EZEtoGRU Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 (edited) I was at a nice Jewish Deli today in the downtown area of Ft. Lauderdale. It’s called The Top Hat. I’ve been multiple times in the past and have always enjoyed it. Today I had the Matzo Ball Soup (Excellent!) and a nosh plate of Mac N Cheese. Nothing on the menu suggested the Mac N Cheese would be served with some spicy kick to it…and being a Jewish Deli I certainly didn’t expect it. But it was spicy. Having been raised in the Midwest in the 60s, spicy foods really weren’t part of our regular diet. Mac N Cheese certainly was never spicy. I guess I got a nostalgic thinking about how our cuisine is evolving in the US. We can’t expect standard American fare (think Mac N Cheese, Meatloaf, Pot Pie) to be made in a tradition way anymore. So many things are served spicy now. Everyone serves hot chicken now. So many salty snacks have red hot versions. There’s a gazillion different brands of hot sauce at the grocery store. Im sure this is all a consequence of more international influence on our cuisine…particularly from Asia and Mexico. Of course nothing stays static. There is always evolution and I really do enjoy the much wider variety of foods we have available to us now compared to the 1960s. But sometimes you just want to have a traditional Mac and Cheese like mom used to make. It’s getting harder and harder to find😢. By the way, I do recommend The Top Hat. Most of the food is solid there. I’ll go back there again and again. Just not for the Mac N Cheese. Deli | Top Hat Deli | Fort Lauderdale WWW.TOPHATFTL.COM Top Hat Deli is modern deli by be nice restaurant group. Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Edited April 26 by EZEtoGRU pubic_assistance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ Vegas_Millennial Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 1 hour ago, EZEtoGRU said: I was at a nice Jewish Deli today in the downtown area of Ft. Lauderdale. It’s called The Top Hat. I’ve been multiple times in the past and have always enjoyed it. Today I had the Matzo Ball Soup (Excellent!) and a nosh plate of Mac N Cheese. Nothing on the menu suggested the Mac N Cheese would be served with some spicy kick to it…and being a Jewish Deli I certainly didn’t expect it. But it was spicy. Having been raised in the Midwest in the 60s, spicy foods really weren’t part of our regular diet. Mac N Cheese certainly was never spicy. I guess I got a nostalgic thinking about how our cuisine is evolving in the US. We can’t expect standard American fare (think Mac N Cheese, Meatloaf, Pot Pie) to be made in a tradition way anymore. So many things are served spicy now. Everyone serves hot chicken now. So many salty snacks have red hot versions. There’s a gazillion different brands of hot sauce at the grocery store. Im sure this is all a consequence of more international influence on our cuisine…particularly from Asia and Mexico. Of course nothing stays static. There is always evolution and I really do enjoy the much wider variety of foods we have available to us now compared to the 1960s. But sometimes you just want to have a traditional Mac and Cheese like mom used to make. It’s getting harder and harder to find😢. By the way, I do recommend The Top Hat. Most of the food is solid there. I’ll go back there again and again. Just not for the Mac N Cheese. Deli | Top Hat Deli | Fort Lauderdale WWW.TOPHATFTL.COM Top Hat Deli is modern deli by be nice restaurant group. Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Just today, I overheard co-workers discussing a queer experience at a new Tai restaurant downtown. The servers did not ask for a spice level, and the food was served bland with no spice. This experience is definitely the outlier in modern restaurant cuisine. pubic_assistance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloKyle Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 (edited) Did you ask the server if it was supposed to be spicy @EZEtoGRU? Reminds me of this place by me Dinosaur BBQ. All their side dishes have a little extra ingredient added in which you aren't expecting. Buffalo BBQ Restaurant & Catering DINOSAURBARBQUE.COM Edited April 26 by BuffaloKyle EZEtoGRU 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pubic_assistance Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 Why does everything need to be served spicy now? Probably because the US is finally catching up with the rest of the known world where they like their food to actually taste like something. (Great Britain not included). marylander1940 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samhexum Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 (edited) Honestly, the first time I was really conscious of this was when I started habitually watching Wendy Williams the last few years of her show. No matter what food she was talking about, there was some kind of mention of her adding hot sauce to it. I have never been able to tolerate anything more than the slightest bit of spice although there are times while I don't even mind a dish being slightly too spicy just because I'm in the mood to have something out of the ordinary. and when Stop & Shop was having a clearance on all sort of stuff in January, I got a couple of bags barbecue potato chips for $.67 apiece (full size) and basically ate each one in three sittings. Not that that is particularly spicy, but that's about as hot as I usually like to go. but just reading articles and watching TV shows the last few years I have seen how hotter, spicier foods have become much more common. Edited April 26 by samhexum So my post would bring the reader maximum delight! pubic_assistance and EZEtoGRU 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike carey Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 56 minutes ago, pubic_assistance said: Why does everything need to be served spicy now? Probably because the US is finally catching up with the rest of the known world where they like their food to actually taste like something. (Great Britain not included). This is an outrageous slander of the great British culinary tradition. Actually, no it's not. It is, however, slightly unfair to say that the idea of food actually tasting like something had completely passed the country by. Curry houses have been popular in the UK for decades, and chicken tikka masala is called a national dish of the country. I haven't been there for years (sorry Jamie) but there was, and perhaps still is, much stodge on offer. EZEtoGRU and pubic_assistance 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pubic_assistance Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 18 minutes ago, mike carey said: Curry houses have been popular in the UK for decades, and chicken tikka masala is called a national dish of the country. Probably because Chicken Tikka Masala isn't a native Indian dish...and it isn't particularly spicy. Go try and get a Brit to eat an authentic Vindaloo and watch them panic 🌶 trying to deal with the burn. liubit 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSR Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 I love spicy food, but I don't want everything spicy, especially not classic comfort food like mac & cheese. If a place is going to spice up dishes like meatloaf and chicken noodle soup, I would hope they also offer a non-spicy version for fuddy-duddies like me. + Vegas_Millennial and samhexum 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pubic_assistance Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 10 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said: The servers did not ask for a spice level, and the food was served bland with no spice. Because most of the world knows that Americans prefer bland food. Szechuan, Thai, Vietnamese and Indian restaurants typically "dumb-down" their recipes for an American audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samhexum Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 10 hours ago, pubic_assistance said: this week on 9-1-1, it's full-speed-ahead as Buck explores his bisexuality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZEtoGRU Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 16 hours ago, BuffaloKyle said: Did you ask the server if it was supposed to be spicy @EZEtoGRU? I did not comment on it to the server. There were little red flecks in the dish that I assume were some kind of chili pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZEtoGRU Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 Here's another example of the spicy food conundrum. I'm currently on a Delta flight back to Michigan. Along with the main course, a small salad was also on the tray for my lunch. They provided a tiny bottle of Spicy Tomato/Chili salad dressing to pour on top. No non-spicy alternative was available. I'm not picky about salad dressings. I can eat French/Ranch/Thousand Island/Blue Cheese/Oil & Vinegar/Many others....but I don't want spicy dressing on my salad. I did use the dressing on the salad but frankly I do not desire my salad to be spicy. Very irritating. pubic_assistance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortCutie7 Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 What’s surprising to me is that a Jewish deli would have Mac and Cheese at all! On topic, I’ve definitely noticed that in the last couple of years, hot and sour soups in Chinese restaurants have gotten hotter. pubic_assistance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloKyle Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 (edited) 4 hours ago, EZEtoGRU said: Here's another example of the spicy food conundrum. I'm currently on a Delta flight back to Michigan. Along with the main course, a small salad was also on the tray for my lunch. They provided a tiny bottle of Spicy Tomato/Chili salad dressing to pour on top. No non-spicy alternative was available. I'm not picky about salad dressings. I can eat French/Ranch/Thousand Island/Blue Cheese/Oil & Vinegar/Many others....but I don't want spicy dressing on my salad. I did use the dressing on the salad but frankly I do not desire my salad to be spicy. Very irritating. You said no non-spicy alternative was available so you asked that time? I honestly would call Delta customer service. Don't be afraid to speak up. Edited April 26 by BuffaloKyle + APPLE1, + Vegas_Millennial and pubic_assistance 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike carey Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 4 hours ago, EZEtoGRU said: Here's another example of the spicy food conundrum. I'm currently on a Delta flight back to Michigan. Along with the main course, a small salad was also on the tray for my lunch. They provided a tiny bottle of Spicy Tomato/Chili salad dressing to pour on top. No non-spicy alternative was available. I'm not picky about salad dressings. I can eat French/Ranch/Thousand Island/Blue Cheese/Oil & Vinegar/Many others....but I don't want spicy dressing on my salad. I did use the dressing on the salad but frankly I do not desire my salad to be spicy. Very irritating. 18 minutes ago, BuffaloKyle said: You said no non-spicy alternative was available so you asked that time? I honestly would call Delta customer service. Don't be afraid to speak up. The cynic in me says that on a US Legacy 3 airline I would need to taste test the dressing before taking their word that it was in fact 'spicy'. One hot chilli in the room when they made it, sure, a lot, or actually any heat in the dressing, maybe not! (And as an aside, to me spicy and hot are not the same thing, there are combinations of aromatic spices that flavour foods that aren't in the least bit hot. Of course there are some cuisines where the two go together, Sichuan being one,) Luv2play, EZEtoGRU, pubic_assistance and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ APPLE1 Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 Adding a non traditional spice to a dish is a cheap and easy way to make it unique and create a niche market. Unique and niche are always easier tools to use when appealing to the masses. Subtle flavor changes often go unnoticed and under appreciated by the masses. Add chili pepper to mac n cheese, and most people will recognize it as bold, spicy, and unique. Make Mac n cheese with butter and cheese from grass fed cattle, and very few people will realize, or appreciate, the subtle flavor difference. + azdr0710, + Vegas_Millennial and pubic_assistance 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZEtoGRU Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 15 hours ago, mike carey said: (And as an aside, to me spicy and hot) I do agree with this. I really enjoy some international foods (ie Indian, Thai, Mexican) that use spices we are not accustomed to in traditional US cuisine as long as the level of heat is not too high. However, food that is overly hot is not appealing to me. Some foods are spiced so overly hot that the flavor of the dish gets lost in the heat. Only my opinion of course. To me, there are some hot sauces and chili that greatly enhance the heat level without actually contributing much to the foods flavor. pubic_assistance and mike carey 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZEtoGRU Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 17 hours ago, ShortCutie7 said: What’s surprising to me is that a Jewish deli would have Mac and Cheese at all! Really? I've been to many Jewish Deli Restaurants that offered Mac & Cheese...useually as a side dish. pubic_assistance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
56harrisond Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 Regarding food on airplanes: Due to lack of moisture (at 30,000 ft), our sense of smell reduces and this affects our judgement on food taste. At the same time, lower air pressure will also affect the sensitivity of our taste buds. As a result, our perception of saltiness and sweetness of food also drops. All these make food taste blander inside the cabin of a flying aircraft. Of course, caterers of in-flight meals would endeavour to enrich the flavour of their food served aloft in response. https://www.hko.gov.hk/en/education/weather/weather-and-life/00503-why-does-food-taste-bland-on-airplanes.html MikeBiDude and pubic_assistance 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortCutie7 Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 4 hours ago, EZEtoGRU said: Really? I've been to many Jewish Deli Restaurants that offered Mac & Cheese...useually as a side dish. Then they weren’t kosher or kosher-style… can’t combine meat and dairy. pubic_assistance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ Vegas_Millennial Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 8 hours ago, 56harrisond said: Regarding food on airplanes: Due to lack of moisture (at 30,000 ft), our sense of smell reduces and this affects our judgement on food taste. At the same time, lower air pressure will also affect the sensitivity of our taste buds. As a result, our perception of saltiness and sweetness of food also drops. All these make food taste blander inside the cabin of a flying aircraft. Of course, caterers of in-flight meals would endeavour to enrich the flavour of their food served aloft in response. https://www.hko.gov.hk/en/education/weather/weather-and-life/00503-why-does-food-taste-bland-on-airplanes.html I flew British Airways Club World (Business Class) last July. My appetizer was a Prawn & Pepper plate. I don't remember if it was described as spicy or not. It was one of the hottest dishes I ever ate! It was not as hot as wasabi or horseradish, but almost!. The prawns were also the largest and tastiest prawns I ever had (not relevant to the subject of spice, but it was a memorable dish). The spice was perfect because it was only the peppers themselves and not a sauce covering the entire plate of food. I would order that dish again! 56harrisond, pubic_assistance and samhexum 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZEtoGRU Posted April 28 Author Share Posted April 28 5 hours ago, ShortCutie7 said: Then they weren’t kosher or kosher-style… can’t combine meat and dairy. That may well be...but I do know that plenty of Jewish deli restaurants offer Mac & Cheese. pubic_assistance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudynate Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 6 minutes ago, EZEtoGRU said: That may well be...but I do know that plenty of Jewish deli restaurants offer Mac & Cheese. It seems like a Jewish deli could serve mac and cheese and keep kosher. pubic_assistance 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSR Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 27 minutes ago, Rudynate said: It seems like a Jewish deli could serve mac and cheese and keep kosher. I used to play tennis with a Puerto Rican guy who went to college at Brandeis. His first time at the dining hall, they asked him, "Kosher or not kosher?" He responded, "What's kosher?" Because I know as much about the rules of kosher as my old tennis buddy, I googled it. Since vegetable rennet was developed around 1990, kosher restaurants can indeed make & serve mac & cheese. Even pre-vegetable rennet, Jewish delis cheated & used soft cheeses like cottage cheese to make mac & cheese. (Cottage cheese for m&c?? Gag me with a fork! But I digress ... ) Getting back to the original topic, do Jewish delis serve any spicy food? Pastrami has a pepper crust, but it's not spicy. Call me boring, but I really don't want to see spicy matzo ball soup on any Jewish deli menus any time soon, or ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samhexum Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 On 4/25/2024 at 8:54 PM, EZEtoGRU said: I was at a nice Jewish Deli today in the downtown area of Ft. Lauderdale. It’s called The Top Hat. I’ve been multiple times in the past and have always enjoyed it. Today I had the Matzo Ball Soup (Excellent!) and a nosh plate of Mac N Cheese. Nothing on the menu suggested the Mac N Cheese would be served with some spicy kick to it…and being a Jewish Deli I certainly didn’t expect it. But it was spicy. Was this you (sort of)? On 4/26/2024 at 6:36 PM, ShortCutie7 said: What’s surprising to me is that a Jewish deli would have Mac and Cheese at all! What’s surprising to me is that you could find a Jewish deli at all! They are on the critically endangered list in NYC. 13 hours ago, EZEtoGRU said: Really? I've been to many Jewish Deli Restaurants that offered Mac & Cheese...useually as a side dish. Have many of them been in the last decade? (see comment above) 3 hours ago, Rudynate said: It seems like a Jewish deli could serve mac and cheese and keep kosher. They could always have 2 kitchens & 2 dining rooms, & serve you one dish in each. 3 hours ago, BSR said: I used to play tennis with a Puerto Rican guy who had the most amazing ass that I would have devoured, whether or not it was kosher... except maybe on Passover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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