Rave: Not So Fine Dining

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33anda3rd
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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by 33anda3rd »

tlombard wrote:Our cafeteria at work may have finally gone too far today. They listed a 'Carne Asada burrito' which I ordered. It was unseasoned ground beef, rice and cheese in a tortilla. Carne Asada my ass.

I am tempted to print out a bunch of different recipes for Carne Asada and then just drop them on the cafeteria manager's desk and yell, "STOP WITH THE [expletive], THESE ARE CARNE ASADA!" and then storm out of her office.
Unacceptable.

Is there no self-respecting native Mexican working the line in that cafeteria kitchen who can speak up?

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haltz
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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by haltz »

You sure it was ground and not chopped up?

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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by lukethedrifter »

Unseasoned? Can you tell me why you continue to eat from this trough?

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33anda3rd
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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by 33anda3rd »

haltz wrote:You sure it was ground and not chopped up?
Ground is probably less the issue than unseasoned. I've had a very good picadillo burrito.

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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by haltz »

33anda3rd wrote:
haltz wrote:You sure it was ground and not chopped up?
Ground is probably less the issue than unseasoned. I've had a very good picadillo burrito.
I'm not saying it was good or that carne asada shouldn't be marinated/seasoned properly, I just mean from a nomenclature perspective I have a hard time thinking that someone would call ground beef "carne asada". Like you said, someone in the kitchen should know better if not everyone.

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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by 33anda3rd »

haltz wrote:
33anda3rd wrote:
haltz wrote:You sure it was ground and not chopped up?
Ground is probably less the issue than unseasoned. I've had a very good picadillo burrito.
I'm not saying it was good or that carne asada shouldn't be marinated/seasoned properly, I just mean from a nomenclature perspective I have a hard time thinking that someone would call ground beef "carne asada". Like you said, someone in the kitchen should know better if not everyone.
I need to know where tlombard lives before I know the odds that there's someone in the kitchen of his office's cafeteria who knows.

Remember when jim insisted that when he goes to Mexico* there's a thing with squirt and tequila called a "Mexican Margarita"?

*a beach resort full of sunburned Americans that's only in "Mexico" on a technicality

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haltz
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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by haltz »

Well I'm giving the benefit of the doubt that if you're in food service and you're using the phrase you have some idea of what it is.

Viewed extremely charitably (I don't really disagree with you), calling a paloma/tequila con squirt a Mexican margarita for approachability at a resort makes some sense. I guarantee you've sold them with the backstory contrasting its origin with a margarita.

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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by 33anda3rd »

haltz wrote:Well I'm giving the benefit of the doubt that if you're in food service and you're using the phrase you have some idea of what it is.
There's a place in Chicago with a "Spanish Tortilla" on the brunch menu. It's a nice restaurant. I asked the chef why he didn't call it "Tortilla Espangnole", the traditional name for what the dish is. He said because the owner thought people wouldn't understand "Tortilla Espangnole" and would expect a tortilla, like a flour or nixtamal tortilla. So...they kept "tortilla" and changed "espagnole" to "Spanish."

Never underestimate the capacity of someone in the industry to overthink the menu name of something they don't fully comprehend.

Also never underestimate that people are just kinda stupid nowadays.

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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

haltz wrote:
33anda3rd wrote:
haltz wrote:You sure it was ground and not chopped up?
Ground is probably less the issue than unseasoned. I've had a very good picadillo burrito.
I'm not saying it was good or that carne asada shouldn't be marinated/seasoned properly, I just mean from a nomenclature perspective I have a hard time thinking that someone would call ground beef "carne asada". Like you said, someone in the kitchen should know better if not everyone.
Probably the same people that make [expletive] cole slaw.

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Re: Rave: Not So Fine Dining

Post by tlombard »

Yeah, I eat there because I'm too lazy to prep my own lunches and bring them in and the cafeteria is cheaper and easier than ordering out or going out for lunch. I try to stay with the soups, sandwich station or whatever the specialty made to order item of the day is. Today it was spaghetti (or rigatoni) with meatballs. It was pretty good for $6.

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