Does going out to eat really suck, or is it just me?

While in the states this past week I was forced to eat out several times. It seems like the only choices these days are big chains. Applebee's, Chili's, Outback, Fast Food, Macaroni Grill, Ruby Tuesdays, The Cheesecake Factory, TGI Friday's, Pizza Hut, etc... It seems to me like all the choices at each place taste very similar. Whether you get the chicken or beef, fried or grilled, it always tastes the same! I call it signature grease. It's like they have a specially formulated sauce full of their own labratory formulated signature flavorings blend that somehow gets incorporated into every single dish. When we ate at Chili's I made my best possible choice and got the steak w/no "cajun butter sauce" (I asked the waitress if it was actually made from butter and she looked at me like I had 2 heads) mashed potatoes, and vegetables. It came with a piece of garlic toast and I asked for butter- out came some type of vegetable oil margarine crap. I'm guessing the butter sauce is actually some cheap oil sauce actually since there is apparantly no butter in the building. My veggies were covered in some type of nasty oil as well. I ate every bite however and felt no sensation of fullness until later. I also had to drink water the rest of the night constantly and could never quench my insatiable thirst. I guess the food is loaded with MSG as well- or some other chemical that does the same thing but doesn't have such a bad name. Oh well. The state of dining out in the good ole USA pretty much sucks in most locales. I guess that's my point.

THe chains really suck...I don't know how they survive. You would think Americans had not taste... I just would never eat in any one of them fo rexactly the reasons you give. But when I was living over in Europe, MacDonalds, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken were hitting like gangbusters...and they wren't even as good as they are here. Even when I was traveling in China!!! Thet all consider it a "treat" to eat this food :p

Whenever I travel througout the states I always ask several locals where a good plce to eat it that is not a cahin. I'll just stop them on the street. You usually hear the same name coming up..and then I go there.

Man, I love Carribean ood..one of my favorite restaurants around where I live is a Carribean restaurant. Food is pretty authentic... Too bad the food is not part of my workout routine :( ..except on cheat days... :jumping:

Good idea about asking the locals for a good restaurant.

Honestly, I really do not eat out that much. So when I do go to a Longhorn, a Chili's, or pretty much ANY of the places you named, I love it.

But, if you're ever in Central Florida be sure to PM me. I know a great little hole-in-the-wall Italian place. Family owned, not a chain, and THE BEST veal in town. :drool:

But, if you're ever in Central Florida be sure to PM me. I know a great little hole-in-the-wall Italian place. Family owned, not a chain, and THE BEST veal in town. :drool:

That's what I'm talkin' about! :drool: :drool:

Justita, yeah caribbean food is pretty good- if you can find someone to cook it well. The jerk chicken is incredible when done by someone with pride. The restaurants here are pretty dismal as well, but at least there are no chains. The problem here is service... The worst service on the planet. 15% gratuity is automatic so the servers think they don't need to lift a finger. You should plan at least 75 minutes for any meal out around here even if you're in a hurry. There are a couple restaurants with good service and food but they will run over a hundred bucks per couple... That's why I try to stick with Chez Travis.

Yeah, I spent time in Jamaica outside the touris tarea (this was 20 years ago...is there any non tourist areas left?) The food was pretty incredible in the real places 00 with zero decor, ust table with with some table clothe thrown over...and it took forever to get....but mmmmm.. I had the goat and I loved it an dI always get it when I see it on any menu now. NAd of course the jerk chicken..spicy...mmm :drool:

Chains have always not been the best choice.

I travel a lot. I always get on the web before hand and look for local eateries, reviews, etc.

If you are ever in the Twin Cities (Minn) PM me for choices.

Yeah, I spent time in Jamaica outside the touris tarea (this was 20 years ago...is there any non tourist areas left?) The food was pretty incredible in the real places 00 with zero decor, ust table with with some table clothe thrown over...and it took forever to get....but mmmmm.. I had the goat and I loved it an dI always get it when I see it on any menu now. NAd of course the jerk chicken..spicy...mmm :drool:

Yeah believe me Jamaica has PLENTY of areas tourists wouldn't be advised to go. Kingston for one!

KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) -- Two Roman Catholic priests visiting Jamaica for training were shot dead in Kingston after eating dinner with colleagues, police said Friday.

The priests, from India and the Philippines, were shot through a kitchen window at the Missionaries of the Poor facility in downtown Kingston. The killings pushed the murder toll in Jamaica, a Caribbean country of 2.7 million people, to 1,382 for the year.

"Five brothers were washing dishes in the kitchen after just finishing dinner, when two bullets went through the heads of the two brothers. It was terrible," Father Richard HoLung, head of the Missionaries of the Poor in Jamaica, told reporters.

Well, I hope they didn't end up in a "holy " stew...eeuww. Sorry I've been reading this other thread on stupid web sites... :lol: bad influence.

Chains have always not been the best choice.

I travel a lot. I always get on the web before hand and look for local eateries, reviews, etc.

If you are ever in the Twin Cities (Minn) PM me for choices.

Thanks Hort!

One thing I've noticed in my travels- especially around the south is that the chains have taken over many towns. Lots of times there are no good local alternatives. It's kinda like Wal-Mart vs. the small independent shops, or Home Depot vs. a local hardware shop. Oh well, the local food in the south is pretty much deep fried anything... :eat:

Thanks Hort!

One thing I've noticed in my travels- especially around the south is that the chains have taken over many towns. Lots of times there are no good local alternatives. It's kinda like Wal-Mart vs. the small independent shops, or Home Depot vs. a local hardware shop. Oh well, the local food in the south is pretty much deep fried anything... :eat:


That's true in any decent sized communities.

Thanks Hort!

One thing I've noticed in my travels- especially around the south is that the chains have taken over many towns. Lots of times there are no good local alternatives. It's kinda like Wal-Mart vs. the small independent shops, or Home Depot vs. a local hardware shop. Oh well, the local food in the south is pretty much deep fried anything... :eat:
How much traveling in the south have you really done!!? :confused:

We have lots of local places here, but this is a big city (Orlando) so maybe that's part of the reason. My family is spread out over the southern states and there are a lot of small, independently owned stores and restaurants. You're right, a lot of big chains have taken over but they still have a lot of places left.

And dude southern food is the best food. :) My mom is the best cook ever!!!

I think I'm going to make collards to go with my steak today.

How much traveling in the south have you really done!!? :confused:

We have lots of local places here, but this is a big city (Orlando) so maybe that's part of the reason. My family is spread out over the southern states and there are a lot of small, independently owned stores and restaurants. You're right, a lot of big chains have taken over but they still have a lot of places left.

And dude southern food is the best food. :) My mom is the best cook ever!!!

I think I'm going to make collards to go with my steak today.

Born and raised baby! Orlando is not the south btw.

Yeah I love southern cooking too! I'm talking about lots of the independent restaurants in small towns where the menu goes like: country fried steak, fried chicken, fried fish, smothered fried pork chops, french fries, hush puppies, fried chicken livers or gizzards, etc... Hey I love the stuff I just object to the nasty oil in those deep friers! I don't think they change it a whole lot, and it was nasty cheap hydrogenated GMO trans fats to start with.

Now your mom's cooking- I'd love to try that!

Hey look- I love to sit in a shitty looking restaurant with no non-smoking section and drink 12 glasses of sweet tea while guzzling down some deep fried meat and potatoes for $4.99 and smoking half a pack of Marlboros as much as the next guy- I just can't do it any more. How do you think I got so fat?

But yes, I know there many excellent restaurants throughout the south. They are just rare and overshadowed by the chains. Really very few restaurants make me happy.

Born and raised baby! Orlando is not the south btw.
Well, I know what you mean but come over here on the outskirts and see how many southern accents you hear. :p

People always say Florida isn't a "southern state" (not discussing geographical location either). But think about that for a minute...

-What is the choice sport for many, many southerners? NASCAR. And what is probably the biggest Nascar event? Daytona 500, held here in Florida.

-Don't southerners love to hunt and fish? Dude, the hunting and fishing here is really great (supposidly, personally I am not a fan of either of these - I feel too bad. I actually feel guilty baiting a hook! :o ).

-They call the area up near Panama City Beach "the Redneck Riviera" lol.

-Florida was the 3rd state to secede from the Union, after Mississippi and before that SC. (I think, it's been a while since I was in a History class.)

We have a huge melting pot of cultures here. All kinds of wonderful and great people. But even with this variety I still think much of central Florida could be considered "southern." :)

Here is a cool snippet of a web page from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Southern_states:

Florida has had rapid population growth due to retirees from the North and immigrants from Latin America. Miami, Florida has become more a part of the culture of the Caribbean, with a large influx of immigrants from Cuba, and also Puerto Rico, Haiti and other parts of Latin America. Often, non-Hispanic whites and native-born African Americans have migrated north from Miami to find higher wages, lower costs of living, and cultures where they feel more comfortable. While southern and central Florida are seen by many as not truly part of the South in terms of culture, the Florida Panhandle, northeastern areas, North Central Florida, and the Nature Coast of Florida remain culturally tied to the South. An unofficial "Southern line" can be drawn at or just south of Tampa, Florida on the state's west coast and stretching through Lakeland, Florida over to Melbourne, Florida on the state's east coast; below this line, the culture of the areas can be described as much more "Northern." (but not completely; in virtually any part of the state outside of the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metroplex, southern accents can still be heard and the culture can still be described as more "Southern" than any region of the U.S. not in the "Deep South").

Yeah I love southern cooking too! I'm talking about lots of the independent restaurants in small towns where the menu goes like: country fried steak, fried chicken, fried fish, smothered fried pork chops, french fries, hush puppies, fried chicken livers or gizzards, etc... Hey I love the stuff I just object to the nasty oil in those deep friers! I don't think they change it a whole lot, and it was nasty cheap hydrogenated GMO trans fats to start with.
You're probably right man. Lots of fatty and fried stuff. Tasty, but probably not "authorized for our cutting diets" lol. We grew up eating some of that stuff (not gizzards and livers though, gross), but my family was pretty healthy. Mom rarely made dessert actually. I think it was the iced-tea that was my biggest downfall. haha I actually have iced-tea during cheat meals when most of my bodybuilding friends have beer!

Now your mom's cooking- I'd love to try that!
Me too. Now when I go over there she asks "can you eat that?" She's pretty cool about it. She knows what I eat and tries to be helpful. Back when I lived at home years ago I did a 12-week BFL challenge. She cooked for me almost every day. It was great cause the whole family was eating really clean as well.

Hey look- I love to sit in a shitty looking restaurant with no non-smoking section and drink 12 glasses of sweet tea while guzzling down some deep fried meat and potatoes for $4.99 and smoking half a pack of Marlboros as much as the next guy- I just can't do it any more. How do you think I got so fat?

But yes, I know there many excellent restaurants throughout the south. They are just rare and overshadowed by the chains. Really very few restaurants make me happy.
Yea you're right. Still, though, if you do come down here and want some good veal, let me know. :tucool:

Ya know what food I love? Low country cuisine. Like in coastal South Carolina. Game birds, shrimp and grits, great French influences. Delicious sauces. A great example can be found in Baltimore (of all places) at the restaurant Charleston. Try the squab. :drool:

Where I live there's so much competition between restaurants, it's cheaper to eat out than to make dinner most of the time! Unless I'm going gourmet, I can go down to curry rice express and get a nice big plate of rice, salad and barbeque chicken..healthy and great for mass gains, for only $5 canadian! But I agree, Mcdonald's, burger king, etc. will kill you. There's just no nutritional value in that crap.