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Your Comments:
Dave, Back in the day, my friends and I would eagerly await each week's Kitchen Comments, dying to see more pictures of break dancing popes or hear more about Vlad the Impaler. These days, KC has lost its flare. I don't blame you, Dave. You still make me laugh. I blame the Freshmen. With the exception of whoever wrote the winning Ode to Xcetera, the campus students appear to have lost all concept of humor. I call upon the students of this university. Do not allow Kitchen Comments to become merely a forum for complaints! Intersperse your tragic tales with treatises on the possible trajectories of twice-baked potatoes launched from atop the vegetarian line in the cafeteria at twelve past seven on Tuesdays.
We haven’t had the characters of late writing in like we used to. Over the years we have had “serial” commenters who would keep little ideas and story lines going all semester. One year I even had a group of students kidnap the Pop cutout from Couch and hold him for a food ransom. When we didn’t pay we received his little cardboard hand in the mail. The negotiations went on all year. It is true, creative comments do get a more creative answer, we sort of feed off each other. Now I won’t put all the blame on our current crop of commenters. I’ve slowed down a little in my 20+ years of doing the “Comments” too. Part of it is age, I’m sure I’ve mellowed out a little. Part of it is getting burned by my crazy answers a time or two, I had to apologize the next week for the break dancing Pope, It seems someone found the cartoon (drawn by a student) offensive and called the President’s office. Anyway, I thought I’d pull a couple of old comments for you to read. Some of these go back as far as Issue 138 in the fall of 1992.
There once was a man named Dave, who found how much money he saved, by serving a squirrel, and making us hurl, and sending us all to the grave. Cyrano de Maniac.
You don't know how glad I am to have you back .... As I recall you had a couple "comments of the week" last year. There is always a comment worth reading from "de Maniac" (boy is that pressure or what ???)
Dave, My roommate is now a transvestite and he/she blames it on the cafeteria’s salad bar!? Help me! Pablo
Actually it’s the salt peter we put in the food so that you guys aren’t ruled by your raging hormones. It has been known to make a cross dresser out of more than one unsuspecting Fresh(wo)man. Don’t worry, after a few more weeks one of three things will happen; 1. he’ll go back to normal, 2. you’ll get used to it and won’t care or 3. he’ll start to look pretty good ….
"Dave, Is the Cherry Sherbet an aphrodisiac ?" I wasn't sure so I asked Deb (our dietician). She didn't know either, but I noticed she had a double dip cone. Hmmmmm...
YYYYOOOUUUUUU CCCCCCAAAAAANNNNNNN”””””””TTTTTTT CCCCCCLLLLLLEEEEEAAAAAANNNNN YYYYOOOOOUUUUUUURRRRR KKKKEEEYYYYBBBOOOOAAARRRRDDDDD WWWWIIIITTTTTHHHH YYYYOOOOOUUUUUURRRR CCCCOOOOOOMMMMMMPPPPPUUUUTTTTEERRRR OOOOONNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave, give us the history of the entree AChicken Washington@ Chaza
Well you’ve all heard the story of George Washington throwing the dollar across the Potomac River? It just so happens that he threw the dollar so hard that when it made it across the river it ricochet once off a rock and killed a chicken on the rebound. Now this wasn’t just any old chicken. This was a special prize chicken, the only one in that whole part of the country.
George thought a minute then dived into the river and swam across. As he stood there looking at the dead chicken he remembered the cherry tree incident. He remembered how hard he gotten spanked and being grounded for weeks. George did the only sensible thing, he grabbed the chicken and ran.
Now George was already well known around town, so hiding out was going to be difficult. He decided to head toward his crazy, old, spinster aunt=s house, George figured he could ditch the chicken there, sort of digest the evidence if you will. On the way to his aunt=s he met many folks he knew. They called to him in the traditional Georgetown way AHo yas George, Goin to see your aunt@. AHo yas A George called back, marveling at the fact that no one had spotted the dead chicken under his coat.
Well to make a long story short, his aunt, who was making a dinner of cheese & mushrooms for her boarders, saw the chicken and went on and on about what a caring, thoughtful boy George was for bringing her a chicken. She cooked it up and served it with the mushrooms & cheese. Everyone thought it was great and said ABethesda they ought to name this chicken after you, in fact they ought to name a whole city after you!!!@
So there you have it. The chicken Washington was not named after George but his aunt Bethesda, whom they did also name a city after (Bethesda Maryland). George learned what all future presidents must learn, how to hide the truth, and finally we have learned where the Georgetown basketball team got that strange name the AHoyas@.
(Hey I never said the old comments were any better, just older - Dave)
Back to your NEW Comments: Dear Dave– I have been a faculty member at OU for 26 years and have eaten at every place available on campus, except the new Weather Center. I heard the Center has a small food court so my wife and I decided to have lunch there last Friday. The facility was very impressive...bright, clean, attractive with a nice mix of choices given the limited space available. We decided on pizza. The staff was courteous and told us about the pizzas and what we could have. Kevin was especially helpful and made us each a delicious pizza. The crust was crispy with lots of cheese and just the right amount of toppings. He really seemed to enjoy and take pride in what he was doing. The facility and the people who work there are a credit to the University and will make a good impression on visitors to the Center. Keep up the good work.-- Tom I appreciate that you took the time to let me know about your experience at the “Flying Cow Café.”
Ah, Lent. A new issue of Kitchen Comments came out today, and low and behold we already have a new type of complainer--The Disgruntled Catholic (TDC). Now, TDC has very little to complain about. The American Council of Bishops gives them very lenient fasting regulations for Lent. If TDC actually knew these regulations, he would know that, first of Ash Wednesday is a special day of fasting, on which Catholics are supposed to eat only one full meal, frugal with no meat. On Fridays, TDC is also to refrain from meat, as long as he has no severe health problems. He can always eat fish products, and he need not observe rules of fasting on Holy Days, unless otherwise specified. These are very basic food restrictions, not a complex system like Halal or Kosher foods. TDC has absolutely nothing to complain about. If the University of Oklahoma paid absolutely no attention to the fact that some religions have special dietary regulations this time of year, TDC would still have his pick of the ample pesceterian options offered on a daily basis at the Cafeteria. These include, but are not limited to: an absolutely amazing vegetarian line, black bean burgers at the grill, another amazing salad bar, and a stir-fry line offering both shrimp and tofu, as well as just plain veggies. However, TDC is NOT limited to this options. If he would take the time to notice, rather than complain, he might have been thankful to the cafeteria for even offering salmon last Wednesday. He might even realize that, not only was salmon offered on Ash Wednesday, another fish was offered that Friday. He might read through the menu in this weeks KC and find "Seafood Bar" listed under Friday lunch. Considering the options already available on campus, there is absolutely nothing requiring HFS to have special menu items just for Lenten Fridays. Nothing, that is, except TDC's imagined right to have nothing but fish, fish, and more fish. As it is, HFS DOES offer him fish on Fridays, and does it happily. TDC might like to seriously consider WHY he doesn't eat meat on Fridays. If he observes this fast simply because he is Catholic, and that is what Catholics do, then he might as well not bother. Fasting has a purpose. In the case of Catholics at Lent, this is to suffer as Jesus Christ (and many poor people) suffered. If it is someone's God-given right to have several kinds of fish on Friday--because, well, they can't have meat, can they--then is this person really giving anything up?
Thanks for taking the time to write. Maybe we can use this as the definitive answer to the Lenten questions I get each year.
Dave, why is it that every time I eat at Couch, the vegetables are always overcooked? I have yet to see a broccoli floret that's anything but an unappetizing shade of greenish-gray (and squishy. Very very squishy).
The only thing that should be squishy is the guacamole. Regular veggies like green beans, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower should still have their color and texture intact. I’m not sure why we can’t get it right. I blame it on the “that’s the way my mama made vegetables” syndrome that apparently professes the theory that because you were served crappy vegetables as a kid you have to make your veggies crappy so a new generation can suffer just like you did.
Well it’s time to stop! I hereby declare March the “the month of singularly splendid veggies.” What does that mean? It means that we will pay extra attention to our veggies and promise ourselves that we will prepare each and every vegetable with the respect it deserves. I honestly want you to give me a daily veggie update. Let me know how we are doing.
Dave, A couple of weeks ago, the Lifestyles line in the Caf served steaks. (I think they may have been leftovers from the Valentine's meal, which was great, by the way.) I was thrilled, as were the two friends I was eating with. When we got to our table, though, my two friends both complained that their meat was really rare. I like my steaks a little on the pink side, so I offered to share my slightly burned and completely done steak. I cut into my friend's steak, and the meat was completely raw, to the point there was a puddle of blood on my plate. That's too rare for anybody, for health reasons alone. I loved seeing a hearty, plain meat on the menu, and I would love to see it return, but in the future, could it be cooked? Thanks! Ashlee
That was certainly a production mistake. We sometimes get so many steaks on the grill at one time that we forget which steaks went on first. It sounds to me like they were continuing to “load” the grill with steaks while others were coming off the grill. If you forget what you are doing you can pull a steak way too early. Should this have been caught? Absolutely. I apologize and hope your friends took their steaks back to have them a. cooked longer or b. replaced by new steaks. We have a 100% Satisfaction guarantee, please let us know when we mess up like this.
This is for the ice cream place in burger king. The girl working it was moving so slow it took her 10 minutes to serve 3 customers which is okay I am not usually in a big hurry, but she keep washing things out in the sink and not washing her hands or drying them after they got them wet from doing the dishes. Her Hands were still wet when she got my cone! GROSS! When I worked in food services cleanliness and customers came first and dishes came last when there were no customers. Second I got a waffle cone and the size of the scoop was like the size of a kiddie cone scoop. I have gotten more ice cream for free at Mcdonalds, there was 3 1/2 inches to the top of the cone. I thought she was David Copperfirled or something. I saw her put the ice cream in the cone and I thought it had dissappeared, but to my dismay I looked in the cone to see that little scoop ISCREAMED for ICECREAM. Dave there was no ice cream or magic, that made me sad. Maybe the girl is new or she just doesn't care but the service needs to be stepped up! I am not mad or anything just really bored and well bored. - Eddie Money P.S. BAR-B-QUE Sauce at Block and Barrel for the chicken wraps, please.
Hey Eddie, I will go over and talk to the BK folks. I think we have little pc cups of BBQ sauce out at Cate over by the napkins. In the meantime why don’t you stop by the FS office or e-mail me at
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so I can send you a couple of free food tickets. I mean you may find them to be:
“Two tickets to paradise”
Got a surprise especially for you,
Something that both of us have always wanted to do.
We've waited so long, waited so long.
We've waited so long, waited so long.
I'm gonna take you on a trip so far from here,
I've got two tickets in my pocket, now baby, we're gonna disappear.
We've waited so long, waited so long.
We've waited so long, waited so long.
I've got two tickets to paradise,
Won't you pack your bags, we'll leave tonight,
I've got two tickets to paradise,
I've got two tickets to paradise….
Alright dave, so i went to go get a grill to order salmon the other day, the lady took my order and a man made it. i got the salmon and as i was eating, when i got to the thick part it was still the raw salmon color on the inside. So i took it back up, and asked the lady if it could be grilled more because it was raw, and her response was "it is still good, you can eat it". so i was like no i dont like it like that could you please cook it, and she took it from me and once again told me that i could eat salmon like that. Then she took it to the man and he was like "this is perfect salmon, PERFECT" and put it on the grill. A short while later i got my fish again at which time the lady said when a tone "next time you get fish, ask for it well done". Well, i have got fish 10-15 times and it has never been liek that, and never have i said well done. The stupid part is, when she took my order and wrote on that paper slip, she crossed out the part about how it is to be cooked. I have no problem in taking a fish back up that hasnt been cooked properly, but to be told i could eat it and treated rudly is really messed up.
You can have your salmon any way you want it. It is not our place to tell you how to eat your fish. They should have taken the fillet back and cooked it more without any questions, comments, or implied guilt trip. I apologize for the way you were treated it was unprofessional.
Don’t miss the Clue Special Meal this Wednesday March 14th at Couch. This meal is being co-sponsored by OUPD and Food Services. It should be a lot of fun! |
