"All you can EAT!" A regional/state thing?

[epchick]

I thought of this thread the other day when my mom was telling a friend about my uncle's (and his friends, all from NJ) experience at an "all you can eat buffet." Four 6ft+ tall men at these buffets were HILARIOUS!! haha. Like a kid at a candy store.

I will be thinking of this thread when I go to the AYCE place close to my house.

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

Our guacamole is true to the ancient Aztec recipe (!) in that its main ingredient is indeed mashed avocados - no sour cream. Lime juice, onions, salt , tomato - what am I forgetting?

I did think of something that you're not necessarily forgetting, but it's optional in traditional guacamole---jalapenos.

[guitarak]

I'm from Alaska, and the only buffets are Chinese, but they aren't very popular (but pretty good). I think in Anchorage there is some sort of Texan restaurant that does that sort of thing. I don't think we eat much food like that, we're more seafood people if we're going out to eat.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by AOII_LB93

Re Tex-Mex: My MIL moved to Texas last year and she is miserable having grown up in so Cal with Mex-Mex food. The first time she ordered an enchilada they dumped chili on it.

Did your MIL move to San Antonio?

I totally saw that show "Drive-Ins, Diners and Dive" with Guy Fieri and he stopped in a restaurant in San Antonio where they put chili on their enchiladas. What did Guy say? "mmmm i love Mexican food." I've NEVER been to a place that put chili on their enchiladas. It didn't even look appetizing!

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by Lil' Hannah

Funny, honeychile said it happened to her friend too.

I didn't realize John Pinette knew so many GCers!

Correction which I should have made before: I was told that it happened to my two friends, but they were taking advantage of my naivety. If you saw these two men, you would have believed it happened, too. I only found out that it had happened after the abuse heaped on me at the last post - with apologies from those who did it.

Now I just remind them that "All You Can Eat" is an option, not a dare.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by ASTalumna06

I grew up in New England, and there really aren't that many buffet-styled restaurants around there. And if there are, I never found them.

Between college, and now 2 years following that, I've lived in Pennsylvania for about 6 years, and buffet-styled restaurants are everywhere. Golden Corral, Ponderosa, Old Country Buffet, etc. As to whether or not people PREFER to eat there, I don't know.

I've also traveled up and down the east coast, from Maine to Florida, and a whole bunch of places in between, and I've never run across any of these restaurants that I've seen in PA.

Did you ever go to Imperial China Buffet on upper Peach? When I was in undergrad (at the same time as you), my friends and I would go there almost every Sunday morning (which was really afternoon) - we thought it was the best hangover food we'd ever have. It's either taken a huge downturn or our palettes have matured because we tried going there once this summer after a bachelorette party and most of us hated the food and ended up sick by the end of the day - how did we eat that crap???

[AOII_LB93]

Originally Posted by epchick

Did your MIL move to San Antonio?

I totally saw that show "Drive-Ins, Diners and Dive" with Guy Fieri and he stopped in a restaurant in San Antonio where they put chili on their enchiladas. What did Guy say? "mmmm i love Mexican food." I've NEVER been to a place that put chili on their enchiladas. It didn't even look appetizing!

Man, how did I miss this...no she moved to Dallas. But seriously, chili? On an enchilada? No thanks...I'll take some chili on fries, burger, hot dog....but enchiladas? Gross.

[Tippiechick]

Originally Posted by paulam

I worked with two rather large gentlemen, both way over 6 feet tall and each weighing way over 250 pounds. A new Chinese restaurant opened near our office offering an all-you can-eat lunch buffet. My two co-workers decided to try it. After they had almost eaten their fill, the hostess arrived at their table and announced in a voice everyone in the restaurant could hear, "You bigga boys. You eat too much. You go now!" When they told us about this, the entire office staff cracked up and of course, we avoided that place from that day on. They closed soon after due to their lack of customer service.

LOL. When I was pregnant with Max, I was miserably sick with a condition called HG that made me seriously nauseated EVERY moment of the day. The ONLY place I could find relief was this certain Chinese buffet.

I went in there one day between lunch and dinner. It was 3:15. They started dinner at 3:30. I was there for the crab legs and expected to be charged a dinner price since it was 3:30 by the time I was seated and began eating the dinner foods.

Anyway, I had been there about 30 minutes and had one plate of crab legs. I had to eat them slowly to keep them down. I thought the waitress was going to ask me for a refill of my drink, but instead she took the plate that I was ACTUALLY STILL EATING OFF from OUT OF MY HAND. She threw me out saying I was trying to cheat the restaurant by eating dinner at a lunch price.

I tried to explain that I had expected the dinner price, as I was eating dinner foods. But, they said I had to go. I waddled out, but I still won't go to that place anymore.

[KatieKate1244]

Despite my hometown recently being named the fattest place in America, there's not too many all-you-can-eat places I can think of. There's a few Chinese places, two Shoney's, and a Golden Corral. It should be noted, though, that the Shoney's breakfast bar is a gift from God.

[gee_ess]

If you want to see the Mother Lode of All You Can Eat Buffet places, then run don't walk to Branson, MO. Country music shows + outlet malls = AYCE restaurants galore.

And to the earlier poster(I forgotten who said it) who discussed the buffet experiences on cruise ships, I heartily agree! It totally grossed me out to watch that excessive behavior.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by gee_ess

If you want to see the Mother Lode of All You Can Eat Buffet places, then run don't walk to Branson, MO. Country music shows + outlet malls = AYCE restaurants galore.

Have you been to Vegas?!

[gee_ess]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

Have you been to Vegas?!

LOL - yes! I think they might be tied for the prize!