Reply #18: I do agree with most of your post.

[hippywife]

And I am a home cook who doesn't eat out often. The problem with the stuff is it DOES TASTE good. It appeals to those receptors for salt, fat and sweet. Like Michael Pollan says, after you eat a hamburger at McDonalds, is there really any sense that you've tasted beef? No there isn't. The sammiches there are merely the carriers of the condiments that ring the taste buds.

I used to not do this at all, and I try to keep this to a minimum, but now sometimes I find myself out and in need of something in a hurry while I'm on the go. I will eat the fish at McDonalds, or a sandwich at Arby's on occasion. My fav chicken sandwich used to be Popeye's every time without argument, but they have cheaped out so badly. The last time I went there, it had been probably a year since my last visit, and I was amazed how it had changed. Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich is about the best out there, quality-wise. It ain't cheap, but if you have to have something quick, might as well get something that actually is worth it.

Sorry you had such a plumbing muddle to deal with during your holiday meal. But,like a pro, you managed a fabulous dinner around the problem. Would have overwhelmed a lesser cook. :hi: