We need to talk about buttered noodles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've always thought that everyone should be required to work food service at some point. It's so eye-opening.

And people who want to eat buttered noodles should do it at home for 25 cents and not waste a chef's time.

I think that most people who want to eat buttered noodles in fancy restaurants with chefs, would require a babysitter to stay home, thus increasing the cost far beyond 25 cents.

Um... If you're feeding them to your kid, your kid would be with you. Thus, negating the babysitter, and increasing the cost above 25 cents. That was my point.

[Anonymous]

The OP got her answer. Thread complete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've always thought that everyone should be required to work food service at some point. It's so eye-opening.

And people who want to eat buttered noodles should do it at home for 25 cents and not waste a chef's time.

I think that most people who want to eat buttered noodles in fancy restaurants with chefs, would require a babysitter to stay home, thus increasing the cost far beyond 25 cents.

Um... If you're feeding them to your kid, your kid would be with you. Thus, negating the babysitter, and increasing the cost above 25 cents. That was my point.

I think that was PP's point. Scenario: I want to go out to a nice-ish (still family friendly) restaurant with DH. We have a young child. Option 1: take child along, order something like buttered noodles from the kids menu for $10-15. Option 2: bring in a babysitter for something like $30, depending on his/her rate and how far away the restaurant is ... assuming I can get a babysitter in the short notice that DH and I usually decide to go out.

Cost-wise, I'm better off asking the chef to lower himself to make buttered noodles. I'll leave a decent tip to make up for the indignity of it, I promise. It's still cheaper than hiring a babysitter to leave the kid at home

[Anonymous]

My kids like my spaghetti sauce - but not anybody else's; that's why they eat buttered noodles at a restaurant. Most restaurant sauce is just OK, and sometimes on the sweet side; my sauce is made from scratch, and is chock full of veggies (mushrooms, onions, green peppers, garlic), with a bit of meat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Hint: categorize = judge

Guess they didn't cover that at Olive Garden training.

Hint: Not all waitresses are idiots. Lots are lawyers, grad. students, teachers--people who are trained to be critical and to categorize.

Order what you want, and we'll have fun judging and laughing at you.

This post confuses me. Isn't the point of a restaurant to order what you want? Why else go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was never a fan of buttered noodles, but after reading 5 pages of those two words, it's suddenly all I want!

Me too!

[Anonymous]

I made buttered noodles for the first time ever and my kids gobbled them up. Not sure why this was never in our rotation before. Thanks DCUM!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids like my spaghetti sauce - but not anybody else's; that's why they eat buttered noodles at a restaurant. Most restaurant sauce is just OK, and sometimes on the sweet side; my sauce is made from scratch, and is chock full of veggies (mushrooms, onions, green peppers, garlic), with a bit of meat.

Good to know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that people who react to buttered noodles are reacting to one or more of 2 things.

1) I think that there is a belief out there that you can prevent your child from becoming a picky eater by making sure that they never taste the foods that picky eaters like. In their mind picky eaters eat chicken nuggets, buttered noodles, mac and cheese and a few other foods. So, if they never let their child taste a chicken nugget or a buttered noodle they'll be "safe" from the horror of picky eating.

2) I think there is a belief out there that the way you can prevent picky eaters is by refusing to "short order cook". Buttered noodles, or noodles with a sprinkle of parmesan are a pretty common "short order cook" food, in that usually they're served to kids because the kids don't like the sauce the adults are eating.

I don't happen to believe either things, and I don't have a problem with buttered noodles, although I don't happen to serve them often. I did however, break pretty much every other rule for avoiding picky eaters, and yet have a child who eats almost everything proving, at least anecdotally, that there's a pretty big luck component when it comes to getting your kid to eat.

I think people actually believing reason #1 is naive! My DH came to this country at age 12, having not eaten anything but north indian vegetarian cuisine, and having grown up in.a home where being picky was almost sinful. Week 1 in the great usa he tried pizza-yum! Week 2 - buttered spiral pasta! He was addicted, despite having eaten highly spiced, flavorful, vegetable-heavy foods his whole life. He got over it eventually (10 years later) but point is, kids like foods like this, because its GOOD, and just because you make it tabboo doesnt mean they arent going to love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I made buttered noodles for the first time ever and my kids gobbled them up. Not sure why this was never in our rotation before. Thanks DCUM!

I made this tonight with wheat noodles. A huge hit! Definitely going into my normal rotation!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll bet if they were house-made noodles with locally sourced fresh butter and shaved Parmesan, with a side of organic sugar snap peas served in artisanal bowls at Founding Farmers for $22.99, these people wouldn't have any problem ordering them for their kids (or themselves!)

+1

You'd get even more takers if the product was called Craft Butter and Artisnal Pasta w/ sustainably grown durham wheat from a cooperative in Kansas. Bonus points if the wheat was harvested using a vintage combine by a 30-year old liberal arts major who grew a beard in the last 3 years.

What if it was a STEAM combine??

+1 for steam combine, additional 1/2 point if charming French steam combine

No, people. Draft horses are where its at. Or hand scything.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Because it's boring and white bread and there are healthier and more adventurous things to try. I never had them growing up, and I think they taste disgusting. It's sad when kids eat them at restaurants with good food.

They have their whole lives to branch out. As long as they are healthy, why do you care?

I don't really, just answering the question. I used to work at an amazing Italian restaurant and only the most annoying tables ordered buttered noodles for their kids--so my experience has colored this opinion.

I think about mess making when eating in a restaurant. Ordering buttered noodles is much safer than ordering red sauce in a restaurant.

But strangely enough, the buttered noodle families left the biggest messes and the smallest tips, and were whiny and critical to boot. The osso bucco families usually kept their tables tidy or left big tips to compensate, and were pleasant and relaxed. Small sample, of course, but enough to make me never want to be that buttered noodle parent.

LOL. Judgmental waitresses? WTF?

What do your kids order at amazing Italian restaurants?

Not judgmental; just observant. Food service employees get to see, observe (and, yes, categorize) a huge cross-section of people and their eating habits. If you think you're exempt from this, you're mistaken.

My kids eat the same foods the adults eat, off the menu.

I guess all those Italians eating classic caccio e peppe are total boors ...

Well, I'm not talking about them, but about typical, middle-class American families who ignored the menu and instead asked for "noodles with butter and nothing else." I also have opinions about people who order ranch dressing, people who make tons of substitutions, and people who let their kids play video games at the table. Somehow, those people always seemed to be dining together. Go ahead and eat your buttered noodles, but don't think that you're somehow "classic" or "traditional" because of it.

Don't forget that you're the servant here.

[Anonymous]

Since this thread started, I have had buttered noodles three times. Before this thread, I'd never had them. Gotta say, I've discovered the appeal. It's quite tasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since this thread started, I have had buttered noodles three times. Before this thread, I'd never had them. Gotta say, I've discovered the appeal. It's quite tasty.

Be sure to use a really good butter (Kerrygold) and sprinkle some coarse sea salt on it. YUM!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Since this thread started, I have had buttered noodles three times. Before this thread, I'd never had them. Gotta say, I've discovered the appeal. It's quite tasty.

LOL. I'm serving them tomorrow to LO for lunch with some spinach. -OP