Current Events > NYC born and raised 46 yo. Taiwanese parents. Why do Americans like Mac/Cheese?

(+) Yeah! (+)

ReturnOfDevsman posted...

Well, not in NYC, at least.

If you go a mere 30 miles from a major city, though, there are plenty of garbage restaurants that people cannot get enough of because they never leave their little small town.

That is so true, there are people that think Cracker Barrel is fine dining.

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You'd have to go a lot farther out of town than 30 miles for that, though.

Calling it Kraft Dinner over-romanticizes the experience. Kraft did it best, but they arrogantly proclaimed it a complete meal! Silly Canadians.

Tastes good man

What's not to like. Creamy cheese and pasta.

As a person that grew up in a town of 1000 people in the mountains, the yumming yucks of others is small minded. Food is more than just the ingredients on the plate. Food is cultural and often context dependent. The experiences are intertwined. So bitching at people that like Golden Coral is often also trashing their lived experiences.

Don't play into superiority complexes just based on the zip codes of accident of birth.

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I mean, it's a matter of geometry.

Or perhaps your definition of "outside of a major city" differs from mine. You don't fully leave the suburbs for a good ten, twenty or more miles after the actual city limit.

lydiaquayle posted...

That's generally what most Americans eat, though. Whether at Boston Market, or at a soul food joint. I see people ordering that shit in restaurants constantly. And it's not the Tres Leches kind of mac/cheese.

At a soul food place? Lmao now I know you're just making shit up. Because:

GenesisReturns posted...

A soul food restaurant with bad mac n cheese will not last a week.

NoxObscuras posted...

At a soul food place? Lmao now I know you're just making shit up. Because:

Boston Market was a major player for like 15 years. I'm quite sure their 2nd-best selling app was Mac/Cheese behind the mash or roasted potatoes.

When you are a kid, you gotta eat and eating is a social occasion. I grew up on cheap cheese. I still enjoy it on social occasions.

Also there are tweaks that help.

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Presumably, there a restaurant within thirty miles at that point, though.

lydiaquayle posted...

Boston Market was a major player for like 15 years. I'm quite sure their 2nd-best selling app was Mac/Cheese behind the mash or roasted potatoes.

Man what

lmao

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I'm not. I listed Boston Market IN ADDITION to soul food places, and other establishments that often served plain Mac/Cheese using generic cheese, and generic macaroni product. The point of bringing up Boston Market is to demonstrate that Americans love Mac/Cheese (even when bad) so much, they're even willing to spend their money on it in a place like that.

You quoted a post specifically calling you out on the Soul Food bit. What does Boston Market have to do with it?

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It was popular for about 15 years, is what I'm saying. And a ton of people ordered the mac/cheese. I saw that shit firsthand.

lydiaquayle posted...

I'm not. I listed Boston Market IN ADDITION to soul food places, and other establishments that often served plain Mac/Cheese using generic cheese, and generic macaroni product. The point of bringing up Boston Market is to demonstrate that Americans love Mac/Cheese (even when bad) so much, they're even willing to spend their money on it in a place like that.

You literally responded to the soul food comment directly by bringing up Boston market

what are you doing

ssb_yunglink2 posted...

You literally responded to the soul food comment directly by bringing up Boston market

I am clarifying it now. It's not just soul food places. Besides that, 'bad' soul food places also served generic mac/cheese. And it sold. And many have managed to stay in business.

I remember the Boston Chicken era but the Market era has been great if you can still find one. Unmatched cornbread.

A serious answer for a topic that doesn't deserve it, like many of American convenience foods, Kraft Mac n cheese was a product of the Great Depression that persisted through WW2 to become a North American staple. It was cheap, non-perishable, quick and easy to make. It remains all of those things, making it accessible to every North American.

And, unsurprisingly, carb + cheese = delicious.

This thread needs a trigger warning

lydiaquayle posted...

Or is this because I was lucky enough to eat in NYC my whole life?

NYC food elitism if so fucking lame. Food here is completely and utterly average. There's some good stuff, and plenty of literal garbage. There's nothing special about this city. Mac and cheese, of many varieties is just good. You're being weird.

specialkid8 posted...

NYC food elitism if so fucking lame. Food here is completely and utterly average.

I'm not claiming as such. The point is, that I have tried most forms of mac/cheese, and I don't get it. And I'm wondering, IF PERHAPS, it's because I have access to a variety of other foods, and have never been 'forced' to grow up on mac/cheese?

lydiaquayle posted...

it's because I have access to a variety of other foods, and have never been 'forced' to grow up on mac/cheese?

Yes, NYC food elitism. Unless you are living in literal Skunkfuck Arkansas EVERYWHERE has "access to a variety of foods". No one is being forced to eat Mac and cheese.

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I'm not sure why people are still engaging with bbt over this. He literally equated it to putting ketchup on spaghetti. He's doing this just to get a ride out of people.

specialkid8 posted...

There's some good stuff, and plenty of literal garbage.

That's my point. In NYC, for every 10000 literal garbage places, and around 1000 good places. I will always have access to one of those 1000 good places. I have yet to find any place that serves mac/cheese that I like -- not even in NYC. No matter how good Mac/Cheese can get in a $100 soul food place, I will always find that a classic italian or mediterranean pasta dish of similar price, to be far superior.

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I ordered some new spices and sauces that I got today. I'm making ribs and trying them all out!

Heineken14 posted...

He literally equated it to putting ketchup on spaghetti.

I mean, that is literally the quality of foods involved. The amount of quality of a Kraft or Velveeta cheese is the same or worse than Heinz ketchup.

The quality of pasta between a generic macaroni is LOWER and CHEAPER than a Barilla-brand spaghetti.

The quality between the two is comparable. Yet, spaghetti with ketchup is mocked and reviled.

Now I want mac and cheese

Why do all of you disgusting plebs with your common tastebuds eat craparoni and cheese?

I sure am lucky to have eaten fine New York cuisine my entire life.

divot1338 posted...

Why do all of you disgusting plebs with your common tastebuds eat craparoni and cheese?

I sure am lucky to have esten fine New York cuisine my entire life.

Yeah, nothign beats chopped cheese and hotdogs from the street!

specialkid8 posted...

Yeah, nothign beats chopped cheese and hotdogs from the street!

And the 2 dollar slices TC mentioned use cheese and flour just as shitty as Kraft.

I'm thinking this thread is just classism and ignorance. Not interesting anymore.

HojoojoH_2 posted...

I'm thinking this thread is just classism and ignorance. Not interesting anymore.

You're close, but it's actually a boring gimmick.

Eww... Mac and cheese is so easy to make in a pressure cooker. Why would anyone use fake processed garbage??

monkmith posted...

its cheap and a lot of americans are poor.

Yeah, I grew up very poor and this was definitely the reason for us.

Im not American, but I do enjoy mac and cheese :)

lydiaquayle posted...

The problem is when I see restaurants charging $10-15 for mac/cheese appetizer dishes. Or Whole Foods/ and other markets charging $10-$15 in their prepared food bar.

Ive never even heard of a restaurant offering Mac/cheese as a appetizer.

But the Price seems about right though. As appetizers dont cost much less than standard meals anymore.

The box stuff is fine, but baked macaroni is next level.

Lived in NY my whole life and I fucking love mac and cheese. I don't eat Kraft anymore but I don't hate it either, it's just there

Prismsblade posted...

Ive never even heard of a restaurant offering Mac/cheese as a appetizer.

But the Price seems about right though. As appetizers dont cost much less than standard meals anymore.

I've never been inside it, and never will, but there is a place not far me that seems to be a restaurant that offers only Mac and Cheese.

SilentSeph posted...

Lived in NY my whole life and I fucking love mac and cheese. I don't eat Kraft anymore but I don't hate it either, it's just there

Even when it comes to Kraft you can make it pretty good if you buy the Velveeta and do it manually instead of those powder mixes.

Tyranthraxus posted...

Even when it comes to Kraft you can make it pretty good if you buy the Velveeta and do it manually instead of those powder mixes.

You Don't even have to use Velveeta. In a pressure cooker, you can make mac and cheese in like 5 minutes. No shade if that's how you've done in the past. Really just sharing how easy it is. You can use real cheese, cream, whole milk or what I prefer to use evaporated milk.

Just put two cups of water. Half a bag of pasta of your choice. I personally prefer cavatappi or shells. Add organic chicken better than bullion to the water. Add some mustard. add two tablespoons of butter. Add some garlic, and nutmeg. Put it on high pressure for like 5 minutes, then add cheese of your choice. Best to use block cheese. Because the shredded cheese has chemicals on it to keep it separated.
Thank me later.

It's so easy. That I have to pretend I don't know how to do it to not do it all the time, hahaha.

Wrote this using speech to text-- sorry for the awkwardness.