Dänkblog: Salt Lake City
May 19, 2011

I just returned from a trip to Salt Lake City, and while it rained
alot, I did manage to have a good time. Although it is the
headquarters of the lily-white LDS/Mormon cult, SLC is the most
diverse city in Utah. Still a far cry from San Francisco, but
charming in its own way.

Temple Square in downtown SLC is just incredible. Open to the public,
it contains the famous Salt Lake Temple (only the purest [and
wealthiest] Mormons are allowed to marry there), the Tabernacle (home
to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), a skyscraper which serves as the
cult's world headquarters, and a museum. Surrounding Temple Square
are various other LDS buildings, including the Family History Library
(Mormons are fanatical about genealogy).

But it is the flowers that are the neatest thing about Temple Square.
The gardens are always in bloom, with young "volunteers" replanting
them continuously. Right now it is tulips that are in bloom, a riot
of colors that might have you thinking you were in Amsterdam, except
for the lack of weed. Tulips, tulips, and more tulips. Across from
Temple Square there is the Brigham Young Historical Park, which will
start blooming later this summer.

My favorite part about visiting any city is the food. Utah is not
known for its cuisine, but like any large city, SLC has a good variety
of ethnic restaurants. Way too many Mexican restaurants, and not
nearly enough Asian ones. But I have found several that I like, as
well as several I don't, and here is my list:

Star of India, 400 South at State:

I ate here late last year, and it was gross. The decor was nice
enough, but the lamb curry was a scoop of dried out glop that looked
like it came from the bottom of the stew pot. So overloaded with
cilantro that it was inedible. Way overpriced, $12 plus $2 extra for
the naan. And I saw a Sysco truck delivering as I walked by the other
day. Sysco ingredients suck!

Everest Tibetan Restaurant, 200 South at State:

This is one of my favorite restaurants. I stumbled across it by
accident looking for the Indian restaurant above, and now I'm glad I
did. Within walking distance of Temple Square, Everest features
simple but fresh food. And I mean fresh, you can see the chef
chopping up the meat and vegetables and stir-frying them in a wok,
ready within ten minutes of ordering. The beef curry is good, and I
had the lemon chicken this time, also good and fresh and with plenty
of meat. Very reasonably priced, entree with rice starting at $9. No
evidence of any Sysco ingredients.

Curry in a Hurry, 2100 South at State:

This place got good reviews, but I didn't care for it at all. A very
small place, with two tables and a window counter, and I felt crammed
in like a sardine in a can. I ordered the half & half plate, with
curry chicken and lamb korma. The lamb curry had a weird smell,
vaguely chemical-like, while the chicken curry had way too much
chili. No cilantro, fortunately, but in this case it might actually
have improved the taste by masking the other flavors. The "naan" was
not really naan at all, but some kind of round styrofoam material that
was inedible. The soap dispenser in the bathroom was labeled "Sysco,"
which explains everything.

Himalayan Kitchen, 400 South at State:

This was my favorite restaurant of all, featuring Nepalese and Indian
cuisine. Rather expensive, my lamb curry costing $16, but it was
excellent and included the best naan I have ever tasted. There was a
little bit of cilantro in the curry, but the waitress warned me
beforehand and the pieces were large enough to pick out. I also tried
a bite of the tandoori chicken and the dall alloo ko soup, both
excellent. Sugar packets read "U.S. Foodservice," which while not as
desirable as fresh local ingredients, still beats Sysco.

I am on the warpath against Sysco. As the nation's largest food-
service distributor, Sysco has destroyed American cuisine, replacing
home-cooked specialties with pre-fabricated glop in a can. With the
exception of McDonald's - which has its own distributor - almost every
restaurant in the country uses the same Sysco ingredients, the same
Sysco frozen chicken patties topped with the same Sysco canned sauce,
served on the same Sysco plastic plates. This is profitable, since
expensive trained chefs can be replaced with cheap undocumented aliens
who simply open a can, microwave it, and serve it to you. But while
canned ravioli may be edible, it is not cuisine. No reputable
restaurant has any excuse for using Sysco ingredients.

On May 19, 8:12*pm, Dänk 666 > wrote:
> Dänkblog: Salt Lake City
> May 19, 2011
>
> I just returned from a trip to Salt Lake City, and while it rained
> alot, I did manage to have a good time. *Although it is the
> headquarters of the lily-white LDS/Mormon cult, SLC is the most
> diverse city in Utah. * Still a far cry from San Francisco, but
> charming in its own way.
>
> Temple Square in downtown SLC is just incredible. *Open to the public,
> it contains the famous Salt Lake Temple (only the purest [and
> wealthiest] Mormons are allowed to marry there), the Tabernacle (home
> to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), a skyscraper which serves as the
> cult's world headquarters, and a museum. *Surrounding Temple Square
> are various other LDS buildings, including the Family History Library
> (Mormons are fanatical about genealogy).
>
> But it is the flowers that are the neatest thing about Temple Square.
> The gardens are always in bloom, with young "volunteers" replanting
> them continuously. *Right now it is tulips that are in bloom, a riot
> of colors that might have you thinking you were in Amsterdam, except
> for the lack of weed. *Tulips, tulips, and more tulips. *Across from
> Temple Square there is the Brigham Young Historical Park, which will
> start blooming later this summer.
>
> My favorite part about visiting any city is the food. *Utah is not
> known for its cuisine, but like any large city, SLC has a good variety
> of ethnic restaurants. *Way too many Mexican restaurants, and not
> nearly enough Asian ones. *But I have found several that I like, as
> well as several I don't, and here is my list:
>
> Star of India, 400 South at State:
>
> I ate here late last year, and it was gross. *The decor was nice
> enough, but the lamb curry was a scoop of dried out glop that looked
> like it came from the bottom of the stew pot. *So overloaded with
> cilantro that it was inedible. *Way overpriced, $12 plus $2 extra for
> the naan. *And I saw a Sysco truck delivering as I walked by the other
> day. *Sysco ingredients suck!
>
> Everest Tibetan Restaurant, 200 South at State:
>
> This is one of my favorite restaurants. *I stumbled across it by
> accident looking for the Indian restaurant above, and now I'm glad I
> did. *Within walking distance of Temple Square, Everest features
> simple but fresh food. *And I mean fresh, you can see the chef
> chopping up the meat and vegetables and stir-frying them in a wok,
> ready within ten minutes of ordering. *The beef curry is good, and I
> had the lemon chicken this time, also good and fresh and with plenty
> of meat. *Very reasonably priced, entree with rice starting at $9. *No
> evidence of any Sysco ingredients.
>
> Curry in a Hurry, 2100 South at State:
>
> This place got good reviews, but I didn't care for it at all. *A very
> small place, with two tables and a window counter, and I felt crammed
> in like a sardine in a can. *I ordered the half & half plate, with
> curry chicken and lamb korma. *The lamb curry had a weird smell,
> vaguely chemical-like, while the chicken curry had way too much
> chili. *No cilantro, fortunately, but in this case it might actually
> have improved the taste by masking the other flavors. The "naan" was
> not really naan at all, but some kind of round styrofoam material that
> was inedible. *The soap dispenser in the bathroom was labeled "Sysco,"
> which explains everything.
>
> Himalayan Kitchen, 400 South at State:
>
> This was my favorite restaurant of all, featuring Nepalese and Indian
> cuisine. *Rather expensive, my lamb curry costing $16, but it was
> excellent and included the best naan I have ever tasted. *There was a
> little bit of cilantro in the curry, but the waitress warned me
> beforehand and the pieces were large enough to pick out. *I also tried
> a bite of the tandoori chicken and the dall alloo ko soup, both
> excellent. *Sugar packets read "U.S. Foodservice," which while not as
> desirable as fresh local ingredients, still beats Sysco.
>
> I am on the warpath against Sysco. *As the nation's largest food-
> service distributor, Sysco has destroyed American cuisine, replacing
> home-cooked specialties with pre-fabricated glop in a can. *With the
> exception of McDonald's - which has its own distributor - almost every
> restaurant in the country uses the same Sysco ingredients, the same
> Sysco frozen chicken patties topped with the same Sysco canned sauce,
> served on the same Sysco plastic plates. *This is profitable, since
> expensive trained chefs can be replaced with cheap undocumented aliens
> who simply open a can, microwave it, and serve it to you. *But while
> canned ravioli may be edible, it is not cuisine. *No reputable
> restaurant has any excuse for using Sysco ingredients.

SLC also kept Brigham young..

On May 20, 6:14Â*am, "Craig's Proctologist" >
wrote:
> Dänk 666 wrote:
> >Â*I am on the warpath against Sysco. As the nation's largest food-
> >Â*service distributor, Sysco has destroyed American cuisine, replacing
> >Â*home-cooked specialties with pre-fabricated glop in a can. With the
> >Â*exception of McDonald's - which has its own distributor - almost every
> >Â*restaurant in the country uses the same Sysco ingredients, the same
> >Â*Sysco frozen chicken patties topped with the same Sysco canned sauce,
> >Â*served on the same Sysco plastic plates. This is profitable, since
> >expensive trained chefs can be replaced with cheap undocumented aliens
> >Â*who simply open a can, microwave it, and serve it to you. But while
> > canned ravioli may be edible, it is not cuisine. No reputable
> >Â*restaurant has any excuse for using Sysco ingredients.
>
> As a Sysco stockholder, I think you are full of shit. Â*If you don't like
> restaurant food, then eat at home or bring a hot plate along when you
> travel.
> I eat at restaurants that buy from Sysco all the time and the only problem
> is in the way some cooks prepare the food. Â*There is nothing wrong with
> Sysco's food. Â*It is top of the line.

There is a Facebook page dedicated to hating Sysco:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=2213871648

I HATE SYSCO
Description: If you hate the nasty fake sysco food, join!

Darren Lewis Skaggs: Sysco has pretty well destroyed food as we know
it... pre made everything!!! What ever happened to the days when cooks
cooked and chefs were a proud group of people honoured by their
creations... almost all resturants have given in to this crap food...
think about it who else uses pre made warmed up food Mc Donalds and...
a freaken Denny's... Sysco is an ok supplier (but have really been
slipping latley) ... I don't know how many rotten cases of food I have
recieved... but at the very least I will not bring in pre-made-shit...
I am a Chef not a food warmer!!!
July 31, 2007 at 9:44am

Eugene Ng €Ž....agreed with Darren... the next time a rep tries to sell
me premade soup in a bag, I will ram that clip board up where the sun
don't shine...
August 2, 2007 at 1:22am

Jonathan Cziborr: I became a cook so I can COOK, i enjoy making food
from scrap. I dont know how many time a SYSCO rep. trys to sell us
there evil crap.
August 19, 2007 at 4:04pm

William E Houde Jr.: sysco makes me poop really bad and then my
stomach hurts. thanks WOL island
September 9, 2007 at 6:19pm

Denae Armstrong: Pretty sad that they make food and TP
February 3, 2008 at 8:36pm

Dean Padgett: SYSCO rocks?!?!?! are you kidding me. there is one
reason they are the nations leading food distibutor. its because they
buy up all the smaller distributors. the sysco motto is "if you cant
beat them, buy them"
February 27, 2009 at 10:29pm

Joe Ryder: I find it odd that a company can receive a government
contract and a government Bailout. They must have friends in high
places.
May 7, 2011 at 4:32pm

- - - - - -

[Note: As the country's largest food distributor with a virtual
monopoly in the private sector and hundreds of millions of dollars in
lucrative government contracts, Sysco teeters on the edge of
bankruptcy and required a government stimulus last year]:

http://science.house.gov/sites/repub...e_spending.pdf

May 4, 2011

"DOE's Office of Entergy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
received $30 million in the Recovery Act for its 'Enabling Fuel Cell
Market Transformation' program. Like the Clean Cities AFV Program,
much of this funding appears to have gone to corporations for the
purchase of vehicles and equipment. For example, DOE spent over $1.2
million to purchase 98 fuel cell forklifts for Sysco Food Services, a
corporation with a market capitalization of $16.7 billion."

- - - - - -

[More Sysco stuff]:

http://www.slate.com/id/2160284/

"Like any retailer, chefs need wholesalers that distribute goods
cheaply and efficiently, and Sysco's 400,000-plus item catalog
conveniently sells everything a cook needs to run an eating
establishment. ... All of that seems relatively innocuous€”restaurants
need to make a profit, after all. But Sysco also hawks pre-packaged
food. While chefs have long relied on shortcuts like freezing and
using canned goods like beans and tomatoes, it's entirely different to
pass off one of Sysco's thousands of ready-made items€”ground beef
burritos, vegan tortellini, quiche Lorraine pie, tiramisu cake€”as
homemade."

"The ingredients alone on some of the pre-made items are enough to
make a restaurant-goer swear off eating out. The breaded cheese
chicken breast, for instance, contains monocalcium phosphates, sorbic
acid preservatives, and oleoresin in turmeric. The Serve Smart Chicken
is particularly frightening. While it looks natural, it consists of
parts of other chicken breasts mashed together into a single, chicken-
breastlike block. As the company notes on its Web site, our 'unique 3-
D technology gives you the look and texture of a solid muscle chicken
breast, at a fraction of the cost. €¦ Available in four great flavors:
teriyaki, BBQ, fajita and original.' What Smart Chicken tastes like,
I'd rather not know."