bob thoughts

thanksgiving

I have always been a little anti the normal thanksgiving meal. I like turkey sandwiches but I don't really care for turkey and dressing. The only traditional thanksgiving food that I love is pumpkin pie. I don't really want pumpkin pie any other time of the year but at thanksgiving it is great.

My family usually has some kind of BBQ for thanksgiving. This year I think we are going to have steak.

What is your favorite thanksgiving food?

fries

I am kinda hungry so I thought I would do a little poll just to stir up the unending debate about who has the best fries. Let me know what you think.

hotdogs

I am sure there are people that don't like hot dogs but I don't know any of them. Yesterday I went to Woofies, a place in St. Louis famous for hot dogs. As I sat there devouring my hot dog I found myself thinking two things.

The first thing that I found myself thinking was wow I wonder how bad this really is for me. I was okay though since I had the great equalizer - diet coke. You can eat anything you want as long as you have diet coke - right?

The other think I started thinking about was all the great memories I have that involved eating hot dogs. So many family gatherings revolved around eating. So early on as a little kid I can remember having fun with family and friends and eating hot dogs. I think we are brainwashed to like hot dogs even from the time of birth.

I wonder if it is the hot dogs that we really like o r if it is the relationships that so many times revolve around grilling and eating hot dogs. I would guess that relationships are way more important to us than most of us would admit. Do you have any found memories about picnics, friends, family and hot dogs?

not what you expected

I recently went Nosh, a new restaurant here in Durham, for lunch with a friend. I am pretty conservative when it comes to my food choices. I know what I like and I usually stick with it. On this particular day I was in the mood for something I had not tried from this place but I could not decide what I wanted. It was my turn to order and I just randomly ordered what I thought was a turkey sandwich.

My friend and I sat down and started talking. This restaurant gives pictures of dogs and they each have names - they use these to know who ordered what and to find your table when they bring the food. When they brought our food I thought they had our order mixed up because they brought me a burger.

I told the lady that I thought it was wrong because I had the turkey. As she began to explain I realized that I had ordered a turkey burger. Let me tell you that if I would have know what I was ordering I would not have ordered a turkey burger.

I was reluctant because my lunch was not what I thought it was going to be. But as I ate it I discovered that it was really good. It wasn't what I thought it would be but I liked it.

So it made me wonder - is this same principle true in other areas of our lives. Something wasn't what we thought it would be but we end up liking it. Could this be true with certain people or relationships? Where else might this be true - could this also apply to God?

Sonic

I have now been to the new Sonic (I-85N exit 153) twice. It is pretty cool because it has inside place where you can sit down. If you simply judge Sonic on the quality of fries then they are probably just above average but there are so many other things that make Sonic great. Does "give me your tots" ring a bell? They have great burgers, drinks, and desserts. I tried to get them to give me a hat or shirt when I was there but I think the girl thought I was joking. If you live near Mebane, NC you should give Sonic a try and tell them that bob sent you and that they should give me a hat.

Fat Fries

I am sure there are a few people in the world that do not like French fries but I have never met any of them. Even in light of new information form McDonald's I don't think most people will stop eating them. I think I am addicted.

McDonald's has said in the past that its French fries contain 6 grams of trans fat. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the less trans fat consumed, the better. Somebody is not going to be happy to find out that the trans fat content of those fries is actually higher.

The trans fat content of its large fries was one-third higher--8 grams rather than 6 grams. In addition, the company said, the total fat content was actually 20% higher, 30 grams rather than 25 grams listed, while the total calories for the large fry rose to 570 calories from 520 calories.

Just in case you were curious: Big Mac--560 calories and 1.5 grams of trans fat--and double cheeseburger--460 calories and 1.5 grams of trans fat.

Sonic

We are about to make a Sonic run. We found out that it is at exit 153 on 85 north towards Greensboro. I will post something when I get back and let you know how it was.

Sonic

I find that the simplest things make me excited and happy. I found out on Sunday that there is a new Sonic that just opened and it is only 15 minutes from where we live. I am not sure what is more sad - that I get really excited about Sonic or that so many people are telling me about the new Sonic because they know I will get excited. Okay I know that Sonic is not a high class restaurant but where else can you get an ocean water with a foot long coney dog. One year for our anniversary my wife and I drove 30+ minutes just to go to a Sonic. Just in case you did not know Sonic has now gone high-tech because you can now pay with a credit or debit card. It is always a fight in my car to see who gets to push the littler red button.

Fry Facts

One of the earliest references we have to British 'chips' (French Fries in the U.S.) is in Charles Dicken's 'Tale of Two Cities' (1859): "husky chips of potatoes, fried with some reluctant drops of oil."

The first reference to 'French fried potatoes' was in 1894 in O. Henry's 'Rolling Stones', “Our countries are great friends. We have given you Lafayette and French fried potatoes.”                         

The 'French' in French fries refers to the method of cutting the potatoes; to 'french' means to slice into thin strips.

Americans eat more than 16 pounds of french fries every year, which comes to over 2 million tons!

Both France and Belgium claim that they invented 'French Fries'. Belgians claim that their street vendors sold these 'Belgian fries' from pushcarts before the French adapted the idea in the middle of the 19th century. They crossed the Atlantic to America in the 1880s.                                        

McDonald's uses about 7% of the potatoes grown in the United States for its French fries. They sell more than 1/3 of all the French fries sold in restaurants in the U.S. each year.

The French fries sold at McDonald's are peeled, sliced and partially cooked at factories in Idaho.

Fries

I love fries! I have discovered that there are many different opinions on what makes a good french fry. Some people like them crispy and others like them gooey. You have curly, straight, waffle cut, seasoned or not, and then you have fast food style and restaurant style. If you want to spark a debate all you have to do is voice your opinion on what the best fry is and I guarantee you that there will be someone quick to disagree. I am pretty confident that Burger King has the best fries but I would like to know what you think. Check back later and I will give you the categories of fries to enable you to have a great discussion.