• Got_Bent@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        My experience in Iowa is limited to seeing Cage the Elephant at a casino in Council Bluffs.

        Saw music

        Got laid

        Gambled

        Drank

        It was alright

          • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            Not even close. I left that shit hole a decade ago for a reason and it’s only gotten worse. I really feel for my friends and family that are stuck living under COVID Kim.

  • Default_Defect@midwest.social
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    4 months ago

    Yup, I moved to an Iowa town with a lot of hispanic representation and was excited that there was a couple mexican restaurants in my area. The one everyone seems to love isn’t THIS bad but its 100% made for white people “mexican” food. Thankfully, the hole the wall a couple blocks away is authentic.

    • kautau@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      The hole in the wall places are always the best, I think that’s true for most regional cuisines

    • DontRedditMyLemmy@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Honestly, it could be a thousand Iowa towns, but I think you just described Taco Tico in Fort Dodge. Drive thru runs onto the street often.

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Didn’t know there were Taco Tico restaurants outside of Indiana and Kentucky. Taco Tico is basically Taco Bell. They aren’t trying to be authentic Mexican, they are trying to be TexMex.

  • baldingpudenda@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    It’s like the recipe went through a game of telephone as it passed each state before reaching Iowa. I’d hate to see what Maine looks like

  • xantoxis@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    The beans and rice bowls look pretty good, although I’ll bet they’re not spicy enough.

    The cheese things… I can’t even figure out what’s supposed to be in there.

  • bitchkat@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    This photo reminds me of all the shitty restaurants that put the cheese on top of an omelette instead of inside it. And some of them are even using american slices.

    • MacN'Cheezus@lemmy.todayOP
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      4 months ago

      American slices are a food crime in and of themselves already. If it doesn’t even meet the legal definition for being called “cheese”, it has no business going around and pretending.

      I’ll make an exception for vegan cheese alternatives if they’re made out of natural ingredients but this shit is literally plastic.

      • frostysauce@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        this shit is literally plastic.

        It’s cheese with sodium citrate added so it melts easier. It’s not literally plastic; this take is false, outdated, juvenile, and completely overblown and hyperbolic.

        • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          I accept this as truth, but kraft singles definitely taste like plastic and I will refer to them accordingly.

          Also no idea what the hell McDonald’s uses but it’s offensive on its own.

      • bitchkat@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        American cheese is cheese according to some links people posted. It is adequate for grilled cheese sandwiches.

        • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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          4 months ago

          I’d argue it’s the best for grilled cheese sandwiches because it stays melted way longer. Other types of cheese I’ve tried get a weird texture when they cool off. I don’t particularly like them anyway due to the macros being garbage and I’m certainly open to suggestions but this has been my experience.

        • Squirrelanna@lemmynsfw.com
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          4 months ago

          There is American cheese that is not Kraft singles that do meet the criteria to be considered cheese rather than a cheese product, and it’s genuinely really good. Better than singles. Ask for it at a deli.

        • MacN'Cheezus@lemmy.todayOP
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          4 months ago

          No, legally it used to be called “pasteurized processed cheese product”, although apparently they have replaced “processed” with “prepared” nowadays, likely because it sounds slightly less artificial.

          Either way, it definitely does not meet the legal standard to simply be called “cheese”.

          • bitchkat@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            It’s called processed because they mix cheese and other dairy products like milk and they can also add whey protein. It’s cheese that has additional processing.

          • bamboo@lemm.ee
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            4 months ago

            American cheese is cheese. I’m not gonna let the despots at the FDA dictate my perception of reality.

      • UmeU@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I do sympathize with the hate for Kraft slices, I wouldn’t argue it… but I kind of like them on a burger sometimes. I like the texture and the way it melts.

        If I want cheese with a capital C the I’ll go with cheddar or pepper jack or whatever, but if I want gooey cheese product then kraft it is.

        Don’t tell me that there isn’t any single trashy food product you enjoy as a guilty pleasure.

        • Uncaged_Jay@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          They’re also great for grilled cheese and I personally use them in my omelettes that I make just about every morning

        • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          McDonald’s burgers aren’t the same without the cheese, but tasting just the cheese on its own… It’s FOUL. Calling it cheese is offensive. And yet, a hamburger just isn’t as good.

        • MacN'Cheezus@lemmy.todayOP
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          4 months ago

          I’m not judging you for enjoying Kraft slices, I’m judging Kraft slices for not being cheese.

          • UmeU@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            So they are a food crime, but am in the clear if I consume and enjoy them?

            I suppose their existence is the crime and I am just an idiot.

            • MacN'Cheezus@lemmy.todayOP
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              4 months ago

              I mean, I’m not a doctor so I can’t tell you if they’re good for your health in the long run but if you enjoy eating them who am I to say no?

  • t3h_fool@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    This post is curiously short of details as to where such a feast is found in Iowa. I’ll give you a hint: there is a lot of good Mexican food in Iowa. It is usually in hole-in-the wall restaurants that don’t look like anything, and are owned by Mexican families. My guess is this food is from some sort of “family” restaurant. And the family is not Mexican or South American in ethnicity.

    • LeFantome@programming.dev
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      4 months ago

      I am no online detective but I would guess this is from a restaurant called El Patron. There are a number of restaurants with that name in Iowa. As an example of one that claims to be “authentic”, checkout this place in Des Moines:

      https://elpatroniowa.com/

      My guess is that this place is owned by a Mexican family. I bet many other dishes they serve look more appetizing. Even with the crappy American cheese, this dish probably tastes better than it looks.

      But what do I know? I am neither Mexican nor American. I have never eaten Mexican food in Iowa.

      Edit: the logo matches this place in Waterloo. No website. Google reviews are pretty good. Not sure what expectations the residents of Waterloo have for their restaurants of course…

      El Patron Family Mexican 301 East 4Th Street Waterloo, IA 50703 +1 319-287-8110

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    After moving from Chicago I was stunned at the lack of Mexicans around here, and the lack of food. After Hurricane Ivan we got workers to move here and now I can get legit Mexican.

    • aport@programming.dev
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      4 months ago

      Google says that’s El Patron in Waterloo Iowa, the menu shows “Pollo Fundido” which says it’s covered in American cheese, so 🤷

      Some other things on the menu look pretty good tho.

      • atmur@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Can confirm, a restaurant near me serves a Pollo Fundido that looks exactly like this. Honestly it’s pretty good but I have trash taste.

      • mihnt@lemmy.ca
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        4 months ago

        “Pollo Fundido” translates to “Melted Chicken” in case anyone was wondering.

        shudders

  • Today@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    When i go to Tennessee, I usually carry Texas Pete or a jalapeno in my purse because all the food tastes like a biscuit.

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      LMAO! I bought a bottle of Tapatio last time I was in TN so I’d have something.

      • ChicoSuave@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        I had a friend from ND visit and asked me for the patio sauce. The other 3 of us at the table had no idea until he pointed to Tapatio.

    • sunzu@kbin.run
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      4 months ago

      Most south east “white” people food suffers from this lol