Line #83 NinjaPirateZombieRobot/FoodAndDrink


1	* Major fast food chains in general tend to offer many quirky variations of their flagship products. One reason is catering to [[LocalizationTropes local tastes]] without diluting the brand too much while another is providing an additional excuse to jack up the price compared to the old favorites they've been serving for decades. Experimentation is common in the F&B industry but fast food is inherently open to 'hybridization' as some traits have to be maintained.
2	* Fast food chain Wendy's has introduced a sandwich called "The Baconator", apparently combining the deliciousness of bacon with the deadliness of the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}''. Or possibly vice-versa. Either way, you die happy.
3	** Perhaps seeing this as a challenge, Checkers/Rally's introduced the "[=Bacon=][[Franchise/{{Godzilla}} zilla]]".
4	* Yum! Brands is known for combining its three flagship fast food brands, KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. KFC/Taco Bell are the most common, but Taco Bell/Pizza Hut (which even has a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ8ViYIeH04 song]] written about it) and KFC/Pizza Hut are not unheard of. There's also the very rare KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut, sometimes affectionately referred to as the "[=KenTacoHut=]".
5	** Long John Silver's and A&W had the same parent company in the 1990s (Yorkshire Global), which led to the occasional co-brand. Both also began co-branding with KFC in the 1990s, although they were under different owners at the time.
6	** After Tricon Global bought out Yorkshire to become Yum! Brands, the company began co-branding Long John Silver's with Taco Bell. Fish tacos made with deep-fried fish?
7	** And on top of that, some Pizza Huts have Wing Street in them.
8	* There's also Orange Julius and Dairy Queen. Queen Julius? And if you're lucky, it might have a Karmelkorn in it as well.
9	* The infamous Baskin Robbins/''Dunkin' Donuts'' combo. Because, you know, what's a donut without an ice cream sundae to wash it down? [[http://hoboken411.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/dunkin%20donuts%20baskin%20robins.JPG The building here.]] And in some cases they're combined with Togo's Subs, which the company calls a "trombo".
10	** Likewise, Canadian donut chain Tim Hortons has combined with Wendy's (which used to be under the same ownership) and Cold Stone Creamery, both in Canada and the US.
11	* Yogurt chain TCBY went on a major co-branding spree in the 2000s, usually with Subway and Blimpie.
12	** While Blimpie itself launched three other concepts (Smoothie Island, Pasta Central and Maui Tacos) which were often co-branded.
13	* Mrs. Field's cookie shops often have Pretzel Time in them. Some used to have the aforementioned TCBY.
14	* Midwestern taco chain Taco John's also had a few locations that were co-branded with Steak Escape.
15	* Half the items on Burger King's menu, such the "Tendercrisp," a chicken sandwich with bacon on it. They seem to be on a quest to produce as many heart attack-inducing sandwiches with cool names as possible.
16	** In the UK the Tendercrisps are actually the healthiest chicken product that Burger King has to offer. The chicken seems to be higher quality than than the Royales or Bites, and while the sandwich comes with the usual toppings (lettuce, tomato, mayo, etc.), it pointedly lacks bacon.
17	** They lose to the [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/review-of-kfcs-terrifying-new-double-down-sandwich/ Double Down sandwich]] from KFC, which uses three animals at once. ''Fried'' chicken, bacon, ''and'' some of the most processed cheese you've ever seen.
18	*** There's so much meat that there's no room left for the BUN! It uses Chicken Breasts INSTEAD of a Bun!!
19	*** And KFC turns it up to eleven with the [[http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/01/26/double-dog-down-kfc-fried-chicken-hot-dog-sandwich/22350739/ Double Down Dog]]: a hot dog slathered in cheese with a deep-fried chicken breast formed by black magic into a hot dog bun shape. Fortunately for everyone, it was a limited offer in place and quantity: a few select restaurants in the Philippines were given 50 of these devices to sell.
20	*** They tried something similar in 2020, taking some inspiration from the Luther burger (below), selling fried chicken between two glazed donuts (or with donuts in a meal). This was not exactly new--fried-chicken-and-donut meals had by that point been done by Philadelphia's Federal Donuts for nearly a decade--but the style of donut (the donuts in a Federal Donuts meal usually aren't glazed), the sandwich option, and KFC's reach were a big deal.
21	* The Luther burger. ''Oh God (yes) the Luther burger.'' A half-pound beef patty smothered with cheese and onions ''in between two grilled Krispy Kreme donuts.'' If that doesn't send you into insulin shock just ''reading'' about it...well, why not watch [[WebVideo/BingingWithBabish Andrew Rea]] and [[WebVideo/HotOnes Sean Evans]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnXu22HZBNQ make one]]?
22	---> '''Andrew Rea''': Happy Fourth of July everybody, may freedom rain upon you like grease upon my tabletop.
23	** It probably contributed greatly to the death of the man it's named after, UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} {{Soul}} legend Music/LutherVandross.
24	** It's even capable of [[WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks reducing property value and increasing crime]].
25	** [[Film/Troll2 Think about the cholesterol! Think about the toxins!]]
26	** To cap it all off, at least one location (a food truck in the Orlando, Florida area) sells a Luther GC Burger: a Luther Burger with two Luther Grilled Cheese Sandwiches acting as the buns. It probably has a total caloric content that the average man requires in an entire day.
27	* The hamdog. Guess which two foods it's made up of. Bonus points for onions, chili, and ''egg''.
28	* Music/ElvisPresley had a thing for grilled peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches, apparently. He also liked the Monte Cristo sandwich: a ham-and-cheese sandwich that was battered, [[DeepFriedWhatever deep-fried]], and topped with jam and powdered sugar.
29	** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fool%27s_Gold_Loaf The fool's gold loaf]] made by the Colorado Mine Company ([[NonIndicativeName actually a 5-star restaurant in Denver]])--Take one hollowed-out loaf of lightly toasted Italian bread, then add one whole jar of creamy peanut butter, one whole jar of grape jelly, and ''one pound of warm crispy bacon''. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Elvis reputedly had a fondness for these... Or rather, more than just a fondness. He and two Colorado police officers were discussing the sandwich late at night on 1 February 1976 at Elvis' Graceland Ranch in Tennessee and what did they do next? They hopped on Elvis' private jet, landing in Denver two hours later, where they found 22 Fool's Gold Loaves (Elvis having made arrangements with the owner of the Colorado Mine Company, a personal friend) at the airport and ate all of the sandwiches between him, the policemen, and the two pilots of Elvis' plane over the course of three hours (that's 4-5 sandwiches per person), washing them down with Perrier sparkling water and Dom Perignon. After the sandwiches were gone, Elvis, the police officers, and the pilots flew back to Memphis without ever leaving the airport.
30	** According to Gunther Toody's the King also had a penchant for a sort of Southern version of poutine/disco fries in the form of french fries topped with shredded cheddar and sausage gravy.
31	* Poutine in itself can come across as this to non-Canadians. Cheese + french fries? Popular snack or appetizer. Gravy + Fries? Less common most places, but not unusual. Gravy + fries + cheese, however, is a delicious Frankenstein of a dish for many people. (One of the few places to make the same connection is UsefulNotes/NewJersey, where the ubiquitous diners put gravy over cheese fries to make disco fries. That said, the use of cheese curds rather than slices of cheese makes poutine quite different from disco fries.)
32	* Similarly, Music/WeirdAlYankovic likes Twinkie wiener sandwiches with Easy Cheese and dipped in milk. He's even seen eating one in ''Film/{{UHF}}''.
33	** He's gone vegan since then, but he still enjoys a Twinkie wiener sandwich now and again - using soy hot dogs and dairy-free cheese spray.
34	** He also showed us how to make other food hybrids in every episode of ''Series/TheWeirdAlShow''.
35	* Carl's Jr. for a short time had a 1/3-pound burger topped with pastrami. That's right, they used [[http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51139 meat as a condiment]]. The executive vice president of marketing said, "It combines two great tastes - a delicious Carl's Jr. burger and a classic, steaming hot pastrami sandwich - into one awesome mutant burger." Unfortunately, they were late to the party, since several local chains in Utah have been serving pastrami burgers since the 70s.
36	** Pastrami burgers are quite often seen in kosher restaurants as a substitute for bacon burgers. They're better than the not-really-cheeseburgers with the fake cheeze-like-substance on them (cheese is a dairy product; mixing dairy and meat is forbidden by kashrut).
37	** Carl's Jr. has also marketed the Philly cheesesteak burger (a burger topped with chopped steak and cheese, which could be had in a ''triple'' burger variant - yes, that's three patties ''plus'' chopped steak, for those playing along at home), and the breakfast burger (a burger topped with a fried egg and hash browns) has become a staple on its menu. Suffice to say, Carl's Jr. ''loves'' this trope.
38	** And their latest creation, the prime rib burger, a burger topped with horseradish sauce and sliced prime rib.
39	** Since Carl Karcher bought out the Green Burrito franchise, an awful lot of Carl's Jr/Green Burrito locations have been popping up all over the west coast, and most Carl's Jr. locations at least offer the Green Burrito taco salad. Which is ''awesome''.
40	*** It's only awesome until you've prepared one, or seen that nasty refried-bean stuff by itself. Ugh, instant inedibileness.
41	* The whole concept of the taco salad, in general, is a classic example of this trope.
42	* [[http://blacktable.com/turducken031217.htm Turducken]], chicken inside duck inside a turkey, it is the Russian doll of both food and birds.
43	** There is also the fabled osturducken: A chicken inside a duck inside a turkey ''inside an ostrich.'' And apparently in Georgia (the central Asian country, not the U.S. state; but there's so much going on in America, you never know), you can get a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey inside a lamb inside an ox. [[http://www.dm.net/~kevin-a-murphy/2005/11/word-of-day-osturducken.html This blog post]] talks more about the practice of stuffing dead animals inside each other.
44	** There is also "Baturducken," in which each stage of the turducken is wrapped in bacon. Not bats.
45	** [[https://youtu.be/twsOmIdvKdg The ducken from]] ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' beats that. You start with a hummingbird, stuff that in a sparrow, stuff that in a Cornish game hen, stuff that into a chicken, stuff that in a duck, then a turkey, then a BIGGER turkey, stuff that in a penguin, stuff that in a peacock, then an eagle, shove that in an albatross, then an emu, next comes an ostrich, then a leopard (for presentational purposes), put all that into a pterodactyl, and then stuff it into a Boeing 747.
46	*** That ''almost'' beats the ''{{ComicStrip/Nodwick}}'' [[http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/gamespyarchive/index.php?date=2006-02-22 version]]: a hedgehog inside a dire boar, inside a bulette, inside a purple worm, inside a tarrasque (And at some point, one of the two latter apparently ate Nodwick). (Apart from the hedgehog, these are ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' monsters of increasing size and ferocity. None of them are recorded as being appetizing, though, although the dire boar at least would presumably taste like ordinary wild boar (i.e. like a gamey pork), and in any case the Monster Manual is bereft of nutrition facts and deliciousness scores.)
47	*** Yet another version, claimed to be served at feasts for Arab royalty involves fish stuffed with rice stuffed into chickens which are then stuffed into a sheep with are stuffed into a camel.
48	*** Wait, it wasn't [[http://pompfiction.com/comic/strips/ernie-cooking-show-thanksgiving-2010-episode/ Turdonken]]?
49	* A French cookbook from the 19th century attests to what may be the most elaborate nested-bird dish ever conceived - a bustard stuffed with a turkey, a goose, a pheasant, a chicken, a duck, a guinea fowl, a teal, a woodcock, a partridge, a plover, a lapwing, a quail, a thrush, a lark, an ortolan bunting and a garden warbler, the final bird stuffed with an olive in its mouth.
50	* Gaze on the wrongness of the [[http://supersizedmeals.com/food/article.php/20060125050438458 100x100]]. Eventually someone's going to buy a whole steer and grind it.
51	** That could feed a family for ''weeks''.
52	** In-N-Out Burger is famous (or infamous, depending on your definition of Food Crimes) for doing almost anything to a burger. Try the double cheeseburger with french fries on it.
53	* This is the driving force that made [[http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/ Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles]] a legend in its own time.
54	* At the risk of over-doing the food examples, behold the [[http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/34709834/m/648009184931/p/1 fatty melt]]. A hamburger with two grilled cheese sandwiches being used as the buns.
55	* Baked Alaska flambe. Cake + ice cream + meringue + IncendiaryExponent.
56	* Condiment example: ''Baconnaise''; mayonnaise with bacon already in it. As [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]] put it, it's "for people that want a heart attack, but are too lazy to actually make bacon."
57	** It goes great with ''Jimmy Dean Chocolate Chip Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick''.
58	* [[http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2008/01/20/homemade-bacon-vodka/ Bacon vodka]]. That is all.
59	* And [[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327014/The-new-fizzy-drink-thats-likely-sizzler-U-S-company-invents-bacon-flavoured-soda.html Bacon soda]] if you want to skip the alcohol (or add it yourself).
60	* [[INeedAFreakingDrink The Long Island Iced Tea]]: [[VodkaDrunkenski Vodka]], [[SouthOfTheBorder Tequila]], [[PirateBooty White Rum]], Triple Sec, [[ScrewballSerum Gin]], [[HopeSpot sour mix]], and a splash of [[MustHaveCaffeine cola]]. Seven tastes that taste surprisingly mild, and gets you nice and buzzed. Numerous variations exist, including the "Romulan ale" or "AMF" which substitutes blue curacao for the triple sec, or some which add a ''sixth'' liquor, such as Chambord or Midori.
61	** In a similar neighborhood is the Zombie, a classic tiki drink featuring a shot each of white rum, gold rum, dark rum, 151 rum, apricot brandy, and peach brandy, topped off with pineapple juice. It got its name because drinking a zombie was reputed to turn you ''into'' one, and to this day Trader Vic's limits its customers to no more than two of them.
62	** Many cases of GargleBlaster.
63	** For the non-alcoholic version, there's the Suicide - a fountain soda drink that combines (almost) all of the available drinks offered in a restaurant's or convenience store's dispenser.
64	* The Ju(i)cy Lucy. Unique to the UsefulNotes/TwinCities, it is a cheese burger with the cheese ''inside the burger patty.'' When in doubt, put things inside other things. Incidentally, like many American dishes, this one has two restaurants claiming to be its source; the two places also argue about the spelling (one arguing for the "correct" spelling and the other averring it should be called the "Jucy Lucy" because [[InheritedIlliteracyTitle their claimed originator spelled it that way]]).
65	** The UC Davis dining commons serve "troutwiches" - frozen and fried fish patties with processed cheese inside the patty.
66	* Love chocolate? Love [[DeepFriedWhatever bacon]] also? Why not combine both of these unhealthy yet gloriously delicious foods and try [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_covered_bacon chocolate-covered bacon?]]
67	* It's not uncommon to brew beer (a stout or porter, generally) with (unsweetened) chocolate in it. Somewhat surprisingly, the result is not much different from many darker stouts and porters which ''don't'' actually contain chocolate, but taste of it nonetheless.
68	* On a superficially similar note, though to much different effect, red wine/chocolate mashups have become popular in recent years. The chocolate isn't an ingredient in the wine itself here, though; it's mixed with ordinary red wine before being packaged for sale. On a similar note, Heston Blumenthal (noted for his [[CordonBleughChef interesting--but good!--perspective on flavour combinations]] and a general "MadScientist" reputation) has a fairly famous [[http://www.channel4.com/programmes/how-to-cook-like-heston/articles/all/iced-chocolate-wine-recipe recipe for a dessert of frozen red wine and chocolate]]. (It does require you to flame off the alcohol, but you can make it at home--he ''suggests'' it!)
69	* To eat all these Ninja Pirate Zombie Foodstuffs, you can always use a spork, the eating-utensil version of this trope.
70	* The Tropicana "Tropolis", which, in the words of [=PepsiCo=] CEO Indra Nooyi,[[note]]Tropicana is a subsidiary of [=PepsiCo=][[/note]] promises to "Snackitize" drinks and "Drinkitize" snacks. Whatever that means.
71	** Apparently, it means selling watery applesauce as something new rather than something disgusting. (''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' has an [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/01/03 interesting take]] on this.)
72	* One that Britons might not think is odd but which many Americans are unfamiliar with is the "chip butty", essentially a steak-fry sandwich.
73	** Fried-potato sandwiches are absurdly common in the Arab world, as well. In the small restaurants that serve as the Arab equivalent of chip shops, it is almost impossible to tell the guy at the counter that ''no'' you do ''not'' want your fries in a sandwich, you want them in a separate box/bag.
74	*** Possibly the strangest variant of this has to be the ''maakouda'' (Moroccan potato cake) sandwich: the potatoes are boiled, then mashed, then mixed with egg and seasoning, then formed into patties which are dipped into egg again before being deep fried, then heated on a grill with cheese, egg, or both, and then smashed flat inside a warm loaf of bread. A common and delicious breakfast item across the country, although most popular in the Middle Atlas region (around Fes and Meknes).
75	* UsefulNotes/FrederickTheGreat was known to enjoy [[{{Uncoffee}} coffee boiled in champagne]], combining two of his favorite things in the world: modernness (coffee) and France (champagne).
76	* Students pulling all-nighters (or all-weekenders) before Finals sometimes resort to brewing coffee [[MustHaveCaffeine using Jolt Cola in place of water]]. For when you absolutely, positively, ''have'' to finish that term paper, albeit probably in gibberish.
77	* Beef Wellington, which legend attests was conceived upon a request from the eponymous Duke, is a similar mishmash - a beef tenderloin, topped with foie gras and mushrooms sauteed in cream and butter, and wrapped in a puff pastry.
78	* WebVideo/EpicMealTime lives and breathes this trope. Behold, just a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9FRSghXhDM small sample]] of the wrongness.
79	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xc5wIpUenQ&feature=relmfu The TurBaconEpic.]] A bird, in a bird, in a bird, in a bird, in a bird, in a ''pig.'' Wrapped in bacon strips. And behold! [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAjhG09X9YA&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SP84FBB60DFE42481F TheTurbaconepicentipede!]]
80	* The "[[http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/ Bacon Explosion]]". It combines Bacon. With Beef. And Bacon. When your first step is "make a bacon ''weave''", you know you've got a winner.
81	* The "fat sandwich", a specialty of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_Trucks Grease Trucks]] of New Brunswick, [[{{Joisey}} New Jersey]], combines various fried products on a sub roll, including burger patties, french fries, cheesesteak, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, pork roll, falafel, gyro meat, bacon, fried eggs, and various sauces, cheeses, and other toppings. That such a device would appear in New Brunswick is to be expected, seeing as it is the location of [[StrawmanU Rutgers University]],[[note]]In full: Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey[[/note]] with its attendant drunk and otherwise-intoxicated students in need of late-night fatty meals.
82	* The Primanti sandwich, the signature dish of the likewise-named Pittsburgh chain, combines a sandwich meat with french fries, coleslaw, tomato slices and melted cheese.
83	* At The Carving Board, a specialty sandwich shop in L.A., they found a way to turn ''spaghetti and meatballs'' into a sandwich. By compressing and baking cooked spaghetti noodles into "bread".
84	* Then there's the Swedish [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smörgåstårta Smörgåstårta]], which is a sandwich ''cake''. Most commonly a shrimp sandwich (with eggs, mayonnaise and salad) scaled up to cake size. Popular additional fillings include liver pâté, caviar, olives, smoked salmon and, of course, bacon.
85	* Cincinnati-style chili con carne is an adaptation of the classic stew made to the taste of the city's Greek immigrants in the 1920s, flavored heavily with allspice, cinnamon, and cocoa. It is typically served as a "three-way", "four-way", or "five-way" - over spaghetti, covered in a large mound of shredded cheddar cheese, and with onions, garlic, or beans. More exotic versions may also add sour cream, coleslaw, or a fried egg to the mix. (Similar weird chilis served over spaghetti are found in other parts of the Ohio River valley between Wheeling and Cincinnati, but Cincy's is the best known and probably the origin.)
86	* The Indianapolis-based Cajun/Creole restaurant chain Yat's is known for its "chili cheese étouffée," which sounds good enough but, as far as authenticity goes, is to real Cajun/Creole food what Taco Bell is to Szechuan.
87	* In the same vein as the Luther Burger, we have the [[http://www.food.com/recipe/extreme-bacon-and-cheese-stuffed-pizza-burger-358946 Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza Burger]], an absolute monstrosity of fat and cholesterol that can unsettle all but the strongest of stomachs.
88	* "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuanyang_%28drink%29 Yuanyang tea]]", a specialty of UsefulNotes/HongKong and UsefulNotes/{{Taiwan}}, is made of seven parts Hong Kong-style milk tea and three parts brewed coffee; HK milk tea is itself one part milk to six parts strong brewed tea; this comes out to 1 part milk, 3 parts coffee and 6 parts strong tea when it's all mixed together. When you absolutely MustHaveCaffeine (and sugar and fat), this is not a bad way to go.
89	** Creator/DavidFosterWallace is also noted to have enjoyed a beverage made by steeping several different bags of tea in brewed coffee.
90	%% * [[http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/ This Is Why You're Fat]]
91	* A bit milder than most, but if you stack a cherry, pumpkin, and apple pie on top of each other and bake them all in a cake you get a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherpumple Cherpumple]].
92	** Related (and slightly simpler) is the piecaken, named in reference to the turducken, where you just stack various different pies and cake layers and then frost the whole thing.

Context NinjaPirateZombieRobot / FoodAndDrink