumphant said:
Imagine you were introduced to the perfect woman (or man, I'm not sure what sex you are or what way you swing ;)) for you. Beautiful, sexy, graceful, charming, intelligent, imaginative and yet down-to-Earth, and interested in you and with common interests and causes to you, but also with enough differences to be exotic and interesting to you. I'm sure you have an idea of what I mean in your mind - go with that. Now, imagine that you were told that you could spend a single day and night with that person - and then you could never, ever see them again. You will spend the rest of your life missing them, longing for them. Others may come along, and may be special in their own way, but they will only find their own places in your heart, mind, soul, and life - they will never fill that specific void.

Might you not choose to give that day and night a complete pass?
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Well, the only thing I can say is that I have met such a woman, and we have been together for 13 years now. (Well, except for the graceful part: she's pretty clumsy, and adorably so. :lol:)

But even then, if I were told that I could spend only a single day with her and never see her again, would I do it?

Yes. Fuck, yes. In a heartbeat.

And will enjoy it as much as I can, living and loving to the fullest. And when the day is past and she will be taken from me... I will find her. With all means necessary.

I'm Italian: love and food are serious business. ;)
 
Aside from 5 Guys, which I allow myself to have once or twice a year, I cannot actually remember the last time I ate at a chain restaurant. I would especially never resort to a chain when traveling, as I consider sampling the local food and beer offerings to be a solid 75% of my reason for traveling.
 
I'll eat at chains or local. Or local chains, depending on where I find things I like. But once I find something I like, I lock onto it and I tend not to want to try other things.

I'm a picky eater, (I can't even eat salad...trying to chew and swallow lettuce makes me feel like I'm going to throw up), and once I find something I like, I tend to stick with it. That's the thing I like about chains: if it's good at one, it tends to be good at another one, when I'm on the road.

The exception to this is Asian food. I don't know if it's a matter of the sauces or cooking technique, but I find it far, far easier to find things I can eat and truly enjoy. It's also far easier for me to eat healthy; if you can't eat salad, you have to get creative to get your greens. And for me, Asian vegetables are far easier to eat than any other veggies. So hunting down the local Asian places when I get somewhere is something I can do with no fear. :D
 
Goliath said:
And he's just an odd little guy. One of my colleagues was a regular at Ali Baba's, but he's leaving for a new post in Ottawa. We went there for one last lunch a couple of weeks ago, and when Ali learned that Stephen was leaving, he started giving him advice on where to get good Middle-Eastern food in Ottawa. "Just don't go to the restaurants run by Arabs," he said. "Go to the ones run by Jews. Much cleaner, much nicer." :wtf: :lol:
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Clearly the guy doesn't know his Ottawa food very well. Lebanese shawarma is this city's specialty.

But I'll eat at both chains and locals. Chains are nice if you're in a rush and don't want to have to think much about where you're getting your food, but locals are definitely the better experience. When I travel, I do try to find places local to the area that are interesting to try.

The exception there is that when I travel to the USA, I have to have at least one meal at a Chipotle, because we don't have them up here. :lol:
 
Timby said:
Happily recovering alcoholic, here. And I still would try a new restaurant in a heartbeat, even if I knew the likelihood of me having an opportunity to visit that place again was about as likely as McDonald's not sucking out loud.
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Okay. So the difference isn't addiction. Maybe quality of taste memory? When you think back to a pleasant dining experience, can you remember what the food specifically tasted like, or do you just remember that you enjoyed the meal? To me, the memory of the flavor is very vivid - painfully close enough to be almost (but critically, not quite) like having that taste again.
 
I don't think you need to prove that you have different experiences or really get into it that much. The differences in this thread are pretty obvious. Some people don't like the feeling of a certain food being out of reach, while others are content with the memory of it. Some people like comfort, familiarity, and predictability, while others think that the rewards of new experiences are worth the risks.
 
Kestra said:
I don't think you need to prove that you have different experiences or really get into it that much. The differences in this thread are pretty obvious. Some people don't like the feeling of a certain food being out of reach, while others are content with the memory of it. Some people like comfort, familiarity, and predictability, while others think that the rewards of new experiences are worth the risks.
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Nice summary, I completely agree.

In fact the post is so wise that I'm assuming you have an iguana in you.
 
Chain or local, either's good by me depending on the where and the when and the with who. Around here I don't have that many choices beyond chains.

Kestra said:
I don't think you need to prove that you have different experiences or really get into it that much. The differences in this thread are pretty obvious. Some people don't like the feeling of a certain food being out of reach, while others are content with the memory of it. Some people like comfort, familiarity, and predictability, while others think that the rewards of new experiences are worth the risks.
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Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to stop being so reasonable and levelheaded. It's beginning to alarm the trolls. :borg:

iguana_tonante said:
A scandalous accident!

That's my story, and I'm sticking with it. :shifty:
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Very... convenient... :shifty:
 
Depends on why I'm eating out.

If I just need some nutrition in the midst of a busy day and don't want to spend time or money, I'll grab a Veggie Delite at Subway.

If I'm eating out, either alone or with friends, for the pleasure of eating out, I prefer local places -- sometimes experimenting, sometimes returning to old favorites. Same with traveling -- for me, exploring local restaurants is part of the enjoyment.

On the other hand, I remember one business trip last year where I arrived at the hotel totally exhausted. I can't tell you how delighted I was to have a Ruby Tuesday's next door. Decent, predictable food that I didn't have to drive to.
 
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