Thank You, BuzzFeed, For These Food Observations That (Sorta Kinda) Blew My Mind

The internet has some sideways thoughts about hot dogs, cupcakes, and coffee.

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By  Angela L. Pagán

BuzzFeed recently rounded up some of the most mind-blowing responses to a Reddit thread that asked, "What are some very different foods that, considering the ingredients, can vaguely be called the same thing?" Here at The Takeout, I have some opinions in response to these responses.

I won't list out all 27 items in BuzzFeed's list, just some highlights, but you can find the whole list here. Let's dive right into the chaos:

  1. "Macaroni and cheese with sliced hot dogs is carbonara if you're super vague about the details": Look, mac and cheese is a struggle meal, and if I'm allowed to call it by another name to feel fancier, then I absolutely will. Thank you to whoever had this thought.
  2. "A corn dog is really just a cheaper version of beef Wellington": I've never had beef Wellington, and I've always wanted to. I probably can't tell people I've had it and say it came on a stick, but this is another one that makes me feel better about my food prowess.
  3. "Soy milk and soy sauce are two VERY different liquids derived from the same bean": Okay, so? I get that these are two products with very different flavor, but I mean, is this really that shocking? Think about all the different things you can do with wheat. I don't think people are running to alert the media on that one.
  4. "We eat shrimp as a delicacy, but they're basically the cockroaches of the sea": It's true. Looking at a raw shrimp, you can't say it doesn't look like an insect. And that goes for most shellfish; there's a reason some people call lobsters "bugs."
  5. "Corn is really just a speedometer that measures how fast your digestive system is working": Absolutely gross observation but also accurate as hell. I wonder if a doctor has ever prescribed corn.
  6. "Ketchup is just a kind of fruit jam": Ketchup is its own glorious thing—you bite your tongue! (Oh, wait.)
  7. "A muffin is just a cupcake without frosting": Didn't we all come to realize this a very long time ago, like the first time we ever saw a muffin? With or without frosting, I'm still eating them.
  8. "Charcuterie is just a Lunchable that went to Harvard": People have literally made entire charcuterie boards out of Lunchables. At this point, we all know we're just repeating childhood, and we're okay with that.

Any other life-altering food notions hit you while reading this?

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