Cheese Straws

[Mark_K5LXP]

Not getting what's in the OP's post - the title is fries straws, which to me are like french fries but I see in the picture what looks like chips or slices of something.

In my travels hot stuff seems to be cultural. Where I grew up in WI, a dash of tabasco in your bloody mary was adventurous. Chili was some kind of meat/noodle soup. When I moved to NM you can get green chile on your cheeseburger at Wendy's. Most places here offer red or green either directly or on the side. Sometimes when we're travelling we'll find some good hot stuff but there's nothing like the roasty flavor of red or green chile. It's a staple in my house.

One year at the Fiery Foods show here in ABQ I sampled one of the hot sauce extracts. There's only so much natural heat in a habanero or ghost pepper, they must be distilled to get the heat any higher. I don't remember the name of the brand, only that the folks handing out the samples were wearing fireman's hats and dispensing a single drop on a crouton. The pain was immediate and I was out of commission for a good 20 minutes. No amount of cold/sweet tamed it. You could probably use this to repel a grizzly attack. Can't imagine what this would contribute to the taste of food, I like hot stuff but this was beyond distracting, it was repelling. Various peppers have unique flavors that at least make the heat interesting, but the proportions of the flavor vs scoville units in the extracts I think is reduced. It's some water, maybe some salt and vinegar, and pain. The bottle labels are clever and amusing but I'm not sure what you can practically do with the stuff. Maybe a dash in a couple gallons of chile stew but at that dilution any unique flavor it might have had is lost.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Jayflight]

Not getting what's in the OP's post - the title is fries, which to me are like french fries but I see in the picture what looks like chips or slices of something.

The title is fries? But there is nothing close to actual straws, paper or plastic, as you know the term. While there may be some variations of the contents from different cooks, this is showing the breakdown per serving of what you are eating. Of course we do not use all the detailed ingredients . But some of the main ingredients may include some of the described details.

Butter and cheese are not normally promoted by skinny bikini clad models as part of their regular diets or doctors looking after your best heart and veins interest. But I will admit that if your digestive system tolerates high octane seasoning, this does increase the enjoyment going down the hatch.

ORIGINAL CHEESE STRAWS - INGREDIENTS & NUTRITION FACTS​

INGREDIENTS: Cheddar Cheese (Cultured Milk, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto Color), Unbleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Palm Oil, Cayenne, Sea Salt.

CONTAINS MILK, WHEAT
MAY CONTAIN EGG, SOY, TREE NUTS

​

​

NUTRITION FACTS​

Serving Size 9 Straws (30g)
Servings Per Container (varies by container size)
Amount Per Serving & % Daily Value

• Calories 170
• Calories from Fat 100
• Total Fat 11g (17%)
• Saturated Fat 6g (30%)
• Trans Fat 0g
• Cholesterol 20mg (7%)
• Sodium 130mg (5%)
• Total Carbohydrate 11g (4%)
• Dietary Fiber 0g (0%)
• Sugars 0g
• Protein 6g
• Vitamin A 6%
• Vitamin C 0%
• Calcium 15%
• Iron 4%

 

[TheBar]

This happens with almost every culture. Gringos are most familiar with Northern Mexican food because of proximity to the border but there are regional differences in all countries. Plus we've added our own "American" twist to every cuisine we've brought here.

One could hardly call American Chinese food, Chinese food if one has been to China.

In Monterrey, MX try to find anything we think is Mexican food. Tacos at their flea market are the only thing I've heard of. But the best thing I found was beans and rice wrapped like a burrito in flank steak sliced paper thin and deep fried. Almost as good as black crickets that turn red when deep fried.

A side note - back in the 70's I had an ulcer. Mexican co-workers recommended eating jalapenos with every meal. I cringed at the thought but doing that cured my ulcer. Years later I found jalapenos contain capsaicin which is now used in many stomach medications. If you follow this link there are many health benefits of eating jalapenos. Just one jalapeno plant supplies us with plenty to freeze for the winter.

 

[Tulecreeper]

In Monterrey, MX try to find anything we think is Mexican food. Tacos at their flea market are the only thing I've heard of. But the best thing I found was beans and rice wrapped like a burrito in flank steak sliced paper thin and deep fried. Almost as good as black crickets that turn red when deep fried.

A side note - back in the 70's I had an ulcer. Mexican co-workers recommended eating jalapenos with every meal. I cringed at the thought but doing that cured my ulcer. Years later I found jalapenos contain capsaicin which is now used in many stomach medications. If you follow this link there are many health benefits of eating jalapenos. Just one jalapeno plant supplies us with plenty to freeze for the winter.

I'm pretty fluent in Spanish, so when I go to a mom-and-pop taqueria I always order in Spanish and usually that gets me a little extra on my burrito. Which reminds me - I found it interesting that in Mexico what we call a burrito, they call a taco. And what we call a taco only exists in the form of street tacos that are served open-faced with meat and diced vegetables, on little 6-inch tortillas, with a slice of lime. For $3 - $4 pretty much anywhere, you can get 5 of those and a bottle of beer.

 

[Jayflight]

I'm pretty fluent in Spanish, so when I go to a mom-and-pop taqueria I always order in Spanish and usually that gets me a little extra on my burrito. Which reminds me - I found it interesting that in Mexico what we call a burrito, they call a taco. And what we call a taco only exists in the form of street tacos that are served open-faced with meat and diced vegetables, on little 6-inch tortillas, with a slice of lime. For $3 - $4 pretty much anywhere, you can get 5 of those and a bottle of beer.

My most favorite dish closely related to Mexican is my own form of a taco salad. I use either hard taco shells or corn chips crumbled up for starters and then put all the usual stuff on top. Then I top it off with taco sauce, sour cream and salsa, all blended together.

 

[Tulecreeper]

My most favorite dish closely related to Mexican is my own form of a taco salad. I use either hard taco shells or corn chips crumbled up for starters and then put all the usual stuff on top. Then I top it off with taco sauce, sour cream and salsa, all blended together.

Oh man, my wife makes the best! We just had it last week for the first time in about 6 months. Crushed tortilla chips, topped with meat and beans, then melted cheese and hot sauce with sour cream, then topped with a lettuce/tomato/mushroom salad (your basic dinner salad). It's a great cold weather meal.

Be careful, though. A little bit is way more filling than it looks.

 

[jackiemac]

My most favorite dish closely related to Mexican is my own form of a taco salad. I use either hard taco shells or corn chips crumbled up for starters and then put all the usual stuff on top. Then I top it off with taco sauce, sour cream and salsa, all blended together.

I do that with leftover chicken mixed with a jar of salsa or rotel heated up. Tortilla chips layered with the mix. Cheese on top the grilled and served with sour cream and guacamole. Yum.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I do that with leftover chicken mixed with a jar of salsa or rotel heated up. Tortilla chips layered with the mix. Cheese on top the grilled and served with sour cream and guacamole. Yum.

Hey! I'll suggest chicken next time. That sounds pretty good.

 

[jackiemac]

Hey! I'll suggest chicken next time. That sounds pretty good.

It sure is!! Or pork would work.

 

[Ex-Calif]

OK a bit of a foodie here. Last week I made shredded chicken tostadas. Boil the chicken in some salt pepper and a goodly amount of Cumin - the "secret" Latin spice. Boil about 40 minutes on a med/low flame - then shred it. Then I stirred up a bunch of frozen peppers and onions, a small can of diced green chili, a can of diced or crushed tomatoes (drained) and a can of black beans. A packet of taco seasoning, some more cumin and extra chili powder and the chicken.

I pan fried the corn tortillas, added the chicken mix, topped with shredded Fiesta or taco cheese and broiled for a few minutes.

 

[TheBar]

I found it interesting that in Mexico what we call a burrito, they call a taco. And what we call a taco only exists in the form of street tacos that are served open-faced with meat and diced vegetables, on little 6-inch tortillas, with a slice of lime. For $3 - $4 pretty much anywhere, you can get 5 of those and a bottle of beer.

I also found it interesting the food varies by "state" in Mexico so much more than in the US. From almost bland to hot with different terminology and ingredients.

 

[Jayflight]

You guys have tickled my taste buds. We will be trying versions of the alternatives tonight. But right now we are cooking up some cake mix cookies.

 

[Vanbrat]

I also found it interesting the food varies by "state" in Mexico so much more than in the US. From almost bland to hot with different terminology and ingredients.

But the USA does have some very reginal foods.

So don't even think of ordering grits in the PNW or anything even like a Philly steak sandwich in a small town in Tennessee or a bowl of clam chowder fresh made in Ohio. It's all there, but not the "real" stuff unless you know someone... We went to Florida from Seattle and ordered shrimp very much surprised because in Florida they come out of the kitchen with shells on! We eat tons of shrimp in Seattle, but it does NOT usually come to your table with shells on. And corn chowder not all that common around here, sometimes in some places, but not really. Seattle is a very eclectic place and there is food from all around the world, if you know where to look for it, but you go out of the big city area and it becomes more reginal stuff. Great seafood on the west side of the mountains and great fruit on the Eastern side. I make trips over the moutains just for the peaches for my jam. That is what I like to look for when road tripping. I had pork chops in lots of very yummy ways in Montana they aren't on many menus around here. And we have huckle berries around here but I did not know they could do so many things. Now my friends are very happy to eat my huckle berry stuff.

 

[Tulecreeper]

But the USA does have some very reginal foods.

So don't even think of ordering grits in the PNW or anything even like a Philly steak sandwich in a small town in Tennessee or a bowl of clam chowder fresh made in Ohio. It's all there, but not the "real" stuff unless you know someone...

There is truth to this.

We went to Florida from Seattle and ordered shrimp very much surprised because in Florida they come out of the kitchen with shells on! We eat tons of shrimp in Seattle, but it does NOT usually come to your table with shells on. And corn chowder not all that common around here, sometimes in some places, but not really.

I was born and raised in CA, and I've eaten in many seafood restaurants all up and down the state. I would always assume that the shrimp I ordered would come with the shell on, other than in a prepared meal like shrimp scampi. When I found a real good seafood restaurant here, I was actually surprised that they had shrimp on the menu under the listings of "head on" and "head off", and "naked" or "dressed" (meaning shell off or on). The "head off" and "naked" ones are, of course, more costly because of the extra work they have to go through in the kitchen so I just order mine "head on" and "dressed". I'm quite capable of peeling my own.