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This is some really, really good cocktail conversation we have going on here.

I am going to step out on a limb, here, and say that I think this thread has been one of the most insightful, perceptive - and productive - I have seen in the last 8 years on this forum, with respect to one particular point that is really central if tacit in our concern here, that being the concept of taste. We so frequently equivocate on our use of this word, because it really does not have a single underlying meaning, at least not one that can be expressed in a simple, declarative sentence or two, or agreed upon by more than a few smart people. This thread has been about taste as that thing which drives our desire, for something, that we cannot quite explain or excuse. Often, that is something we have had before as a kid, or in a past life; or think we had, or wish we had, or think we ought to have had. I am obviously angling here for a broad definition of taste, one that is more descriptive than proscriptive, but let's keep at it, folks. This is some really, really good cocktail conversation we have going on here.

This thread has been about taste as that thing which drives our desire, for something, that we cannot quite explain or excuse.

I like Taco Bell, which someone above called crap. I remember ages ago, an LTH-er used to work at Taco Bell and said their meat was labeled Grade K...I wonder what grade White Castle uses?

Beef
Beef is graded as whole carcasses in two ways:
quality grades - for tenderness, juiciness, and flavor; and
yield grades - for the amount of usable lean meat on the carcass. There are eight quality grades for beef. Quality grades are based on the amount of marbling (flecks of fat within the lean), color, and maturity.


Quality Grades:
Prime grade is produced from young, well-fed beef cattle. It has abundant marbling and is generally sold in restaurants and hotels. Prime roasts and steaks are excellent for dry-heat cooking (broiling, roasting, or grilling).

Choice grade is high quality, but has less marbling than Prime. Choice roasts and steaks from the loin and rib will be very tender, juicy, and flavorful and are, like Prime, suited to dry-heat cooking. Many of the less tender cuts, such as those from the rump, round, and blade chuck, can also be cooked with dry heat if not overcooked. Such cuts will be most tender if "braised" — roasted, or simmered with a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pan.

Select grade is very uniform in quality and normally leaner than the higher grades. It is fairly tender, but, because it has less marbling, it may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of the higher grades. Only the tender cuts (loin, rib, sirloin) should be cooked with dry heat. Other cuts should be marinated before cooking or braised to obtain maximum tenderness and flavor.

Standard and Commercial grades are frequently sold as ungraded or as "store brand" meat.

Utility, Cutter, and Canner grades are seldom, if ever, sold at retail but are used instead to make ground beef and processed products.

Note: Grades such as Prime, Choice and Select are not acceptable terms for raw cuts of pork or poultry.


Yield grades
range from "1" to "5" and indicate the amount of usable meat from a carcass. Yield grade 1 is the highest grade and denotes the greatest ratio of lean to fat; yield grade 5 is the lowest yield ratio. Though yield grades are not something consumers normally see, they are most useful when purchasing a side or carcass of beef for the freezer.

I knew this thread would touch off controversy when I saw it...there are a lot of WC lovers and haters. I don't think there is some kind of political capitalist reason why some people like sliders or any other fast food.

I was just using Marx's theory of "false needs" as an analogy to the alleged phenom of "craving," which I believe to be a sick impulse. Sorry.

Marx can blow it out his ear

They also confirm the onions are dehydrated and have been since WW II.

Here is some facts regarding wc meat from their website.

http://www.whitecastle.com/faqs

They say their meat is a mixture of prime, choice and select meats and comes from a variety of states as well as australia and new zealand. there is no organ meat or bone meal in sliders. They also confirm the onions are dehydrated and have been since WW II.

They also confirm the onions are dehydrated and have been since WW II.

I was just using Marx's theory of "false needs" as an analogy to the alleged phenom of "craving," which I believe to be a sick impulse. Sorry.

Like Genmaicha, also a product of WWII shortages, that is now so beloved among the Japanese.

I do appreciate it when virtue is made of necessity.

No. I've seen all kinds of stories about the origins of genmaicha, but never this one. Genmaicha has been around for at least a century, probably longer. It was invented/discovered/created/whatever to help more expensive tea (a relative term, obviously) last longer. But it was already a well-established item long before WWII.

As to your second sentence, I agree absolutely. Like chicory in coffee, for example. Or many other items.

How do you feel about Underwood's Devilled Ham? Not a loaf, but delicious cat food nonetheless.

Those white castle sliders are lookin better with every post. Spam aside, do you think that someone who enjoys to eat at places like Alinea or other "top" restaurants could also like wc sliders? Are there people whose palates include each end of the spectrum? From the sublime to the pedestrian???