Guilty Pleasures

We’ve all got ‘em.  And I don’t want to pry too deep to find out all of them, but a conversation I had with Justin as we ate the goose I’ve been writing about lately got me thinking about what mine are: foods that I know are crap but just can’t help but to love.  I’m sure I have others, and if I think of them in the next couple of days, I’ll add them to the list, but for the time being here are the five that most readily came to my mind:

  1. Frosties from Wendy’s.  I don’t know what kinds of emulsifiers and syrups and preservatives go into them, and frankly, it doesn’t even matter.  I like ‘em.  But only the chocolate ones (as if there were another kind!)  When they ask me which flavor I want, I think I’ll always respond  with, “What do you mean which flavor?  There’s only one!”
  2. Tootsie Rolls.  I’ll eat ‘em by the handful.  If I have the chance, i’ll load up my pockets with them and absentmindedly chew throughout the day.
  3. Toaster Strudels from Pillsbury.  But only certain flavors: I don’t want anything too colorful.  I usually stick to apple or raspberry (I don’t want anything toxic blue or green), but that little packet of icing is such fun to doodle with before I devour the sticky sweetness.  I don’t usually go for the cheese flavor because…
  4. Enteman’s cream cheese coffee cake.  I mean, yeah, I’ll take a cream cheese danish from Dozen over it anytime (that, by the way, is a pleasure I will never feel guilty about–it’s one of the best d–ned pastries I’ve ever had, so flaky and rich, and at the same price as one of their cupcakes).  But for a supermarket pastry, one of those preservative-laden Entemann’s coffee cakes hits the spot anytime.
  5. On the savory end of things, I love me a taco from Taco Bell, especially if it’s a double-decker supreme.  I don’t care if the meat does come in a bag and the sour cream comes from a caulking gun, I’ll take three or four of those bad boys and call it lunch any day of the week.

So, I’ve fessed up–now it’s your turn.

15 Responses to “Guilty Pleasures”

  1. katy Says:

    oh man! i love pumpkin pie blizzard from dairy queen, even if it is pretend ice cream. and i really, really like jax. those cheesy pouffs!

  2. Rebekah Says:

    You know what’s even better? Getting some french fries from Wendy’s and eating your Frosty with the fries. Talk about a guilty (and not well-publicized on my part) pleasure.

    And, I desperately love Nacho Cheese Doritos.

  3. justin Says:

    i alluded to it in the top 3 meats thread, but gas station hot dogs have a special place in my heart (or more appropriately, my arteries). i mean, hot dogs at professional sporting events are bigger, better, and considerably fresher, but the ones in the gas station are so dirt cheap, i can’t resist. as often as i go to home depot, i really should buy a hot dog from the vendor set up in the entryway. and if you have a sam’s club membership, they have the best lunch deal in town, with a hot dog and huge drink for a dollar and some change, and you can get a pouch of sauerkraut from the condiment bar. i don’t have a membership though, so i just get it when i can.

    i like big macs. can’t help it.

    i feel no guilt for my love of popeye’s chicken, but it is technically fast food, so i do limit my intake, meaning i only eat it when it’s available!

    if i eat at fudruckers, even though i can choose real cheese for my burger, i often opt for the liquid nacho cheese, so that my jalapenos can drown.

    last year i went through a week during which i craved a margarita, but i was too busy to get out. i’d half-forgotten of it by the time i had a break, so i went out with some friends to a korean restaurant, opened the drink menu, a there it was, a margarita. i couldn’t resist, so i betrayed all sensibilities and ordered one. it was perfectly good, but totally clashed with the palate otherwise found on a korean menu; i felt like a tool.

  4. alison Says:

    give me m&ms and movie theater popcorn (mixed together, of course!) any day!!

  5. Troy Says:

    I like a ho-ho once a year or so. I bought a box a few weeks ago, because they were on sale, and they didn’t taste as good as I remember. I also miss the individual silver foil wrappers like they had when I was a kid.

    I sometimes get a Big Mac Attack, but over the past few years, when I eat it, it just doesn’t taste the same as I remember, and it’s smaller, so I think I’m giving up on that guilty pleasure.

    Hershey’s w/almonds . . . again, miss the foil wrappers, but at least these still taste as good as I remember. I keep them in the freezer for whenever I need a fix.

  6. Doug Says:

    Beef Jerky… hot and teriyaki. Especially when heading out for a road trip.
    Cool Ranch Doritos. I haven’t had any since I met my wife but I still crave their stinky goodness fortnightly!
    There is a processed gruyere-type cheese that comes individually wrapped in foil in a circular cardboard box. It is called Zingg cheese. I think that it is meant to be melted and used as fondue but I just love em straight outta tha foil!
    Kraft Dinner (in the U.S. I believe it is called Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese). I think that so many Canadian students and poverty stricken people were eating so much of this stuff for dinner alone Kraft decided to market it more as a main than a side. I eat it and feel that guilty pleasure that is associated with the whacky-ness of youth.
    And finally, Dairy Queen: Peanut Buster Parfait! ’nuff said.

  7. Lauren Says:

    Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese. It’s the kind with the (otherwise) revolting foil packet of creamy processed cheese food product. But not the Velveeta brand. That stuff is nasty! :)

  8. Zil Says:

    Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza - great combo of flavor & texture
    grocery store nacho sauce-yeah, it’s just plastic goo in a jar but WOW does it hit the spot, especially with some blue corn tortilla chips for contrast ;)

  9. jwsharrard Says:

    Rebekah–
    Aurora’s sister Julia does that with her frosty and fries, too–but I just don’t get it. For one thing, the fries at Wendy’s are the worst in fast food; and for another, everyone (meaning me) knows that to tolerate them, you have to eat them with a side of that nasty pump cheese they serve on top of the baked potatoes!

  10. justin Says:

    wendy’s fries are some of the worst, which is why one should dip them into their chocolate (as if there’s any other kind!) frosty.

  11. Fillippelli the (wannabe) Cook Says:

    Freeze pops, pretty much any potato chip, and pretty much any type of chewy candy, particularly sour candy (sour-patch kids, etc.) come to mind. Even fries and wings at most bars. Have had them from Buffalo Wild Wings several times recently, since it’s the de facto post Friday night soccer game stop for our “team”. They’re not even very good — make much better ones at home — but I still pound them down.

  12. Johanna Says:

    Popcorn. I prefer it airpopped at home; however, I have to get it anytime i go to the theater, and it’s only appropriate when you request they put the liquid fake butter on halfway through filling your bag, and again on top.

    Spicy Chicken Fillet sandwich from Wendys. It’s the only thing I ever want to order when I go there.

    I’m sure I have others, but those are the first 2 that pop into my mind.

  13. Sarah Larkin Says:

    Reese’s peanut butter cups and diet coke. There’s something about the two together that satisfies the afternoon munchies.

    KFC original recipe - just once a year is all I can muster.

    Girl Scout cookies - Samoas and thin mint. Hopefully my annual order should be coming in soon.

  14. Martha Says:

    Dunkin’ Donuts. ‘nuf said

  15. Rhonda Olsen Says:

    Mmmm! Guilty pleasures. If it’s sweet, I’m in there like a dirty shirt. Love icecream, cookies, cakes, chocolate (of course!). Problem is with guilty pleasures comes the guilt afterward…can we just have the pleasure and forego the guilt?

Leave a Reply