In praise of Olive Garden and Hampton Inn; praise YOUR lowbrow favorites!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is lowbrow about Ann Taylor clothing?
I am genuinely confused

Ask in the fashion forum.

My hot take is that some women wore too much of it in their early career and now they have more money and it reminds them of being relatively poor. These people are buying pieces that are 100s of dollars per piece now. Less famous brands that are upscale and often foreign.

OP here. I used to work at Ann Taylor in the early 2000s as a side gig. I loved it. The cashmere, the lined pants, the Merino wool, the suits. We used to open boxes in the back and want EVERYTHING.

Now, the materials are cheap, the “fit” is boxy, there are no sleeves are darts, the quality is abhorrent. I forgot myself and bought some things on sale last year online, but when I got them home in my hands, I realized how cheap the fabric was and how poor the quality was. Never again. It’s a shame, but Ann Taylor is terrible quality and far too overpriced for what it is. It’s junk fashion. It’s the junk food of fashion. You know it’s bad, but you consume it anyway. And I say this as a former employee and brand fan!

Ah, I see. I agree it’s not what it used to be. Going strictly by the last few years, I guess it could be called down market. Previously, no. Sad.

[Anonymous]

Waffle House pecan waffles.

Virginia Beach north end when I was a kid (80s and 90s)

Wendy's breakfast French toast sticks eaten at a table with the fake newspaper covering

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love canned veggies and can eat them straight from the can. But I grew up lower middle class and that’s what we ate!

Try and find someone who ate canned spinach regularly…

Popeye

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone remember back when that Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson said her impoverished family loved going to Olive Garden to celebrate special occasions when she was growing up. And then Olive Garden crapped all over her unsolicited endorsement of their restaurant chain because they claimed she didn't represent their values as a family restaurant?

Lower class families celebrating a special occasion IS Olive Garden's primary customer base. I was so turned off by Olive Garden's snooty attitude toward their customer that I haven't been to an Olive Garden since 2008.

We used to also go to Olive Garden only for special occasions and would always tell them it was someone's birthday (even if it wasn't) because in the 90s in my hometown they used to give you a free mini chocolate cake for the table to share.

[Anonymous]

I would die content if my last meal on Earth was a grilled cheese sandwich from Denny's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone remember back when that Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson said her impoverished family loved going to Olive Garden to celebrate special occasions when she was growing up. And then Olive Garden crapped all over her unsolicited endorsement of their restaurant chain because they claimed she didn't represent their values as a family restaurant?

Lower class families celebrating a special occasion IS Olive Garden's primary customer base. I was so turned off by Olive Garden's snooty attitude toward their customer that I haven't been to an Olive Garden since 2008.

We used to also go to Olive Garden only for special occasions and would always tell them it was someone's birthday (even if it wasn't) because in the 90s in my hometown they used to give you a free mini chocolate cake for the table to share.

My Dad's favorite move in a restaurant was to do this. Our table would start singing, and the unsuspecting diner among is would get a birthday slice of cake and be sung to, even though it wasn't their birthday. Used to embarass the h*** out of my sisters!

[Anonymous]

Orange Beach. Would vacation there every year if I could.

[Anonymous]

Chef Boyardee, namely the mini beef raviolis, spaghetti rings with meatballs, and ABCs/123s. But I won't eat SpaghettiOs - too watery!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For our family, a summer vacation road trip to anywhere isn't possible without an afternoon stop at Dairy Queen. I have one kid who always gets a peanut butter parfait, one who gets some kind of root beer float (coke float?), and my spouse and I go for Blizzards (although he gets a huge one and I go for kiddie size).

Before Cold Stone was mixing treats into real ice cream, there was DQ mixing sweet treats into chemical-derrived soft serve and bringing smiles to faces everywhere

Cold Stone ice cream isn't any better--it's full of emulsifiers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chili's. Appetizers and cheap beers.

The southwestern egg rolls! I LOVE those things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love ikea.
I. Love. IKEA.

I am legit fascinated by the PP who’s eating freaking rainbow trout in a furniture store. But not in a judgey way. It makes me want to try it.

I am not one of those people, mainly because I am too full of meatballs to try anything else.

When my kids were little and sometimes annoying, and my DH was working weekends, an afternoon in the ball pit while I "shopped" and then picked them up to eat meatballs was like a mini vacation.

Yes! I did the same thing. I would leave my kid in the daycare land, go wander the store for an hour and hit the snack bar on the way out.

I was once "test-sitting" a couch, and a guy walked by and then circled by a few minutes later. He noted I was still sitting there. I told him I had a 3 year old in the daycare, and I was just relaxing and enjoying the quiet for a bit. He knew exactly why I was still there after that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chik-fil-a is a family fave. I really like their Market Salad and my kids could live on their nuggets.

Not a huge fan of chicken sandwiches in general, but Chick-fil-A's chicken breakfast burrito with the salsa is perfection.

[Anonymous]

I like hotel bars, restaurants and even mid-price-chain lounge areas.

[Anonymous]

Growing up, Red Lobster was our "celebration" restaurant. Those cheese rolls were so damn good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jarritos

I’ll drink them, bake with them, and use them as a cocktail mixer.

What do you bake with Jarritos?! My little brother loves them, and a Jarritos baked good would be perfect for his birthday