To think It's not THAT odd to order a baked potato instead of chips, with a burger?

[Marygoround22]

Went for a pub lunch with my friend on Sunday.
Ordered a burger and asked for baked potato instead of chips.
I just don't favour the chips in this particular pub, and it saves fat/calories.

When my lunch arrived my friend was aghast (not exaggerating) kept repeatedly telling me how odd it was, that 'burgers go with chips that's that!' and 'You can order a baked potato on the menu anyway, so that's like you've got TWO meals!'
I see the point there but, a baked potato has fewer calories than a portion of chips, so doesn't that sort of negate that point at least?

I had the same comment a few years ago on a work do too-although they just made one comment rather than repeated ones.

There's a pub near me that offers any side with a burger, including baked potatoes, whereas most places I have to ask for a swap.

I kind of proved my friends' point in this pub on Sunday though, because the burger came with guacamole and roast veg on it, and I couldn't fit it into my mouth so I used them as a topping for the potato so I suppose that DID make it into two meals in the end!

It’s super weird.

But you do you! Own the weirdness.

Fellow heathen.. eat what you want it’s your dinner not theirs.

I do it if I want mash but know the mash isn’t df, much easier to say baked potato no butter than what’s in xyz, especially when some think eggs are dairy and butter isn’t milk.

to be fair I’ve ate pasta with gravy and sausage so I’m probably a complete food murderer 😂. I didn’t cook it and I was raised with eat what you’re given, didn’t kill me off, no one burst into flames, wouldn’t recommend it but it’d beat starving

It's unusual but not weird - Potato is a carbs which goes with protein and veg. The potato serves this purpose whether it is chips, crisps or baked. Burger is protein and baked potato is carbs. I guess if the burger was in a bun, that would be 2 lots of carbs, but then so would burger in a bun with chips which is normal! I presume you didn't have a filling on the jacket potato or chips as well as that would be 2 meals!

My coeliac husband often has to have a baked potato as a side when eating out, if the chips aren’t gluten free. He’s not a fan!! And also I don’t think many places cook them well. But if you like them, they’re basically just chips in a different form!

If it was a plain potato then I guess that would make sense but a jacket potato usually comes filled (and often comes with its own side) and is indeed a meal in itself.
I would probably point it out but not repeatedly. Was she making a scene, or what?

I would think it was a bit of an odd choice because both a jacket potato and a burger are super filling. Also both are delicious so I would want to fully concentrate on one, if that makes sense? Not natural bedfellows.

I think the only time I ate in the canteen at my college, I asked for a baked potato and chips. It wasn’t until I sat down to eat it that I realised I’d just got a plate of potato basically! 😅🤣

Edited to add, I’d be wanting chips with a burger.

I don’t think it’s weird at all but then I don’t like chips and always swap them for a jacket potato or mash.

I don’t eat meat either so I often have cod in batter with a jacket potato - I enjoy it and it’s my dinner do I really don’t care if someone else finds it strange.

@Breathmiller they are probably as old as me😂 one of the first chain pizza places was called Pizza land, they came slightly before Pizza hut and their menu included a slice of pizza with jacket potatoe and coleslaw, actually really nice combo which I still have sometimes at home😋

Does it matter. You can eat whatever you want to eat. Why is an unfried potato more of a meal than a a fried one.

I love a jacket (or half of one) with a few slices of pizza. Add in some coleslaw and even better

I'm curious about burgers, I've been veggie and now vegan for over 50 years, so predating most burger chains in this country and certainly all vegan options, if you eat a burger with your hands, do you all troop off to the toilets and wash your hands first and then again after, or just get stuck in? If you don't do the two handwashes then its not hygienic to eat and greasy/messy afterwards. Even if I ate these things I would always use a knife and fork.

Also a jacket potato is a healthier option than chips and as the skin is usually not cooked properly ie. crispy and crunchy I would only eat the middle bit. Another thing to consider when veggie is what else have they cooked in the oil they fry the chips in and what oil is it? So from a purely animal free diet point of view I would take the jacket Potato over the chips anyway.

I'm curious about burgers, I've been veggie and now vegan for over 50 years, so predating most burger chains in this country and certainly all vegan options, if you eat a burger with your hands, do you all troop off to the toilets and wash your hands first and then again after, or just get stuck in

I think some people assume that burgers can only be eaten inside a bun. I don’t think many people are picking up the burger itself with their hands.

Surely you have eaten foods with your hands? Sandwiches, wraps, biscuits- the list is endless. Do you eat a sandwich with a knife and fork? A burger is basically just a white roll with hot meat inside.

Also just FYI, eating with hands is more hygienic than eating with cutlery especially when eating out and you have now idea when or how the cutlery was washed and where it was stored

That was to @VeryHappyBunny

Must depend on how big the potato is, and what it comes with. Big potato + beans and cheese = meal.

Smaller one with just butter (or in the US, a little splodge of sour cream 🤮) = an accompaniment.

In this house we quite often have fairly big baked potatoes with cauliflower cheese for dinner.

Of course I have, including burgers. If you read my post again you will see that I wasn’t saying otherwise.

However, there seem to be some on here that think the only way a burger can ever be eaten is inside a bun and with their hands.

Again, being vegan you are pretty limited when it comes to sandwiches etc when eating out, I've never had a wrap (probably a generational thing) and biscuits tend to be dry, so not leaving a greasy residue.

And FYI you don't need to tell me about dirty cutlery. I have had the misfortune to reside in a care home for the last 18 months and the eating irons in this place constitute a bio-hazard. I keep a set of knife, fork and spoon in my room and only use those. I know I have washed and dried them properly. They come to you quite often sticky! and even with gobbets of dried on food. I have complained to the manager and suggested that when they are collected they are put in a bowl of hot soapy water to stop stuff from getting dried on before going in the dishwasher. I might just as well have banged my head against a brick wall.

But, hurrah, I am leaving on Wednesday so from then on I will know all my crockery, cutlery etc is clean and hygienic. My own place with my own kitchen to cook and eat what I want, when I want and how much I want.

Instinctively I felt this was a bit odd (wouldn’t care enough to go on about though, nor would I care much if my friend thought I ordered something odd and went on about it) but then when we had BBQs growing up we often had jacket potato and never had chips, so would have burger, other meats, fish and veg all with jacket potato. Normally wouldn’t have burger buns either though.

Nobody (else) in the UK does jacket potato’s on the BBQ in the little summer we get, with a burger?!

Really not that odd, OP!

I think it’s a very traditional’diet’ swap. My mum always did it in restaurants and I do on occasion as well.

I think it seems odd because of the knife and fork requirements. Burger and chips are finger foods. Jacket potatoes are not. Burger and wedges seems fine. Burger and mash seems strange.

I feel this used to be a thing on the early 2000 swapping chips for a baked spud. I really want one now

I always put jacket potatoes on the BBQ and people have those with burgers, so whilst unusual for a restaurant I don’t think it’s weird weird. But I also eat egg mayo on a jacket for lunch so….

We also had Pizza Gallery. A Pizza Gallery Bargain was a small pizza and baked potato. Just the best.