Poll results

[vakkotaur]

The poll in my last post produced some interesting results. While the majority of respondents said that "Mayo and Miracle Whip taste... utterly, completely different" the breakdown by gender got my attention.

The female respondents all said "utterly, completely different" or "rather different." The male respondents, while still leaning towards "different" did not lean quite so hard in that direction:

Female responses

X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X X
X X
---------------------
<- Different Same ->

Male responses

Y
Y
Y
Y
Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
---------------------
<- Different Same ->

What that means, I don't know. It could be a fluke given that the respondents were self-selected and the sample size is not all that big. If it does mean anything, then what? That women are more perceptive of those tastes? That men are less likely to care?

Comments

[altivo.livejournal.com]

On the assumption that most respondents are Americans, I would hazard a guess that the confusion among males on the topic results from the generally higher lack of knowledge about food preparation and ingredients among males.

In other words, they aren't sure how to answer the question because they weren't aware that "Miracle Whip" and "Mayonnaise" are not synonyms. After all, both look similar, come in similar containers, and are used in similar ways.

I would also venture a guess that in a blindfold taste test, most people can tell the two items are different, but may not be able to identify which is which.

I missed your poll. However, for the record, I could tell them apart blindfolded and yes, they are totally different things.

[rillaspins.livejournal.com]

I missed the poll, too. But I went back and participated.

Miracle Whip has a "tangier" flavor that mayo. Mayo is "quieter". If you make Tequilaberry salad, you are even told told what brand of mayo to use...Helmans. So some people can even detect differences in Mayos.

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

So some people can even detect differences in Mayos.

And this MALE is one of those!

[bronxelf-ag001.livejournal.com]

I'd suggest it also is that men (on the whole) do less cooking than women and may not really have ever had to think about the difference.

Which is both vast and obvious. I can tell the difference blindfolded also with absolutely no trouble.

Mea culpa

[thecanuckguy.livejournal.com]

I believe I was the only one that said "same". Being a male, that probably was the one that skewed the results. Had I not answered, you probably wouldn't have posted this post, so I at least owe you and everyone else an explanation.

I use the stuff so little (see my reply where I sing the praises of Kraft Sandwich Spread) that this is probably why I can't tell / don't care. As I mentioned, wife uses it a little more than I, but I haven't noticed her to say anything about it. Either that or I"m a typical man, ignorant of what my wife does. :)

Re: Mea culpa

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

While you were the only one to vote "indistinguishable" that wasn't what struck me. What struck me was that, for a while, all the women who voted voted "utterly, completely different" and then those that did not still voted for "rather different." The men who voted in the poll weren't as strikingly consistent about that.

I'm not sure I've ever encountered "sandwich spread" but then I've never really looked for such either.

Re: Mea culpa

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

It's similar to Mickey D's "secret sauce" - basically Thousand Island.

Re: Mea culpa

[thecanuckguy.livejournal.com]

I woudln't quite say that either, similar, but different. (I guess like mayo and Miracle Whip are!)

To the best of my knowledge, the Big Mac is the only McDonald's burger that uses the "secret/special sauce" (qv. "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun") but I don't like Big Macs that much, and I've determined it's probably because of the special sauce - I like beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and sesame seed buns, so that must be it. (BTW, my burger of choice at McD's is the Big Extra - I know I probalby shouldn't talk burgers when Vakko's watching his weight. :) ) I've used thousand island dressing when we're out of sandwich spread, but I can definitely tell the difference, not as good and definitely a poor substitue. (A closer substitute I've used is mayo and relish)

And, Vakko, sandwich spread is kind of hard to find, I know they sell it at Safeway where I usually grocery shop, but I haven't seen it in too many other stores (Extra Foods and Superstore, both owned by the same company, are about it), and it's usually hidden away since it doesn't sell nearly as well as mayo/Miracle Whip. I'm convinced that if it wasn't for me they wouldn't stock it at all (but they do stock the harfy Heinz one!) as I have yet to meet another person who uses it.

[vakkotaur.livejournal.com]

You can talk about McDonald's burgers all you like as I gave up on them even before I embarked on my weight reduction. I had a couple and had gastrointestinal effects that indicated quite strongly I should not do that again. I haven't. I haven't encountered the "Big Extra" but it appears to be a quarter pounder in a sesame seed bun.

I suppose I'll give sandwich spread a try sometime, should I find it and find it in a fairly small container. I wonder, though, if it's a somewhat regional thing like "fry sauce" (whatever that may be) that I also haven't encountered, or ketchup flavored potato chips which are quite unusual here.

Fry sauce

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

Apparently it is of Utah origin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fry_sauce