OOP: Mayo vs. MW (was Re: Southern Sweet Tooths (was Re: SC - Miracle Whip OOP (was Re: Sweet and Savory)))

[Catherine Deville]

I said:
> > My mother brought me up on Hellman's *Real* Mayonaisse and the fact
that it
> > contained lemon juice was important to her preference of it, so I
didn't
> > actually have Miracle Whip until I was an adult, and then found that I
> > liked it better, especially for such things as BLTs, sweet salads (such
as
> > those like "Ambrosia", which you obliquely refer to below) and in
things
> > like potato salad and tuna salad where I prefer the sweetness of MW and
> > sweet pickle relish to the tart or dill versions of the same. There
*are*
> > cases, like on turkey or ham where the sweetness is less importan to me
and
> > therefore mayo is more acceptable as a substitute if I must use it.

and Adamantius said:
> So, it seems like you're saying if someone puts a gun to your head,
> you'll eat mayo.  Or, perhaps that's a little extreme. More like, you
> prefer the sweetness of MW in cases where you think it is more
> appropriate than the non-sweet mayo, which is almost every case, with
> the exception of some foods that are themselves often inherently sweet.

Not necessarily, but since both products do spoil and I (currently) have
limited fridge space, I consider it wasteful to keep both in the fridge
unless it's necessary.  Sometimes it's necessary.  I've had roommates who
prefered mayo and I made sure that not only was mayo in the fridge but that
it was the right brand (there is often a distinctive difference in taste
between mayo brands as well.)  I admittedly generally prefer sweet flavors
over tart, bitter, acidic or spicy flavors and so my preference tends to
lean towards MW for most things but in cases where sweetness doesn't matter
than it's not important to me and in cases where sweetness is detrimental
... well, in those cases I'll usually opt for mustard <g>.   (I also like a
sweeter brand of ketsup, prefer a sweet marinara sauce to a spicy or
(green) peppery one and generally prefer sweet or sweet and sour salad
dressings (1000 island, french, russian, etc.) over vinegary or
creamy-based or spicy ones (I have to be in the "mood" for Italian or
Caeser, don't care much for Ranch and *hate* Blue Cheese (except, for some
odd reason, with buffalo wings <g>.))

> Which isn't necessarily a bad thing; I'm just trying to get to the
> bottom of the almost religious fervor some people are showing for one
> product or the other. That's what I'm having trouble comprehending.

actually, I think that (psychological factors and actual fanaticism aside)
the answer is as simple as the fact that the two products are distinctively
different.  even the folks that I know who do not prefer one over the other
usually use one for things which are complimented by a sweet-sour type
flavoring and the other when they don't want the sweetness to interfer.
The level of sweetness in MW *is* very prominant and obvious.

>I'll
> eat either one, although my preference is generally for unsweetend
> foods. When it really _matters_ to me, I'll make homemade mayo, it takes
> about three minutes and is anything but bland. And it doesn't kill
> diabetics in the next county.

I've only tried homemade once... it failed to emulsify so I gave up ;-)
...

I remain, in service to Meridies,
Lady Celia des L'archier