There’s something to be said for enjoying the finer things in life . But there’s a line between making something better and just making it more expensive , and it seems like the culinary world crosses this line all the time.
A thread on the r/Cooking subreddit asked foodies about foods that don’t need a bougie version, but got one anyway — ruining the dish in the process.
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Tuna salad
“I don’t know when tuna salad had to start having raisins in it, but the fancy sandwich shop around the block from me charges $15 a sandwich for tuna salad with raisins in it on a roll, on a roll. Not on long bread. Round bread. $15. No sides. Unforgivable.”
Pot roast
“Pot roast. Not everything has to cost a fortune and be made of all upscale ingredients. Throw meat and veg in pot. Come back later.”
“I take great pride in my pot roast recipe. It’s dirt cheap and requires very little prep / active cook. You can do most of the work as you get drunk, and manage the rest the next day no matter how rough the hangover is.”
– u/ep0k
Poutine
“Poutine. The world does not need poutine with lobster or truffles.”
“Honestly I don’t even like poutine with something like pulled pork on top. It’s heavy, makes everything soggy, and has an overwhelming flavor. It’s not that I don’t like pulled pork – I just sometimes want to enjoy good fries with gravy and cheese curds.”
Carrot cake
“Deconstructed food that is more expensive than the constructed version.
Worst was a carrot cake. It was a badly/undercooked cake batter in a bowl with too sweet cream cheese frosting and some toasted nuts thrown on top. The texture was enough to make me gag.”
Chicken parmesan
“Chicken parm. I’ve tried ‘gourmet’ versions, and they’re good, but classic chicken parm is a comfort food for me. It’ll always trump any attempt to bougify it.”
“What’s funny is that chicken parmesan is a bougie version of eggplant parmesan created by Italian American immigrants who had better access to chicken and wanted to use it.”
Avocado toast
“Avocado and bread. Aka Avocado toast. It was the poor people’s breakfast, then they started charging 15 dollar a pop.”
“What I make at home is delicious. On sourdough bread with fried egg and Sriracha and everything but the bagel seasoning”
Hot dogs
“I’d have to say hot dogs. Like tacos, give me the cheap ones so I can have a few instead of a $10 one I cannot eat with my hands.”
“The $1.50 Costco hot dog is honestly my go-to when I’m craving one. They’re the best.”
Macaroni and cheese
“Mac and cheese being added to anything. Half the time restaurants sell these they really suck, because the Mac and cheese is always ordered pre made. But, I am all for some homemade Mac with some homemade BBQ.”
Hamburgers
“Burgers, I don’t know who decided that grinding up a wagyu beef, squishing it into a burger and selling it for £60 was a ground breaking idea, it still isn’t better than a burger out of a good food truck, just leave it basic and delicious.”
– u/RurDog
Soul food
“I am so tired of seeing ‘upscale’ soul food. [Expletive] you and your $28 smothered chicken with from-a-can greens.
Edit: A side of black-eyed peas with one piece of pre-packaged bacon divided into the entire six gallons we made? That will be $9, please.”
Arancini
“I first discovered arancini (deep fried rice balls) at dumpy fast food-ish spots in train stations in Italy for like €2 for a giant one. You’d grab one as a snack for the train ride.
Imagine my surprise when they become trendy in the US for $20 for three tiny ones covered in tomato sauce. Not bad, but I’ll take the cheap big ones every time over what we have here.”
Cupcakes
“Cupcakes. They have gone from a nice excuse to eat cream cheese frosting into a full blown art scene.”
“I made cupcakes for a friends kids birthday party. They were yellow cake with a bit of chocolate buttercream and some sprinkles my kids helped put on. Not art, but they tasted great!”
French fries
“This may be controversial, but French fries.
You’re going to charge me an extra 5 bucks for ‘truffle’ that I can’t even taste over the parmesan?
I certainly like to spice things up but I hate the insane charge for what is essentially just a little basic seasoning.”
Shrimp
“What is up with unpeeled shrimp in dishes? If I’m eating shrimp and grits or gumbo or literally anything other than a backyard shrimp boil, you better believe I don’t want to have to fish all the shrimp out just to pull their tails off before I can eat them.”
Grilled cheese
“Grilled cheese and Mac n cheese are two that I would add to the list.”
“There’s a local place that is essentially just grilled cheese variations. But they do not consistently have basic grilled cheese, just every variation of it. And no tomato soup. Wtf is that about.”
Milkshakes
“Milkshakes. I just want drinkable ice cream. Stop putting so much stuff in/on it.”
“Or using super fancy ice cream. Like yeah, use something good enough to eat on its own, but half of the appeal of premium ice creams are their texture and creaminess. Milkshakes are blended, defeating the purpose.”
Phở
“Phở. Simpler is better and I live in a city where everyone wants to add their own flair and double the price.”
“Someone told me once that the key to finding a good pho place is making sure there’s a number in the name – and it’s never let me down.”
Chicken wings
“I remember back when chicken wings were scraps and dirt cheap.”
“Cheap wings used to be a trick to get you to go to a bar and spend money on overpriced drinks. Now ‘cheap’ drinks are a trick to get you to go to a bar and spend money on overpriced wings and drinks.”
Street corn
“Street corn. I don’t need it to be ‘elevated.’ Just give me a simple not canned elote/esquite please with everything.”
“I went to a stand at the mall about 3 years ago and they were charging $4 for a 8oz cup of corn with cheese, butter, hot sauce whatever. At the time I could buy a ear of corn for 10 cents.”
Tacos
“For me it’s tacos. A simple street taco for $1.50 with well seasoned meat, cilantro, onions, and a squeeze of lime juice is utter perfection. Yet, there are half a billion places around the country packed to the gills every night, making needlessly complicated tacos with ridiculous ingredients for $7-11 a pop. The best tacos I’ve had all year were from a tiny shop attached to a gas station in Dallas TX.”
