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!

I went to a Toby Carvery with a friend years ago, her choice of venue. I didn't eat meat (still don't) so l ordered a prawn marie rose baguette.
It arrived, and it was lovely. Complete with Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. Wonderful!
I can't see the difference between a baked potato and a potato's worth of chips. It might look a bit odd, but it is, in essence the same thing.
Has your friend nothing else to worry about, OP? 😄

Mashed potatoes sandwiches with salt and pepper on buttered bread are awesome!

A straight jacket potato is healthier than the same weight in chips because you don't have the same amount of fat. Also thick chips are better than thin ones, French fries, because they have less surface area for the same weight.

There is a hotel near us that has a restaurant attached and they used to do great big Yorkshire puddings with a choice of fillings, sweet and savoury. Various different meats, creamy mushroom, curries and chillies and golden syrup etc. We would go on the way back from football and on a cold night it was great.

Oh gosh I’ve just seen this, that’s dreadful. Can you complain/ report the place?

@VeryHappyBunny that's horrendous! i obviously don't know your needs or reasons for being in a care home but surely good, decent and appetising food is part of 'care' whatever the situation?
Then again we all know how dire hospital food can be, too-I think I'd rather starve than eat some of what you're citing here!
Glad you're getting out soon-can you put in a complaint? I'd be inclined to name and shame to the local rag if I am honest.

@Funnywonder I have never been to Ireland and I so want to go. I love spring onions-that sounds GOOD!

Good point @CarolinaInTheMorning -I am sure there are other combinations like that too-soup and sandwich, for example is popular and nobody eats a sandwich with a spoon.

I am lucky enough to live near somewhere that does similar to this. Although they're also somewhere that has a vegan burger with a jacket potato instead of chips-because of the chips being fried along with meat products. They do Yorkshire pudding wraps too.

I think it’s a fairly unusual side with a burger, @Marygoround22 - butthere’s nothing wrong with it, if it’s what you fancy. I don’t think I’d pass comment, if someone I was with chose this.

Regularly and to QCQ, they did an inspection and the place didn't get a glowing report. Talking to people with more experience than me of care homes this is one of the better ones which doesn't say much for the rest.

I was so bloody hungry by 9.30 that I ordered a chinese - god it was good. Enough for two meals so I'm having the rest for "tea" today - at least it will edible.

Most of the carers and other staff are friendly and helpful, a few aren't, but it is the system that is at fault.

Jacket potato as a side to say a steak or chicken isn’t weird but as a side to a burger…yes weird!

The reason for swapping it because a jacket potato is healthier than chips is also quite odd when ordering a burger with a bun which is obviously not healthy at all - processed red meat, white processed burger bun with likely cheese/sauce is fine, but no chips because they are soooo unhealthy.

It does sound quite comical to be honest.

But why's it better to eat TWO unhealthy things, rather than one? A burger isn't the healthiest I realise, but a burger with chips is much more unhealthy.

Sorry op it is strange! Never heard of it before. Burgers are finger food and jacket potatoes aren't.

For me personally, a jacket potato is a meal on its own, not a side dish. I couldn’t think of any food where I’d have a jacket potato as a side dish.

Burgers should come with chips/fries. Preferably french fries, but I will accept chunky chips in some circumstances.

I suppose it may seem strange if you regard burgers as purely finger food, but why would you? Otherwise, it isn’t strange at all.

After correct medication, good food and sleep are the most essential part of good health. You get neither in here. I've been awake since 5.10am with buzzers going off. The last places you want to be to recover from anything are care homes and hospitals although I actually enjoyed the hospital food, I'm vegan so I got a choice from a special menu - curries and masalas and the like.

It got so bad in here I even started to do my own leg dressings, an interesting contortion when you can't sit up. I did a better job than the nurses, the healing process got quicker and whilst they will never be perfect at least they are still attached to the rest of me.

A cautionary tale to everyone, future proof your life so you never have to end up in one of these hell holes. 60 years and the only time I'd been near a hospital was to have my wisdom teeth out, them WHAM everything got me at once. You just don't know what is going to happen or when.

Anyway the escape committee is at full speed ahead and by this time next week I will be a good part of the way there. Hurrah!

Its just a matter of personal taste, why would you go out for a meal and order and pay for something you don't like, when you can swap it for something you do. Personally I would eat a burger and chips with a knife and fork anyway, so having a baked potato instead wouldn't make any difference to me.

@VeryHappyBunny - that sounds atrocious - I am glad you won’t be having to suffer that for much longer.

When I was in hospital with covid, I was really worried about the food (I trained as a nurse in the 80s, and honestly, the food was inedible - I was ashamed to serve it to patients) - but the hospital food I was served was reasonably good (even though I couldn’t taste it).

I did get some odd combinations, though - lasagne, cubed, boiled swede and mashed potato, or macaroni cheese with carrots and mashed potato, anyone? 😂😂

Thank you, but not as glad as I am. All I need now is a man and a van and possibly his mate just in case I don't feel able to drive that far (about 250 miles). I haven't driven for nearly 3 years although I used to be up and down the country all the time for work and that was in a van. Its the first time I've not driven since I passed my test in 1978 - God I'm old!

At Brewer's Fayre, I noticed that they gave a choice of 'skin on chips' or 'mashed potato' with the meal.
I like potato whichever way it's cooked, but if I didn't want crispy chips or french fries (I like soft fluffy chunky chips) I'd probably choose the mashed potato. I usually mash butter into my baked potato anyway. I don't think it's weird if you want a healthier unfried version of potato. I've occasionally asked a restaurant to adapt my meal, usually to omit ingredients that I don't like the taste / texture of, but once I did ask them to omit one thing and swap it with something else, they charged me extra. But in McD's etc, you can edit the food, eg, no salt / no sauce, but extra lettuce / gherkin.

I don’t like chips or roast potatoes so often have to ask to swap when eating out, no one has ever mentioned it

It’s kinda me of not weird but also kind of weird -
it’s not the combination for me, but it’s the fact of eating a burger with hands and jacket potato with cutlery 😂
I don’t know why that’s weird to me. If I had it with pizza I’d eat them both with cutlery but I can’t eating a burger with cutlery and I can’t eat a jacket potato with hands (me personally 😂)
this is probably illogical lol

Not odd at all - chips are potato, just prepared differently.

i see a baked potato as a meal on its own because it is so filling! I can’t really imagine eating one with a burger. But I wouldn’t exactly call it weird. And yes, your friend was being rude and over the top

We have jackets as an alternative to other potato products all the time, they're only a meal on their own with a filling.

I usually take the burger out of the bun and eat it with a knife and fork.

I couldn't eat a burger and a jacket at the same time to begin with 🤣