What Meatloaf and Beer Have Taught me about Audiophiles


Recently in life and online I've had some curious observations about human behavior I thought I'd share.   To begin with, I have recently discovered that a surprising number of My Fellow Americans do not like meatloaf.   As a meatloaf maker and meatloaf cognoscenti I was absolutely astonished at this.  Some people who otherwise like burgers and the like hate meatloaf.  

If you make meatloaf and love it your immediate reaction to this is "but you haven't tried _my_ meatloaf."  That's our natural knee jerk reaction because we just can't imagine.  Related to this I have a bartender.  We'll call him Calhoun because his name is Calhoun.  An otherwise respectable fellow who knows beer and tequila better than most.   I would go in to see what the latest rotation of Indian Pale Ales were.  About once a month they'd get some new "dessert beer."  That is a brew made to taste like a sweet food substance.  The least offensive of which were peanut butter and the worst strawberry shortcake beer.  Calhoun would proceed to push me to sample these unholy abominations every time he could. 

Of course I'd tell him "I don't like flavored beers." Which was partially a lie as a coffee or espresso flavored beer would probably be divine.. but we digress.

Sometimes he was so adamant that the latest beer flavor was the one that would change my mind I'd go ahead and try them.  Of course, they were invariably disgusting. 

My point to all this is that being on both sides of this argument.  It's really hard to accept that our fellow audiophiles don't like something we feel is sublime and we will push our fancies onto them in the hopes of enriching their lives for the better.   It's hard for us to respect that someone else can love music and the stereos that play it and yet not have found their happy place the same way we have.

By the way, I use the Betty Crocker meatloaf recipe and add a tablespoon of chipotle powder.  Amazing. 

erik_squires

No flavored beer or coffee, please.  Why cover up the flavor of what already tastes good?  And IPA's are misunderstood.  Ice cold they are bitter.  Try one about 50-55 degrees and you might change your mind. Oh, and Bat out of Hell is way overproduced [sorry, Todd], but it's great on the car stereo.  

I have a mild form of tourettes syndrome- way back in my 20s went to a friend's apt for dinner, his wife was a newbie to cooking.

She brings out a too liquidity meatloaf that had flattened out and misshapen.

I said "it looks like an elephant turd". She still calls it that to me.

@erik_squires 

Turkey Meatloaf is a favourite around here. Back in my home brewing days an IPA or Pilsner Urquell like beer was on tap in five gallon soda containers. (I may have become somewhat carried away with home brewing.) Blueberry flavoured beer is gross.