They were nearly bite-sized in the late 90s - I'm a small person with not a huge mouth (I can cram an oreo in there but can't really chew it) and I could do these in nearly one big bite. Generally broke them in half and called them two-bite cookies all through high school.

Not sure how much actual shrinkage through the years, though, since let's be honest, you're bigger than when you rejected the Reebok Lights :)

Home again in DC and just wanted to say thanks for the suggestions! We ended up with a nice dinner at Seadown, two carb-splurgy breakfasts from the Crumpet Shop (and a scone for on the plane - damn, that thing was good, I would be so fat if I lived in Seattle), and some really gorgeous weather! Hope to get back out there again - beautiful city in your unexpected 80-something degree sunshine :)

Sugar shots. (rip off top of sugar packet. Dump in mouth. Swallow.)

Of course, that was high school, and I learned it from the drama club. Who possibly came up with it because they hung out at Denny's too much and needed the sugar and additional entertainment while waiting for food at midnight after tech.

Jell-O as lik-a-maid was the best, I agree.

I object to the idea that there is shame in ordering and enjoying a hawaiian pizza.

Also, swiss just doesn't sound right with this. Will stick to eating my hot ham and pineapple on flatbread with tomato sauce and lots of mozzarella.

We went to Hard Rock. I think we dodged a bullet. Hard Rock was no worse than Bennigan's, Friday's, et al and not horrifically overpriced, or at least not in the early 90s.

I didn't realise Ed Debevic's was even still in business.

6 oz. burgers are perfect. I can't eat an 8 oz. burger and still have room for fries (and what's a burger without fries?), but quarter pounders just feel a bit too small for dinner. Not all of us are football players or competitive eaters, and leaving a quarter of a burger behind (which I do much too often) feels like such a waste.

Not to be all "this is why we're fat", but the proliferation of 8 oz burgers has felt like more waste or encouraged overeating than a boon to this eater, anyway.

Thanks, all! This helps immensely.

Well, we're starting to get some of the Asian varieties here.

Hot dog crust will be next.

Thanks for a very entertaining review, Niki!

I'm sorry, but could someone explain this concept? "Leftover Girl Scout cookies." "Over order Girl Scout Cookies."

(that said, damn, I think I need to make those brownies.)

There hasn't been much worth reading in the Drinks pieces without Will.

Not just because of style (though that's a huge part of it); there just hasn't been very much of interest to me. I am a cheap and simple at-home drinker and everyone else's fancy cocktails that I'll never get to taste because I'm never in those cities aren't interesting. I am cheap, therefore if it isn't under $9 at my county liquor store, that's not the wine I'll ever be buying for personal consumption. (and ok, style completely turned me off the coffee writer.) Will had practical advice occasionally for those who were interested in cheap and simple at-home drinking across the US and also had a highly entertaining style so that even when his advice was merely "and it tastes worse than furniture polish so don't bother", the article was the highlight of my week.

But really, as an unabashed drinker of table wines and someone who can't justify spending more than $30 on a bottle of liquor, the alcohol coverage hasn't been speaking to me. And I'm someone who lives 700 miles away from Chicago and reads Lunch in the Loop because Dennis is funny. So it isn't just geography of cocktail coverage that's losing me, but the lack of funny in addition to the topics that just aren't my thing.

(and yes, I am one of those people who likes the puppy pictures and was fascinated by everything Cakespy came up with. I like the variety of styles, that "serious" pertained to the depth and breadth of coverage but not necessarily to the tone. Some of the personalities are going away and it's sad.)

This is what my diabetic friend learned years ago: fries are waaaaaay better than really any bun, and there is no shame in splurging (insulin-wise) on amazing fries.

I adore bread, but I have to agree. Really, really good fries would always win. And a good burger is a perfectly valid form of protein, even when eaten with a fork.

No shame, no shame at all.

I am so glad you came back to bring us this monstrosity! This monstrosity I may actually want to eat (because, well, deep fried candy bar).

It has to be cheaper for the restaurant, but at that point, they should just charge 50 cents for takeout.

A local place did this, but only for thin crust, we had no reliable public transportation in town so everyone had cars, and even then, you had to be very careful to avoid the cheese sticking to the edges of the foil far from the little table in the middle (they foiled that thing all up inside the bag). They also had the terrible habit of stacking your pizzas, so you had to take as many people as you had pizzas if you were picking up, so that you could unstack immediately.

The pizza was amazing, but Pizza Hut (this was back in the 80s/90s before Pizza Hut turned into utter crap) was a much nicer carry out experience.

I can't imagine having to deal with that on public transportation. Or even just walking 10 minutes home. You get no leverage from the top without sticking the foil to the cheese, so even putting it down in the car was awkward since you cannot grab, just slide. Impossibly awkward for trying to carry it any distance.