First Annual Serious Eats Food Rorschach Test

Presenting the first annual Serious Eats Food Rorschach Test. Your answers will provide a window into your inner soul (food and otherwise). But unlike other (psychologists and psychiatrists) professionals who administer Rorschach tests, I have no way of interpreting the results. And since this is a self-administered Rorschach, you can interpret the results any way you see fit. If it's not too painful I would appreciate everyone who takes the test to share his or her results in any way you deem appropriate.
- 1) Haggen Dasz or Ben & Jerry's?
- 2) Skippy or Jif?
- 3) Bagel or Bialy?
- 4) Whipped or Regular Cream Cheese?
- 5) Relish or Sauerkraut on your hot dogs?
- 6) Milk or Dark Chocolate?
- 7) Salted or Sweet Butter?
- 8) Pastrami or Corned Beef on a Deli Sandwich?
- 9) French Fries or Onion Rings?
- 10) Espresso, Regular Coffee or Latte?
- 11) Crispy or Pliant Bacon?
- 12) White or Dark Meat (on either chicken or turkey)?
The only rule that will be strictly enforced is the no equivication rule. That is, you can't say that I like sweet butter on certain things, and salted butter on others, even if it's true. You must decide which is your over-all preference and vote accordingly.
I would also appreciate any suggestions about questions that should be on the next Food Rorschach test.
You may start the test any time.
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18 Comments:
Haggen Dasz....Vanilla goes with evrything
Skippy....As long as it's Crunchy
Bagel
Regular Cream Cheese....Used sparingly, only if there's lox involved
Sauerkraut....Relish is too sweet
Dark Chocolate....My favorite is Scharffen Berger 70% Bittersweet
Sweet Butter....For baking and cooking--I don't butter toast
Pastrami
French Fries
Espresso
Crispy....Crispy, not petrified
Dark Meat...White meat is for wussies.
SaraBir at 8:25AM on 08/09/06
Many of my answers match those of previous poster.
Haggen Dasz (sp?)
Skippy (crunchy)
Bagel
Regular Cream Cheese, but very little
Relish on hot dogs, in theory, choosing from two offered. Prefer cole slaw.
Dark Chocolate! So much so that I would prefer to say Chocolate. That is, there is chocolate, then there is milk chocolate.
Sweet Butter
Pastrami
Onion Rings
Regular Coffee, black, strong, no sugar
Pliant Bacon
Dark Meat. No contest.
floretbroc at 9:27AM on 08/09/06
1) Ben & Jerry's - Because I can spell it.
2) Skippy - It just sounds more fun
3) Bagel - Preferably a still-warm everything bagel from H&H
4) Regular Cream Cheese - You can't get a good schmear with the whipped.
5) Sauerkraut
6) Dark Chocolate - Although milk chocolate certainly has its place.
7) Salted Butter
8) Corned Beef
9) French Fries - Please make them hand cut double fried.
10) Espresso
11) Crispy - But leave a little bit of the chewy fat left.
12) Dark Meat
pdc at 12:08PM on 08/09/06
* 2) Skippy or Jif? skippy
* 3) Bagel or Bialy? bagel
* 4) Whipped or Regular Cream Cheese? regular - Ben's
* 5) Relish or Sauerkraut on your hot dogs? neither; cooked onions
* 6) Milk or Dark Chocolate? dark
* 7) Salted or Sweet Butter? sweet
* 8) Pastrami or Corned Beef on a Deli Sandwich? tough choice -
pastrami
* 9) French Fries or Onion Rings? ummm, tough choice - onion rings
* 10) Espresso, Regular Coffee or Latte? reg n am, espresso n pm
* 11) Crispy or Pliant Bacon? crispy
* 12) White or Dark Meat (on either chicken or turkey)? white
* 13) hot dogs or hamburgers? hamburgers
* 14) plain pizza or "the works"? the works
etc, etc, .............................
baruch at 2:39PM on 08/09/06
Ben & Jerry's
Crunchy
Bialy
Whipped Cream Cheese
Sauerkraut
Dark Chocolate
Sweet Butter
Pastrami
French Fries
Espresso
Crispy
Dark Meat
Freedom at 10:03PM on 08/09/06
Since you called this a Rorshach test, I am going to talk more about what immediately came to mind for each one. But I would love to see you turn this into a whole Briggs-Meyers thing. Tasting vs. Seasoning, Overindulging vs. Portion-Controlling, Cooking vs. Taking-Out, etc.
Here were my answers, which you will no doubt find terribly revealing.
* 1) Haagen Dasz is becoming unfortunately more and more like B&J. In the past it was always Haagen Dasz because you would compare the ingredients. Haagen Dasz would have something like five, and Ben and Jerry's, something like fifty. Anyway, I see a tree here. A vanilla bean tree. With nice long vanilla bean pods. Which is odd, as vanilla grows on vines.
* 2) Skippy or Jif? The first thing that came to mind was a little guy in a Peter Pan costume, who I assumed was Skippy. But then I realized, no, that's Peter Pan. I guess Peter Pan is in the public domain or something? It seems odd that there are Peter Pan buses driving around, and Peter Pan peanut butter, and this guy -- and neither the estate of JM Barrie, nor Disney, nor Johnny Depp can do a thing about it.
At any rate, who was Skippy? I am trying to imagine the peanut butter label. First, I see the label with Skippy from "Family Ties" on it. That can't be right, so I focus again... and now it's Waldo, as in, the person people are always asking Where he is. That can't be right, either, but Skippy must look something like that. For Jif, I draw a blank altogether -- yet, of course, that is the peanut butter I have always preferred.
* 3) Whenever I see a bialy, I always want to feed it. Perhaps that's because all I see is their deep depression. (1)
This urge to feed those who are depressed is probably a cultural thing picked up from either my Italian or my Jewish grandparents, that goes pretty far back. It's quite confusing to me, as it seems like a bad impulse that could mess up any kids I may eventually have. How much are you charging per hour for this, anyway? Is my time up?
* 4) Regular cream cheese. Whipping something unwhippable is a crime made only possible by heavy industry, but maybe Ferran Adria would disagree. Some people are all for advancing food technology and enhancing "mouth feel" and all that. I think regular cream cheese has pretty darn good mouth feel, and is already industrial enough. But maybe I am a hypocrite for preferring "natural" cream cheese, which is like protesting the invention of new kinds of balogna.
* 5) I've completely forgotten what you asked for number 5. Perhaps the post a reply page should show the original post above? Just a suggestion (David).
* 6) Dark chocolate is clearly having its Best Year Ever.
* 7) I have only in recent years learned that there was a difference between salted and sweet butter, and I still am surprised by this the two or three times a year I actually go to buy some (the rest of the year it magically appears in the fridge on a semi-monthly basis, which is one of the happy side effects of being married). I just thought there was the butter I can buy, and the stuff they have in restaurants that actually tastes good. This is probably the result of having grown up a ways out on Long Island, which until recently was a surefire way to know nothing about food that wasn't red sauce-based, from a deli, caught in the bay, or ordered by its number and taken home with a free cookie.
* 8) Corned beef and pastrami are both more satisfying than cigarettes, but probably as surefire a way to shorten your life. I have no scientific basis for this immediate reaction. They both have a lot of formaldehyde in them, right? No? Sorry, I don't know who gave me that stupid idea. On Long Island we made pastrami from Biology class frogs.
* 9) Onion Rings are not on the same playing field as French Fries, no matter how equal placement Burger King gives them on the menu. Onion Rings are like the Mets of burger sides. (2)
* 10) Question number ten is a trick question. It really should be written: do you still have any hangups -- after all, you grew up on Long Island -- writing in a public forum that you prefer an espresso-based, milky drink to a working-class, good enough for you back when you were working a real job, less-than-a-dollar cup of coffee? And, if not, are you going to think it makes you sound edgier, or more European, to say "espresso," and not the frothy, milky, latte or cappuccino?
At any rate, espresso, of course -- I mean, a good strong cup of black American coffee. From Dunkin Donuts. They have really good coffee, you know. (This is what is called a "Long Island conceit." People say this to make fun of people who live in cities, then get into their SUV, drive five miles to the drive-thru Starbucks, and order a frappuccino.)
* 11) ... (Sorry, still trying to imagine "pliant" bacon. The image that came to mind was of a Bacon Gumby.)
* 12) White or Dark Meat? I had forgotten there was dark meat.
(1) This is a bialy joke!!
(2) For anyone just joining us, what you saw above, with the dig on the Mets, was called "being a troll." Or "making a joke," if you prefer. At any rate, I am glad my e-mail address is not published here. And now... I am thinking that I hope the admin for this site is not a Mets fan. And that he doesn't remember how to do that awesome e-mail denial of service attack thing he is fond of recounting to people sometimes in the elevator. )
moth23 at 10:38PM on 08/09/06
1. Ruffles or regular chips?
2. Thin or thick sliced pizza?
3. Rare or medium burger?
4. Toasted or plain hot dog roll?
5. Gelato or ice cream?
d_eats at 8:23AM on 08/10/06
1. Ben & Jerry's (love the apple pie).
2. Skippy crunchy.
3. Bialy--had them every Sunday from Avenue U in Brooklyn growing up, get them from Kossar's now. Pretentious? No way.
4. Regular cream cheese (preferably with vegetables added by Russ's).
5. Sauerkraut.
6. Dark, but I don't care all that much.. Maple or caramel would be my dilemma.
7. Sweet (unsalted). I did cross this up once, and asked the nice woman at the Ronnybrook stand at Union Square for "unsweetened butter."
8. Corned beef.
9. Onion rings if they are real, not reconstituted glop.
10. Bustelo.
11. Crispy.
12. Dark meat.
And I take my pizza plain, no toppings.
Barbara Hanson at 1:49PM on 08/10/06
* 2) Skippy or Jif? Neither. Both have sugar. I use Trader Joe's.
* 3) Bagel or Bialy? Bagel
* 4) Whipped or Regular Cream Cheese? Whipped
* 5) Relish or Sauerkraut on your hot dogs? Neither. If I eat veggie dogs, it's just mustard.
* 6) Milk or Dark Chocolate? Neither. I can't eat them. I have carob instead.
* 7) Salted or Sweet Butter? Salty!
* 8) Pastrami or Corned Beef on a Deli Sandwich? Neither. I don't eat beef.
* 9) French Fries or Onion Rings? Onion rings.
* 10) Espresso, Regular Coffee or Latte? None of the above. Herbal tea.
* 11) Crispy or Pliant Bacon? If I eat veggie bacon, it's crisp.
* 12) White or Dark Meat (on either chicken or turkey)? Neither, I don't eat poultry or any fowl.
hereandthe at 2:26PM on 08/10/06
1) Haggen Dasz decafe coffee, not too frozen. I find Ben & Jerry's just too sweet these days.
2) Whatever is on sale and CREAMY ONLY. I like flipping back and forth between the two to reflect on the differences.
3) Love a good Bialy and always feel like I'm eating fewer calories because there is less bread.
4) Whipped is kind of gross, but easier to use.
5) Sauerkraut and Mustard. That's it.
6) DARK CHOCOLATE! Before I met my husband I didn't distinguish. He really preferred dark and now I can't stomach milk chocolate.
7) I only use sweet butter.
8) Tough Call! I love pastrami, but a corned beef Rueben is one of my favorite sandwiches. I'd have to say pastrami.
9) Onion Rings hands down. I hate french fries.
10) Latte for me please!
11) Crispy bacon - pliant bacon is disgusting!
12) Dark meat, that's where the flavour is!
swingtowng at 12:01AM on 08/11/06
· 1) Haggen Dasz or Ben & Jerry's? Haagen Dazs. Classic flavors, not too many add ons to distract you. My favorite or one of my favorite comfort foods is a pint of HD vanilla ice cream
· 2) Skippy or Jif? I usually get Skippy, itâs available in the supermarkets in Manila.
· 3) Bagel or Bialy? Bagels
· 4) Whipped or Regular Cream Cheese? Regular. Whipped tastes too light.
· 5) Relish or Sauerkraut on your hot dogs? Sauerkraut if I have to have anything on the hotdog. Iâd just put mustard over anything else.
· 6) Milk or Dark Chocolate? DARK!!!!
· 7) Salted or Sweet Butter? Sweet, although for cooking, I only use unsalted.
· 8) Pastrami or Corned Beef on a Deli Sandwich? Pastrami
· 9) French Fries or Onion Rings? Fries
· 10) Espresso, Regular Coffee or Latte? Latte
· 11) Crispy or Pliant Bacon? Crispy (why would anyone want a limp bacon?)
· 12) White or Dark Meat (on either chicken or turkey)? Dark
mtan at 12:15AM on 08/11/06
My personal results: 1) Haagen Dazs, if there was ever any question 2) None of the Above, I prefer Peter Pan 3) Both. 4) Regular 5) Both 6) Dark 7) Sweet 8) Pastrami 9) Onion Rings, but only if they are a superb example 10) Turkish 11) Crispy 12) White.
Jason Perlow / Off The Broiler / Founder, eGullet
OffTheBroi at 10:17AM on 08/11/06
1.Haagen
2.Skippy
3.Bagel
4.Regular
5.Sauerkraut
6.Dark Chocolate
7.Sweet Butter
8.Pastrami
9.Onion Rings
10.Espresso
11.Crispy
12.White - because I don't like birds, except duck. Same as if you don't like fishy fish, I don't think you can call yourself a real fish lover. I'm no bird lover - except duck.
pickle at 11:51AM on 08/11/06
1) Ben & Jerry's
2) Jif
3) Bagel
4) Regular
5) Sauerkraut
6) Milk!
7) Salted
8) Pastrami
9) French Fries
10) Regular Coffee
11) Crispy
12) White
Carrie at 2:43PM on 08/11/06
1) Haagen Dazs coffee, slightly melted. Nothing better in the world.
2) Skippy- though I don't eat enough mass PB to remember the diff
3) Bagel - since avoiding slicing my fingers always gives me a sense of power
4) regular cream cheese - especially for the richest cheese cake
5) Sauerkraut - relish always seems to sit around too long
6) recently transitioned from milk to dark with age
7) salted - especially with artichoke hearts
8) pastrami
9) thin fries and a good ketchup
10) latte- the more like coffee ice cream the better
11) crispy - chopped up in eggs or on a BLT
12) white - because it slices better for leftover sandwiches
13) hamburgers - with cheese
14) the works - that's why pizzas are flat isn't it?
DD
chefdd at 3:25PM on 08/11/06
* 2) Skippy
* 3) Bagel
* 4) Regular Cream Cheese
* 5) Relish on your hot dogs
* 6)Dark Chocolate
* 7) Sweet Butter
* 8) Pastrami on a Deli Sandwich
* 9) Onion Rings
* 10) Regular Coffee (but with half & half)
* 11) Crispy Bacon
* 12) White Meat
Also:
Hellman's, not Miracle Whip
Heinz KETCHUP, not CATSUP
Sharp Cheddar, not that wimpy mild stuff
Sears, not Monkey Wards!
chrisaldri at 9:49PM on 08/11/06
1) Haggen Daaz hands down
2) Skippy or Jif? NEVER!
3) Bagel or Bialy? tough one. i guess a good bagel edges out a good bialy only because you have to toast a bialy and a good bagel goes both ways.
4) Whipped or Regular Cream Cheese? regular.
5) Relish or Sauerkraut on your hot dogs? i prefer plain but if i had to... sauerkarut.
6) Milk or Dark Chocolate? dark.
7) Salted or Sweet Butter? salted.
8) Pastrami or Corned Beef on a Deli Sandwich? again a tough one... corned beef.
9) French Fries or Onion Rings? onion rings.
10) Espresso, Regular Coffee or Latte? americano.
11) Crispy or Pliant Bacon? pliant.
12) White or Dark Meat (on either chicken or turkey)? dark.
textimage at 9:54PM on 08/13/06
1) Haggen Dazs or Ben & Jerry's? Ben n Jerry's because I love the flavor names they come up with and the funky tub designs.
2) Skippy or Jif? Umm, I prefer the local Lily's cos it's sweet and so creamy :).
3) Bagel or Bialy? I love bagels! And never tried a bialy.
4) Whipped or Regular Cream Cheese? Regular.
5) Relish or Sauerkraut on your hot dogs? relish.
6) Milk or Dark Chocolate? Ok, why isn't white chocolate an option?!
7) Salted or Sweet Butter? both
8) Pastrami or Corned Beef on a Deli Sandwich? Pastrami!
9) French Fries or Onion Rings? Fries
10) Espresso, Regular Coffee or Latte? Latte
11) Crispy or Pliant Bacon? Definitely crispy
12) White or Dark Meat (on either chicken or turkey)? Dark, but I try to be good and eat mostly white.
gypsysoul7 at 3:33AM on 08/14/06