Tuesday, August 08, 2006

The World As I See It

The world is divided by two groups...those who love Ranch dressing, and those who prefer a Vinaigrette. Now, I'm not saying you can't like both, but from what I've seen, those are the two groups and no, one is not better than the other.

I'm going to make a generalization here, and I hope you will correct me if I'm wrong, but fat girls love Ranch dressing. They like it on salad, fries, burgers, chips, veggies, etc. And skinny girls like Vinaigrettes. They like it on lettuce, veggies, fish...yeah, that's it.

So, Fat = Ranch and Skinny = Vinaigrette???

67 comments:

emily pound said...

I LOVE a good vinaigrette, and I am nowhere near skinny. Ranch is okay, but I prefer the simplicity, acidity and appearance of a vinaigrette. Ranch looks too much like ... uh, sorry.

Stephanie said...

Haha, it's so true. I think my sister must be a fat girl at heart, all 5'2", 105 pounds of her! She puts ranch on every damn thing!!!

Anonymous said...

Did you ever see that Simpson's episode where Homer is passed out and imagines a hose of ranch dressing shooting into his mouth???

That's my dream!!!

I LOVE RANCH!

Anonymous said...

Actually, y'know, I like a blue cheese dressing myself - though you can't beat a slug of extra virgin, a drizzle of a really good balsamic vinegar and little freshly ground black pepper.

Anonymous said...

Raises hand - fat girls who preferrs viniagrette :-) But only a good homemade vinigarette - not a bottled girl.

TOWR said...

I would agree with that statement. I love ranch dressing and my best friend, who is thin, enjoys vinaigrette.

Anonymous said...

Consider yourself corrected.

I hate any kind of thick dressing on salads, and prefer vinagrettes overall. I love vinegar on french fries, but hate ketchup, so ranch is acceptable on fries as well. Ranch is acceptable as veggie dip, but I prefer my mom's dill dip over anything you can buy. I like blue cheese dressing with wings and celery, but overall don't care much for mayo or creamy based condiments. My favorite potato salad has a vinagrette dressing.

Massive generalizations tend to shore up incorrect assumptions, in this case that all fatties prefer a fattier food than skinny folks.

Anonymous said...

she joked about it being a massive generalization. don't take it so seriously.

I'd choose ranch over anything

JUST JEN said...

Ranch. Slathered over any color food. Dripping from any shape. Oozing from between or out of any food orifice. My mouth included. Yummm.

Anonymous said...

Bacon is the ultimate condiment.





That is all.




-SDave

Anonymous said...

Thin ranch lover here! Especially, I might add, if it's a flavored ranch-- you know, barbecue ranch, chipotle ranch, that type of thing.

Unknown said...

I can't stand vinaigrette. Ick.

Now ranch - ranch, while good on a salad, is so versitile. I use it for fries, for chicken strips, for mozarella sticks.

You want to talk about fat though - I was watching one of the MTV's True Life: I'm Overweight, and the one girl they had who was a plus size model and the only one who was accepting of her size, was out to eat with her boy fried, and pulled a bottle of ranch out of her purse. (The boyfriend commented on how that wasn't normal and she stated how she didn't carry it around all the time but knew they were going out to eat, as she dipped her fries in it.)

Mmmm...ranch.

Anonymous said...

You know I used to be fat and I hated ranch. I dont like Vinaigrette either.

Im much more of an Italian kinda girl.

Mete said...

Nope. Fat and hate ranch dressing.

Of course, I love thousand island (thousand island TOTALLY equals fat), creamy honey mustard, creamy french, creamy ceaser... basically most "creamy" dressings. So yeah. The crap.

But I'm also moody and sometimes I just love a good non-creamy italian vinaigrette style dressing.

Does that help your scientific poll at all?

Anonymous said...

Buff said:
"...you can't beat a slug of extra virgin, a drizzle of a really good balsamic vinegar and little freshly ground black pepper."

Yeah, baby.

Anonymous said...

Snackie said:
"However, I do agree with your general theory...sorry ladies :)."

I must protest - unless one thinks that us "Hollywood fatties (10-12-14)" are skinny. 'Cause I don't think that, and I'm a sworn vinaigrette girl.

(Leaves you room for tiramisu at the end of the meal, know what I mean?)

Anonymous said...

I used to love ranch dressing. I'm old enough to remember when it first came out in a bottle when I was a kid; prior to that, you had to make it from a packet you mixed with buttermilk yourself.

It caught on and everyone loves it and I get kind of tired of it, to be honest. I used to put it on my baked potatoes, fried chicken sandwiches, dip chicken tenders in it, you name it. Then it got old. Now I love honey mustard, and I like a homemade dressing I make from a Nigella recipe. I'll eat ranch, but not that often anymore.

Oh, and littlem, I made tiramisu a month ago and was horrified to discover the calorie content was enormous! There's never room for tiramisu at the end of a meal! ;)

Anonymous said...

Littlem, if you're ever in the UK, beg, borrow or, if necessary, steal a bottle of Belazu balsamic vinegar. What it does for fries ought to be against the law.

...and, can I just say a resounding eeeeuw to Thousand Island?

Anonymous said...

I checked the nutrition information on them, and from what I found, 2 tablespoons of ranch is 148 calories and 16 grams of fat, whereas 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette is 144 calories and 8 grams of fat. 148 and 144 aren't that far apart, so for the a-calorie-is-a-calorie people, the difference seems pretty negligible.

Anonymous said...

I can't stand ranch... and I'm not fat, so I guess I prove your theory.

crazygamommy said...

I LOVE THEM BOTH!! I especially love the "house" ranch you get a restaurants that's really creamy and sweet...the store bought stuff just doesn't measure up to the restaurant stuff to me. In fact, for home I buy a vinegarette, but when I'm in a restaurant it's ranch all the way...with my fries, with my chicken strips, with sweet potato chips...everything! I also love a good creamy bleu cheese... Damn, now I want fries and ranch for lunch...lol.

crazygamommy said...

P.S. If anybody knows how to actually make that "House Ranch" (you usually get it at buffet places like Ryans, Fire Mountain, Golden Corral, etc) then I WANT THE RECIPE!!

GoBetty said...

All dressing is good in moderation. Eat your veggies.

Anonymous said...

Not really a big fan of either, my preference being to dip everything in ketchup.
Unless ketchup is ranch.
In which case .. hmm.

Anonymous said...

I have a massive dislike for all salad dressings! which is a tad bizarre considering im a massive condiment fan in gereral, tomato sauce and sweet chilli all the way. But salad dressings are so not my thing, if i forgot to order no dressing on my salad i just cant eat it. And im fat :D

Anonymous said...

Too true fatty mcgee...too too true!

Kate217 said...

BuffPuff, other than the fact that I'm allergic to balsam (and therefore balsamic vinegar), I'm beginning to think that we were separated at birth.

Although I LOOOOOOVE bleu cheese dressing, I usually just drizzle a little olive oil, some basil (fresh if at all possible), and some celery seed on my salads.

Anonymous said...

I'm a slightly-overweight-formarly-very-thin girl, and I've always hated ranch. It tastes like it's simply a vehicle for buttermilk. It's just so damn nasty. Honey mustard, on the other hand, can be eaten on anything from french fries to funnel-cake, not that I've tried it. I'd just vouch for it's tastyness.

Obesio said...

My wife, who is thin, loves ranch dressing. I am 80 lbs. overweight and prefer vinaigrette.

beebop said...

only the Light Hidden Valley, and for a kick, i squeeze a lil thai chili sauce on the salad first, add the ranch n toss. makes it kick-arse spicy ranch. mmmm-good.

Unknown said...

I just had a comment get eaten. With ranch dressing?

I think any kind of creamy dressing is bad. Vinegarette is terrific as long as it's not drowning the poor salad. I like to make my own, Buff is right about how great it is.

And -- I love littlem's term -- I'm also a "Hollywood Fatty." Even when I'm at goal weight.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe no one has mentioned Ranch dressing on pizza!!! I love to dip my pizza in a big bowl of ranch. I am an overweight girl trying to lose, so I'm not sure which group I fall into. I love ranch with a white-hot passion, but I don't let myself have it, so I guess I'm a vinaigrette girl.

Anonymous said...

Heather: Anonymous 5:17 here. The recipe for chipotle ranch is really easy. All you need is a can of chipotles in adobo sauce (which you can now get in the international sections of most mainstream grocery stores) and some ranch dressing. Just mix some of the adobo sauce from the can into some ranch dressing, and presto-- chipotle ranch! You could actually dice up some of the chilis from the can too, but the adobo sauce has a ton of the smoky chipotle flavor just from being in the can with them.

JessiferSeabs said...

oooh, I don't know. I'm fat, and I like both. I guess the difference is that I like to put vinagrettes and olive oil on things that really shouldn't require any dressing at all (like, bread. I could eat bread dipped in olive oil for every meal for the rest of my life and die happy).

Anonymous said...

I'm a fattie and I hate, hate, HATE ranch. In fact I hate creamy sauces and cream in general. No ranch, no blue cheese, no whipped cream, no devil dogs. NO NO NO!!! I just finished a super yummy salad for lunch and it was with a balsamic vinagrette. It's just about the only dressing I like.

Anonymous said...

Ah, a decent crusty Italian loaf - walnut, maybe - dipped in a little fragrant olive oil. So simple yet so satisfying, like all true soul food,

Kate, that's a tragedy about the balsam - but you can share my walnut bread if ya like.

Anonymous said...

I agree with ya, fat girls love ranch and anything else that's fattening and thick (mayo, cheese, butter, etc.). It's like flies to honey :)

I meant this all in a good way as I'm also a fattie and love my ranch!

It must be in our DNA.

Anonymous said...

Buff, I think you will just need to issue the formal invitation to dinner at your place.

The snippets of your menus that I read here are sufficient inducement for us to just buy the plane tickets already. Kate, you coming?

I'll bring the St. Emilion Grand Cru and a Jadot Pouilly Fuisse.

Hee. I love this topic.

Kate217 said...

I make a wicked cream cheese pound cake.

Unknown said...

I correct you because you are wrong. Me=fat Me=vinaigrette

Anonymous said...

Wow! You guys'd come all this way for dinner - with posh plonk and cake and everything? I'm touched!

You're welcome any time. Seriously.

Regina Rodriguez-Martin said...

Vinaigrette for me.

Anonymous said...

I am skinny and I love ranch dressing. But I don't eat it, because it will make me fat. It always has in the past. Tradeoffs.

Anonymous said...

About 25 lbs. overweight here. I like both, but I prefer ranch in the cold winter months and a nice vinaigrette in the warm months.

Kate217 said...

You got it, Heather:

CREAM CHEESE POUND CAKE

3 c. cake flour
3 c. sugar
1 lb. butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Philadelphia cream cheese
6 lg. eggs

Using a heavy-duty mixer, cream the butter, the cream cheese, and the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating mixture after each egg. Add cake flour in three equal portions, beating after each addition.

Bake a tube pan for 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees.

It's the extra beating (gtting lots of air in) and the eggs that make this rise. The top is best part. One day soon, I hope to experiment with making bar cookies out of this recipe.

There's a local coffeeshop/music venue that won't let me in the door unless I have one of these in hand. (OK, they'll let me in, but they give me lots of grief about arriving empty handed.)

Kate217 said...

OOPS, I forgot, grease and flour the pan before adding the batter.

Anonymous said...

and you seriously expect people to believe you're fat for some other reason than you eat too much?

Anonymous said...

Hey, Kate shares her cake. You're just jealous because no one offered you a piece.

Anonymous said...

I don't know, I'd rather hang out with a fatty who can cook well then a cynical, useless asshole any day, anon.

Anonymous said...

of course you would...you're probably fat too and just want to eat more.

Anonymous said...

Aren't you a hilarious little thing? What will be next, bathroom humor?

Anonymous said...

I've heard of ranch dressing, but don't know what it is (I'm Australian).

Imagynne: I just did a Google Australian search on your behalf & I discovered that Hog's Breath Cafes offer ranch dressing; plus Woolworths sell both a Woolworths Brand ranch dressing & one by Newmans Own - plus you could of course find a recipe & make it yourself.

I prefer only lemon juice on salads actually, although I'm not fond of salads unless on a sandwich or roll/breadbun, I prefer steamed or roasted vegetables.

Oh, & I'm fat.

Anonymous said...

Oh at 6:30: gooooooaaaaalllllll!

Kate217 said...

I thought about this thread this weekend. When I was young, my mother occasionally took me to the Bon Marche dinding room for a "girls day out." We invariably ordered the Crab Louis salad. My mother always made it with hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes, as well as the crab.

Her recipe (I don't know proportions, I'm afraid, I just dump until things look right, so those listed below are guestimates):

1 c Mayonnaise
1/2 c Chili Sauce
1/4 c heavy cream
2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp capers
1 tsp horseradish
Garlic powder to taste

I made a less-heavy version this weekend (light mayo and half-n-half). I didn't have any crab or asparagus, so I made my salad with just leaf lettuce tomato and hard-boiled eggs.

Most recipes call for iceberg lettuce, but I prefer either leaf or romaine. Mom used cooked shrimp for this recipe as often as she used crab. Either way, it's delicious.

Kate217 said...

ACK!!!! I so wish that I could type!

Make that "dining room"

Anonymous said...

I hate ranch.

Anonymous said...

I have to say that as a fat girl, I'm not so into the Ranch. And in I know what you mean about how it goes on everything. But it's kind of rich and a little greasy. I love a flavorful vinaigrette or a really sharp Bleu Cheese (which for some reason never seems as heavy as Ranch.)

Melissa said...

I'm a fat chick, but hate both ranch and vinagrette...but love bleu cheese or just plain balsamic vinegar.

Anonymous said...

Gotta ask: is it okay for a guy to call a fat girl a fat girl? How 'bout If he calls her his "fat chick"?

And yes, I only mean face-to-face; I wouldn't think of saying such things in public as regard my girlfriend (and understand that right now this is all theoretical) but I do, alone and dreaming sometimes, and me, wonder if maybe the perfect belly pushing me might offer the opportunity to be honest. Not to say that honesty would be my main thought as the perfect belly pressed me, but ya know what I mean.

So (lonesome but doing the work): are fat women always insulted by being called fat?

Do tell.

Anonymous said...

Mikey, the phrase, "though fat", as in, "by God, you're a beautiful woman, though fat" was an endearment between my parents for many years.

I certainly refer to myself as fat, though it's by no means the only word that describes me. I think it all boils down to whether or not the word is intended as an insult. Frankly, if my belly floats someone's boat, I'm perfectly content to be their fat girl, (just as long as they see said fat in the context of my all round, three-dimensional fabulousness, of course) - but I suspect I'm probably the exception to the rule.

In the current social climate I think it's hard for many to view "fat" as the simple, neutral descriptor it should be when the condition, (for want of a better word), has become synonymous with ignorance, self-neglect, moral laxity etc. But there's a big difference, to me at least between, "get out of my way you stupid fat bitch" and "c'mere and gimme some of that good lovin', fat girl".

Kate217 said...

I use the term "fat" about myself all the time. I figure it's no different than calling myself "blonde" or "green-eyed." I'm with BuffPuff about being sensitive to the social subtext inherent in it when others use it, though.

Mikey, I guess I'd be wondering why you'd use the descriptor at all. Would you use the term "my brunette girl" or "my brown-eyed girl?" As embarrassed as I am to admit it, my insecurities about how most people view the word "fat" might win out in this case.

Anonymous said...

Buffpuff and Kate: thanks.

I really don't know why I'd use the term at all; probably I wouldn't. I don't claim to even remotely grasp how powerful that little word is and I suppose I never really will. And though I fail sometimes I really do strive to keep the ones I love from hurting any more than they already do. That and it's all theoretical at this point; nothing I am near putting to the test.

It's tough; something I like is generally considered off-limits regarding admiration, especially by those who possess the trait. And BELIEVE me: a woman's size is down my list as regards important qualities; I'd prefer a smart, kind-hearted, funny woman of pretty much any size over a nasty, stupid woman who happened to be fat and cute. But given two perfect ladies, I'd likely pick the heavier one.

Anyway, I'm sure I've muddled everything up by this comment. Sorry.

But thanks again. And Kate: congrats on the vowel:-)

Anonymous said...

Kate, are you from New Orleans? No one I know can cook like that unless they're from there, Senegal, or my aunt and mom.

Kate217 said...

littlem,

Good guess. I'm not, but my grandmother was.

Anonymous said...

Ew, most ranch dressings are too bland. I like a nice sharp vinagrette for salads and on sandwiches (yes I'm crazy). The vinegar gets the saliva going and I can actually taste everything else I'm eating. Ranch makes everything taste like sour dairy to me.

Anonymous said...

i'm fat and i HATE ranch.

Unknown said...

really skinny Australian chick that loves Ranch :)