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@Perky--You're such a kitchen appliance snob, actually expecting the kitchen appliances to be functional and WORK.

Okay--more food snobbery alert on my part. My stepmother has been away for a month, and when I looked in my dad's refrigerator, there were ROTTING APPLES... Moreover, he refused to let me get rid of them, and was offended when I demurred one, 'with the bad spots cut off.' My dad's the kind of guy who lets whole wheat bread and fruit rot in the 'fridge and won't let you get rid of it because it is 'wasting food,' and then drop big bucks on wine and a dinner out or take-out, and yeah, again, wonder why he can't lose weight because 'all he ate was the pasta all day'--i.e., most of a 16 ounce casserole of lasagna purchased at Wegman's meant for a whole family.

Of course, I'm part of the problem because I worry about his health, and buy him what I think he 'should eat,' too, and give it to him, and then get mad when he doesn't eat it inside.

I guess snobbery is okay as long as you keep it to yourself, IMHO! That is why SE is such stress release!

I'm a beer snob. 100%. No contest. And I'm okay with that. Now excuse me, I have Pliny the Elder to drink.

@youraudacity- I cannot imagine going into my parents house and ridding it of food that they spend their hard earned money on. How insulting! I'm going to assume your parents don't force you to eat their food and I'm really hoping that you spent your own money replacing what you pretty much stole. Also you can bake and pan fry with olive oil just fine. In fact the flavor of the oil ony inhances the flavor of the food, in my humble opinion, unlike veggie oil. I don't deep fry but my husband does. When he does he uses canola oil. It's the only other oil in the house and I'm a pretty well rounded cook. One more thing, try Shiner beer and then let me know how that Bud tastes.

@Perky - why even MAKE a sink that cracks with boiling water? Does it make any sense to you that sinks like this even exist?? Argh!

Let me know if I can help in any way!

Oh Perky...my offer stands! I promise, we have real food round here...we bake bread and grill steaks to order:-)

My in-laws have friends like this - they view their house as an investment and eat TV dinners so that not to "wear" the gigantic kitchen. What a shame. About the kitchen, I mean.

Thanks huneybumper - I'm on my way.

I'm living with relatives who haven't let me cook anything. Last night, I craved mashed potatoes and since I brought some and they have some I figured they should get used. My brother came home first & couldn't understand why I'd want to peel and cook something that could be nuked in 3 minutes - then he pulled out the potatoes and they were starting to grow. Hooray - not good for nuked fake baked. I peeled and started cooking and he said not to let them boil over because the smooth stovetop is a mess to clean. My SIL then came home and I could feel her anger. Turns out you can't pour boiling water into their sink because it could crack. Bro ran cold water and rinsed the potatoes as I poured them slowly into the colander, so the water went down the drain. I always cook off the water anyway, but in a glass pot, it was hard to keep them from sticking. They tasted ok (needed more salt since the salt was rinsed off), but caused so much angst that I'll behave and not cook, unless I'm asked. The thing is - they see no difference in a nuked potato and any other preparation. Food isn't for taste or fun, but purely fuel. They eat no fruit or vegetables. Everything in the fridge says fat free and sugar free. Hamburgers are more wet bread than meat. No beef at all. Leftover turkey burgers provides the meat for spaghetti sauce from a jar. And they were too old and spoiled. Dear Lord.I bought some food this weekend and I'm going to make my own food, like salads and sandwiches. I'm a food snob and proud of it.

There's a fine line between discriminating and a snob. As for me, I consider a cook to be inferior if I see any green around the yolks of hard cooked eggs, or if they store tomatoes in the refrigerator. And I would never us comercially prepared items that are simple and much better if home made, for example: salad dressings, any kind of baking mixes (pancake, cake, cookies, brownies), whipped cream, lemonade... I could go on. And I cringe when someone gives me what they call a "home made pie" but it has store-bought pie crust. Also, I try to avoid using anything that says "artificial" such as food coloring, flavorings. And oh, I can't stand those pancake syrups with artificial maple flavor. Real maple syrup (preferably grade B) can't be beat.

I am a food snob. no appologies whatsoever. that said, if someone makes something for me, I dont care if it comes out of a pkg, if that's what they can do, I'll eat it with a smile on my face. SO refused to cook for me for the longest time because he thinks I cook better than he does. When he finally realized I love it when he cooks for me and truly appreciate whatever he makes, he started cooking more. and he's good too!
I wont however go to a resteraunt and accept poor food.
@Perky,come to ALA baby, the kitchen is tiny but you can cook anything and anytime you want, and we can sing duets to the dog! ;-)

So a few months ago a work buddy died. I still work with his emo-fag brother who has become accustomed to taking off on Wednesdays because he 'just can't handle work'. (A monkey could do my job)

Well tonight he finally opened up about how his brother died. I knew he died in a motorcycle accident but this is what happened. He has a complete bitch of a wife, they were fighting all week long. After we got off work at 1 am she called him and told him to get his fucking ass home. Instead he drove around all night.

When morning rush hour came he saw the cops had somebody pulled over on the side of the road. He drives over there and circles the squad car, takes off his helmet and throws it at the squad car, the cop called for backup and he takes off.

After an hour long chase around Houston all the while flicking off the cops behind him he ends up In west Philadelphia born and raised On the playground was where I spent most of my days Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool And all shootin some b-ball outside of the school When a couple of guys
Who were up to no good startin making trouble in my neighborhood
I got in one little fight and my mom got scared
She said 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air' I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror If anything I can say this cab is rare
But I thought 'Now forget it' - 'Yo homes to Bel Air' I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo homes smell ya later' I looked at my kingdom I was finally there To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel Air

@bareneed ~ I may know where they were coming from. I once belonged to a group of neighborhood women who met once a month at each other's homes, no purpose other than social. First meeting, hostess served pretzels, chips and pickles & olives. By the 6th month, we had fancy appetizers and several course meals, and beautiful wine pairings. By the 10th month, we decided to meet at a restaurant, because it was getting too expensive for the host and many didn't have the time, $, or skill to "compete". The restaurant worked well, although it was embarassing when several wanted separate checks and, of course, the establishments refused and the calculators came out. We all went our separate ways after the first 2 years or so. There were also about a dozen of us.

@youraudacity ~ you are very young and idealistic, BUT if you didn't pay for the food in your parents house (or even if you did buy what they wanted, as requested) you had no right to purge their pantry and refrigerator, without their knowledge and consent. If they're willing to listen to your advice and change their eating habits, great. Approach any such conversation with love and concern, not with attitude. Don't try to change their entire lifestyle - maybe attempt one small change at a time. I know your intent was noble, but ranting and stealing (that's how they would see it) will get you nowhere. Just sayin'....

I am also a person of both sides.

I appreciate it when my parents make me dinner and what not because I know that they are really putting their love and effort into it. Sometimes there are recipes that there is nothing like it and it will just seem to hit the spot perfectly. Yet there are times when I have gone to other people's houses who have cooked something and I know that they have the same intentions and they think it is the best thing since sliced bread, but it really doesn't do it for me.

When it comes to eating out I am a big snob. I try to avoid chains as much as possible, with the few exceptions (Oh Rusty Bucket how I love you!). I will try to eat at local places as much as possible because I feel like they are doing the same thing that a person at home would do and try to fix the meal with love and care. I am not saying that people in the corporate chains can not aspire to do the same thing, but I feel like they are a victim of their environment. When I am at a chain I feel like I just don't get that high a quality of food compared to little places and for that I guess I am a snob. I do have one rule that I live by when on vacation or out of town and that is "No Chains". That is I will not eat at a place that I can back home. The only exception is if it is a chain that is not present where I live, such as California Pizza Kitchen.