255 replies to this topic

[Devil's Advocate]

Lettuce Wars?  Really?

Yes. Really.




Or, alternatively, how about something more like this...





They look like some weird grownup version of the cabbage patch kids.

[A Voice]

Or, alternatively, how about something more like this...

 

 

There, that's better.    

[Green Maned Lion]

I'm not here to start wars on lettuce. Wars over a different kinds of lettuce (the type with dead presidents thereon) maybe.

You asked if anyone ever had a preference for iceberg. I am giving you some places that I do. And overall actually agreeing- it is not my general preference for salad lettuce.

If crispness is the primary appeal then cabbage, carrots, and radishes are substantially crispier than iceberg.

I said "cool wateryness" and a "certain crispness"; cabbage, carrots, and radishes have different sorts of crispnesses and are certainly not watery.

 

It doesn't have much flavor, and it isn't particularly nutritionally useful, but it does have its place.

Yeah, as a dirt cheap vegetable-like filler that was bred to survive long trips in a rail car. As ice based transport was replaced with refrigerated trucks iceberg was reemployed as an easy way to make fatty heart clogging meals look healthier.

I won't dispute you that this is mainly how it's used.
 

In my experience the vast majority of iceberg lettuce is served lathered with mayonnaise or drenched in ranch or bleu cheese or thousand island dressing. People who are health conscious enough to eat lettuce plain or with a low calorie topping wouldn't choose iceberg in the first place.

I do not dispute that this is often the way it is served. That is the fault of the food preparer, not the lettuce.

If I order a burger with 1/2 lb of meat, slathered with sauces, Swiss cheese, goat cheese, and bacon, it will have more calories than if I order burger with 1/3lb of the same meat, sauces, Swiss cheese, goat cheese, bacon, and a chunk of iceberg. True or false?

As I said, it can be used to replace more caloric bulk in a food dish. So it does have uses. If we ever break bread, DA, I can assure you that iceberg is not something found in my kitchen. But I am tired of your one-size-fits-all generalizations.

Personally my favorite low cal bulk up is sauerkraut, which I've heard most people hate. It's actually quite healthy for you because of the active biological components of its fermentation.

[Devil's Advocate]

You asked if anyone ever had a preference for iceberg. I am giving you some places that I do. And overall actually agreeing- it is not my general preference for salad lettuce.

Fair enough, point taken.

 

In my experience the vast majority of iceberg lettuce is served lathered with mayonnaise or drenched in ranch or bleu cheese or thousand island dressing. People who are health conscious enough to eat lettuce plain or with a low calorie topping wouldn't choose iceberg in the first place.

I do not dispute that this is often the way it is served. That is the fault of the food preparer, not the lettuce. If I order a burger with 1/2 lb of meat, slathered with sauces, Swiss cheese, goat cheese, and bacon, it will have more calories than if I order burger with 1/3lb of the same meat, sauces, Swiss cheese, goat cheese, bacon, and a chunk of iceberg. True or false? As I said, it can be used to replace more caloric bulk in a food dish. So it does have uses.

I think the difference between our positions boils down to a matter of practical vs theoretical. You can make a reasonable case that iceberg could be used as a low calorie replacement for less healthy ingredients. Meanwhile I can make a reasonable case that, from a practical standpoint, iceberg lettuce is very rarely used in such a manner.

 

If we ever break bread, DA, I can assure you that iceberg is not something found in my kitchen. But I am tired of your one-size-fits-all generalizations.

Generalizing may not be infallible it's a lot faster than always being right.    

 

Or, alternatively, how about something more like this...

 
There, that's better.

Not really the same thing though. I did once see women wearing raw beef as a joke in a magazine once and... Let's just say it didn't have nearly the same appeal as lettuce bikinis.

Edited by Devil's Advocate, 21 April 2017 - 02:37 PM.

[WoodyinNYC]

I'm not here to start wars on lettuce. 

... my favorite low cal bulk up is sauerkraut, which ... is actually quite healthy because of the active biological components of its fermentation.

Where were you when the lights went out?

 

Down in the cellar eating sauerkraut!

 

It is a probiotic food. And I love it.

 

But sauerkraut does have unpleasant side effects. Glad it's not served in the confined spaces of rail cars. (Let's keep this thread On Topic, please. LOL.)

 

The side effects can usually be prevented with a capsule or two of Beano, the branded product which could as easily be named CabbageO, and in a store brand version of alpha-galactosidase from every major drugstore chain. The vegetable-derived enzyme breaks down complex carbohydrates in the gut and ends the production of excess gas.

Edited by WoodyinNYC, 21 April 2017 - 02:32 PM.

[ehbowen]

But sauerkraut does have some unpleasant side effects. I'm glad it is not served in the confined spaces of rail cars. (Let's keep this thread On Topic, please. LOL.)
 
The side effects can usually be prevented with a capsule or two of Beano, the branded product which could as easily be named CabbageO, and in a store brand version from every major drugstore chain. The vegetable-derived enzyme breaks down complex carbohydrates in the gut and ends the production of excess gas.

 
Now, now, you went there first. As with most everything, there is an opposing view:
 

 

Edited by ehbowen, 21 April 2017 - 01:56 PM.

[tricia]

 

Personally my favorite low cal bulk up is sauerkraut, which I've heard most people hate. It's actually quite healthy for you because of the active biological components of its fermentation.

 

 

Most sauerkraut is "dead," alas. Still tasty, but lacks probiotic benefits.

 

Only place to find kraut (or other pickles) with live cultures in a grocery store is in a refrigerator case. Look for a brand like Bubbies, one that says on the jar it has live cultures.

 

Or make your own--very easy. We usually keep a jar of cucumber pickles fermenting in our kitchen throughout the summer. When they're sour enough for our taste, they go in the fridge and another jar gets started. Yum. Looking forward to cucumbers from the garden again in a few weeks.

 

Sad, but understandable, that nothing this fresh is to be found in an Amtrak dining car. But, in the realm of the feasible, I do think Amtrak could do MUCH better in the fresh-and-healthful department.

[RSG]

Now, now, you went there first. As with most everything, there is an opposing view:

Which brings to mind a clickbait article on one of my news feeds from earlier today...you know why flight attendants take a walkthrough the plane at random times? Well, the change in air pressure results in certain things building up and therefore needing to be released. So it could be said they are spreading the love around...

[Devil's Advocate]

You know why flight attendants take a walkthrough the plane at random times? Well, the change in air pressure results in certain things building up and therefore needing to be released. So it could be said they are spreading the love around...

If United/American/Delta flight attendants are walking by it may just be another excuse to kick knees/feet and bump shoulders/elbows on their way to another gossip session in the area that used to be a galley.

Edited by Devil's Advocate, 06 May 2017 - 01:02 PM.

[Steve4031]

Breakfast on 4 this morning was good. I had the French toast. I'm intrigued by the quesadillas with cheese and bacon for lunch.

[Skyline]

"...Overnight hours I have mixed feelings about, 10PM is a little early for a cutoff, but at a certain point, staff is entitled to sleep."

 

Since most on board staff is awake by 5am, working about 6am, when would it be okay with you for them to go off-duty?

[niemi24s]

Just returned from doing a CZ-CS-SWC loop.  The only real disappointment was the Chicken & Bacon Fettucine Carbonara on the CZ as it was severely dehydrated to the point that the pasta was all stuck together by the dried-out cheese sauce making it difficult to eat - had to cut every bite with the fork.  That same dish on the SWC was much, much better as it was moist and the pasta wasn't all stuck together.  

 

The big surprise to me was the succotash prepared with what I initially thought were baby lima beans that were somehow tasty and tender.  Learned later the beans were edamame. 

 

The CS had no PPC, so all three menus were the same.

[Johanna]

I enjoyed the edamame succotash on the entree salad I had on the EB the other day. Also impressed with the amount of asiago cheese that came with the salad. I was expecting just a little sprinkle, but there was a full condiment cup's worth - served on the side, so you can choose how much to use.

The new vegetarian noodle bowl on the dinner menu is delicious (if you like Asian dishes with tofu, which I do).

I wasn't terribly impressed with the desserts, though. The texture of the cheesecake is weird. The chocolate cake was dry, and I didn't care for the boozy sauce. The lemon tart was OK, I guess, but nothing to write home about.

[Steve4031]

 ImageUploadedByAmtrak Forum1494098130.987532.jpg   102.64KB   39 downloads

Chicken quesadillas were fine. Not spicy or adventuresome.

[crescent-zephyr]

"...Overnight hours I have mixed feelings about, 10PM is a little early for a cutoff, but at a certain point, staff is entitled to sleep."

 
Since most on board staff is awake by 5am, working about 6am, when would it be okay with you for them to go off-duty?

Why should that concern customers who are paying a high price for premium service.

When I book a cruise I never ask how much sleep the various employees get... I'm guessing it's very little. And I always think about that when I tip them at the end of the cruise.

[Carolina Special]

To provide 24/7 service, sleeper ticket prices would need to go up to account for at least one more roomette taken out of service for an additional employee. Maybe the cruise lines can handle it, but Amtrak can't afford to lose the revenue.

[crescent-zephyr]

To provide 24/7 service, sleeper ticket prices would need to go up to account for at least one more roomette taken out of service for an additional employee. Maybe the cruise lines can handle it, but Amtrak can't afford to lose the revenue.

Well no one is asking for 24/7 service... We are asking for beds to be turned down at 10 or 10:30 pm. Seems reasonable.

[Palmetto]

ImageUploadedByAmtrak Forum1494098130.987532.jpg

Chicken quesadillas were fine. Not spicy or adventuresome.

Bring your own jalapenos, I guess!

[Steve4031]

ImageUploadedByAmtrak Forum1494098130.987532.jpg

Chicken quesadillas were fine. Not spicy or adventuresome.

Bring your own jalapenos, I guess!

I kind of like them. If you want spicy bring them.

[Dakota 400]

To provide 24/7 service, sleeper ticket prices would need to go up to account for at least one more roomette taken out of service for an additional employee. Maybe the cruise lines can handle it, but Amtrak can't afford to lose the revenue.

 

Just a curious question as a result of your post:  If there would be a Sleeping Car Attendant required to be on duty 24/7 with a Roomette being placed into revenue service, where would this individual(s) be "housed" within the Sleeping Car to provide such service?