2026, Automotive, Business, Food, Mysteries, Travel

Backwards

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On the way home from St. Louis, YA were debating about what we should pick up for lunch and she told me that she had noticed a sign (when we were still in St. Louis) that Steak `n Shake was offering an Orange Dreamsicle Freeze.  I don’t know if I’ve whined about S`nS dumping their original Orange Freeze – but they let go of it at the same time they dropped the grilled cheese.  I haven’t been there since then – about 6 years.

But the new offering sounded good so we decided that fries and a freeze would be an ok lunch.  YA found the closest S`nS and we let GPS get us there.  As we were waiting in the drive-thru line, we noticed several posters in the windows of the eatery touting their all new beef-tallow.  These are their exact words “return to tallow is part of a broader trend to revive traditional cooking methods and highlight authentic flavors.”  Snort.  I asked the person taking the order if it were true that the fries were now being fried in beef tallow.  When he said yes, we cancelled the fries and just got the Freezes. 

When I became a vegetarian in the early 70s, it was the end of French fries for me as all the fast-food places used animal fats for frying.  Burger King was the first to switch over; for many years I got a whooper with no meat (yes, that’s just a glorified cheese sandwich) and fries.  Then Wendys switched, then S`nS, and eventually even McDonalds gave it up and moved to vegetable oils.  So this move back to beef tallow doesn’t make much sense to me.  I don’t know the science about the health benefits (although RFK touting beef tallow makes me wonder…) but from a planetary point of view, I don’t think we need more cows eating way more grains than it takes to feed humans.  My cynical side says S`nS is grasping at straws trying to deal with their currently financial struggles and think this might be a way to differentiate themselves from the pack.

Regardless, YA and I ended up at Subway for our lunch to go with our Orange Dreamsicle Freezes, which unfortunately weren’t all that great.  I can’t imagine I’ll ever go back to a Steak `n Shake again.

Fries?  Shoestring, curly, seasoned, sweet potato?  Or just pass the tater tots?

46 thoughts on “Backwards”

  1. It’s been a couple of years since I ordered anything at a fast food restaurant and then is would have been an egg McMuffin. No potatoes were harmed in the transaction.

    I usually pass on the fries or chips in any form in a restaurant and opt for any alternative offered- salad or fruit. I guess I don’t consider fries to be real food.

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  2. I like the curly fries at wherever that is, but I’m not a big french fries person. Should add that the best fries I ever had were at the Convention Grill in southwest Mpls.

    My favorite way to eat potatoes is roasted Rosemary Potatoes, first time I had them was at Zumbro Cafe , also in SW Mpls. Our co-op here in Winona serves then as a take-out option sometimes; I should learn if there’s a specific day of the week.

    And I do like sweet potato fries when I’ve tried them. And sweet potato pancakes… pretty much sweet potato anything.

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  3. Steak n Shake low on my list of places to eat. So long ago I don’t remember why. Steak fries, not the things called that these days. McDonald’s are the nonexamplar. Willmar has some local restaurants. We have tried one, not as great as everyone says, but ok. Wish I could drive and be out exploring.
    Clyde

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  4. I don’t eat fries at all. Never really liked them. Since I was a child my body has me know that deep fried foods of any kind are forbidden, probably due to my phantom gall bladder that I had removed when I was 22.

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  5. I love fries of all kinds, and potatoes in any form.

    This is not great for me though so I have cut back considerably.

    I agree as to the push to consume more and more animal products. It’s cruel and unnecessary.

    On the other hand, my potatoes are growing just fine in my little back yard with very little effort on my part.

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  6. Rise and Enjoy the Food, Baboons,

    I love French Fries. The combination of salt and fat (or sugar and fat, for that matter) is usually quite gratifying. That said, I rarely eat them just because of the poor health effects. Shoestrings would be the favorites. [Please note that one of my favorite fry vendors (rosemary seasoned shoestring fries) closed in March because they were eagerly courting the business of ICE agents and as a consequence, they were boycotted by the community, losing the business entirely. The, ummmm, portly condition of many ICE agents demonstrates the health effects of eating Fries regularly. I did not realize the place had closed until a friend told me that. I only allowed myself to go there once per year because I could not say no to the fries, but now that dilemma has evaporated. Phew]

    Regarding Tater Tots: those are also tasty and unhealthy. The only time those are around is if husband develops a yen for that old “Tater Tot Casserole” with hamburger, green beans, cream of mushroom soup, all topped with Tater Tots. I calculated the sodium content of said hotdish which is off the scale.

    Most often I just make the oven-roasted fries with olive oil and other herbs which are remarkably tasty.

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  7. I generally order tots these days. Fries are like oranges, you never know what you’re gonna get, and most are too tough or chewy these days.
    The Smash tots at Smashburger are great! We don’t have one of them in Rochester, but we often stop at one when in the cities.

    Like Jacque, at home I’ll add olive oil and rosemary and garlic or something. What spices do you use Jacque?

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    1. I use Yukon Gold potatoes. Then I make a seasoning with 1 tsp sea or kosher salt, 1/4 t garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika. Rosemary can go on later (dried is best), but my last rosemary plant died, so have been without. This seasoning covers 2-3 batches. Smoked paprika adds depth of flavor.

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  8. Crispiness is the deciding factor for any type of fries. I prefer sweet potato more than regular. However, a hot, crunchy-outside, gooey-inside tater tot is also a treat. Had some excellent ones recently at Rosemary Italian Kitchen in Northfield. (Krista, have you tried the place? We were impressed on our first visit. Excellent spaghetti bolognese.)

    Chris in Owatonna

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    1. Yes, I’ve been there once. I thought it was good, but I don’t go out much. It doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of business lately.

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  9. I allow myself to fries about twice a month. Bigger issue for me is the salt. Bad for me for three reasons. When I cook I never add salt. I am surprised by the amount of sugar they provide here. Also surprised how few over weight people live here.

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  10. McDonald’s has really good French fries. I’m not all that fond of the rest of their menu, though, so I seldom go there. The burger place I like to stop at is MyBurger. They have a little burger on the kids’ menu. When combined with fries, it’s a good fit for my appetite. The burgers on the standard menu meant for adults are a little too large for me.

    I haven’t tried the sweet potato fries at MyBurger – they are more expensive. The cajun and jerk fries are also a little spendier, so I just go with the standard fries, which are reliably fresh and hot. I’ve never had the suspicion that they’ve been fried in advance.

    There is a MyBurger conveniently close to the YMCA where I have my Monday line dancing class.

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  12. Potatoes are not my favorite food at all. I can easily pass on mashed, baked, scalloped, au gratin roasted, etc. My one downfall is French Fries. I don’t eat them very often but when I do, they have to be the skinny kind (like McDonald’s). If sweet potato fries are available, I’ll take them over regular fries any day. Arby’s curly fries are hard to resist – glad I rarely eat there.

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  14. I’m an unabashed potato fan! With an Irish mother and a Danish father, I suppose it’s genetic. I can remember dad proclaiming on more than one occasion during dinner, that he could eat potatoes every single day of his life and never tire of them.

    Potatoes were probably on the dinner table five or six times a week. Pommes frites, as we called them, were NOT part of that lineup. In fact, the first time I ever tasted French fries was at the US embassy in Moscow. That’s also where I was introduced to shoe string potatoes, and, because the guy who ran the cafeteria was German, German potato salad.

    Here’s Cheryl Wheeler’s tribute to the humble spud:

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  16. I love French fries but I’m picky, so don’t eat them often. Skin-on fries are the best. My favorite fries were from Sun Street Bakery, now sadly departed. A cup of soup and fries was my go-to meal there. I like the fries at My Burger, and the frozen Alexia skin-on fries are okay. I recently had McDonald’s fries for the first time in years, which reminded me why I don’t eat fries (or anything else) from McDonald’s. Sweet potato fries are wonderful; I’ve made them in the oven a few times.

    About a year ago, while on a road trip, I saw a billboard for a restaurant (can’t remember which) that had a picture of a woman and the words “You had me at tallow.” I couldn’t figure out what it meant for a long time (candles? soap?), until I saw a reference to cooking fries in beef tallow. The idea has no appeal to me.

    We eat a lot of rice and pasta, so potatoes don’t fit into our menus very often. My mom, who was a good cook pre-dementia, was never good with potatoes. They were always bland and under seasoned.

    As I started cooking myself, I discovered that if you add garlic to mashed potatoes, they taste much better. Dry mustard and Dijon perk up potato salad. One of my favorite ways to cook potatoes is diced and roasted with bell peppers and onions and lots of Northwoods seasoning from Penzeys.

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    2. Aah… yesterday being Wednesday I was thinking of SunStreet. I guess after all the years of Wednesday donuts, it’ll be awhile until the day goes by unremarked!

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  22. potatoes are my favorite. i love all fries. more salt please. we are all gonna die so we may as well be fat and happy when we go

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