PrintPizza Hut and their pasta...
Some might not even think this worth mentioning but it drives me absolutely nuts. Pizza Hut is advertising something called Tuscani Pasta with (breathe...) "Meaty Marinara." This is impossible because there is no such thing! It's the equivalent of saying "meaty hot fudge sundae." Marinara, or in the style of the mariner, was taken on ships because it would not spoil as quickly as sauce containing meat. That's where it gets its name. I could scream every time I hear that commercial! Thanks for letting me vent...LOL.
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14 Comments:
My Pizza Hut story: let me tell it to you.
A few weeks ago, it occured to me that I hadn't eaten Pizza Hut pizza in years. I used to really like it. So I figured, "why not." Ugh. Horrible. I can't even remember why I liked it. I guess my tastes have changed. It was sooo greasy and salty. After eating it, I had to drink about a gallon of water. I felt like all of my internal organs were covered in salt. No more Pizza Hut for me!
Kerosena at 9:56PM on 03/15/08
We went to an allegedly Italian restaurant where the owners were Italian, and recipes had allegedly been passed down from grandma, and they had marinara sauce with or without meat.
It was odd, but my guess was that they were accommodating the customers don't know what marinara is supposed to be.
dbcurrie at 10:41PM on 03/15/08
@chiff - That does sound really odd, and I can well imagine, as a chef, how a blatant misrepresentation such as that would absolutely grind you. It's been years since I've been there because we generally make our own pizza. I seem to recall a baked pasta dish (cavatini or cavatapi?) that was OK, back in the day. They probably threw in the leftover sauce and pepperoni and sausage from the day before (I hope it was only from 1 day before!).
frederika at 1:28AM on 03/16/08
Bizarre...I guess its too hard to ask the marketing team of these big chains to do a little research, or they believe the general consumer is pretty dim.
This brings to mind that Arby's commercial about some beef sandwich that claims that it comes "with au jus."
"Au jus" is now a noun in itself.
fuuchan at 2:30AM on 03/16/08
At present I'm merely a cook (albeit, an obsessed one...LOL). What really bothers me is that PH's advertising is so far reaching - and now about a zillion people are under the misconception marinara has meat.
@fuuchan - I understand your frustration. It would have been nice if that wait person knew that "au" means "with."
chiff0nade at 7:23AM on 03/16/08
Forgot to mention - I always used to think PH was so much better than Dominoes. Now I wouldn't touch either. Home-made or brick oven baked at a restaurant is so much better.
chiff0nade at 7:24AM on 03/16/08
I never liked Pizza Hut from the first time I tried it. To dry and salty. The best "chain" pizza is "Hungry Howies" if your lucky, you have one in your area.
john44256 at 8:46AM on 03/16/08
Remember "THE La Trattoria" from Mickey Blue Eyes with Hugh Grant?
I loved, "The The End".
PerkyMac at 9:07AM on 03/16/08
Marinara with meat. Meaty marinara. Nope, doesn't work for me.
crazyspice at 9:23AM on 03/16/08
The marketing folks need to pay more attention to definition, description and perception. Do you remember the issues on last season's Top Chef that Ruhlman had with the consomme presented by one contestant? You just don't mess with classic definition of culinary terminology. If your interpretation of a classic dish wavers from the accepted origins, it should be presented as fusion or nouveau, and renamed appropriately. Just my thoughts...
As for PH's perversion of "marinara" sauce, the sad fact is that now many who are inclined to dine there often, look to PH's version as the standard.
frederika at 11:04AM on 03/16/08
It's similar to how they call it "chili con carne with meat" on the can of chili, which of course is just saying "chili with meat with meat"
karenita at 11:24AM on 03/17/08
Yum foods is a great stock. Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC. If they want to call it Puff the magic dragon I will not argue with proven results.
No worse than the time we were talking about marinara and someone said they put meat in it. Like Top Chef when the "chef" used mash potato in a souffle. I was shaking my head at that one.
JerzeeTomato at 11:34AM on 03/17/08
Had to come back and check this thread...I forgot all about it until I saw that BLASTED commercial last night. Wish there was a way to get alerted when a response is posted to a thread!
chiff0nade at 6:13AM on 03/20/08
chiff0nade,
I had to track down a recent post of yours because I was exploring through some old posts and found that you were looking for a slaw that was served at Junior's. I have both the Junior's Cheesecake Book as well as the older Welcome to Junior's book and found a Creamy Cole Slaw recipe in Welcome to Junior's. Here's part of the description: "The dressing's just creamy enough to coat the vegetables. It has a very subtle bite of vinegar with the mildest hint of garlic, and a little sprinkling of sugar to smooth out the flavors. Come to Junior's after eleven o' clock in the morning and, up until closing, you'll find a bowl of cole slaw on your table or in front of you at the counter. Serve yourself as much as you want."
Here's how to make it: Stir 2 cups Hellmann's Real Mayo, 2 tbsp cider vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp ground white pepper and 1 tsp salt until well mixed. Coarsely shred 2 lbs. cabbage and 5 large carrots and toss with the dressing. Cover and chill 15 for minutes. For optimum results, chill for an hour.
I hope you see this since you just checked in two days ago!
MelsDiner at 5:34PM on 03/22/08