As a scrawny kid who was fixated on the fine cuisine of Long John Silver's, if you had told me that someday I could have an all-you-can-eat Long John Silver's dinner, I would cry with joy.
Like most things kids wish for, the reality as an adult is not as exciting.
If I were an adult who needed to gain a few pounds, the reality of an all-you-can-eat Long John Silver's dinner would be an ideal invitation. Unfortunately, these days needing to lose a few pounds is the reality.
Despite the current weight status, I came across those words that would have made me happy as a child. On Sundays, you could get all you can eat at Long John Silver's. I decided to indulge the kid within me to experience an all-you-can-eat Long John Silver's meal.
The deal was fish or chicken with 2 sides and 3 hush puppies. The 2 piece fish dinner with 2 sides and hush puppies was $7.29. The all you can eat special was $7.99.
The kid in me would have picked chicken but I actually went for the fish. In recent times, the chicken pieces haven't always been consistent. The other logic was that fish would be lighter, even with the breading, and I could eat more of the fish.
They started me with 2 pieces of fish with the fixings. While I ate Long John Silver's 1-2 times a year even as an adult, I had ordered fish or chicken by the piece. So this was my reintroduction to fries, cole slaw, and hush puppies.
The fries were hot and average with little taste. The cole slaw was slightly above average but perhaps was more appetizing since this was the only portion of the meal that wasn't deep fried. I remember the hush puppies being darker than the ones I got. Darker usually means tastier with fried food.
The fish was what I came for and most of the focus was on the fish. I paced the fries so that most of the fries would be gone through 2 pieces. I only nibbled on the hush puppies since they didn't offer much satisfaction. I ate most of the slaw through 2 pieces.
The fixings can slow down the momentum of the all-you-can-eat experience. But they were also part of the challenge. I did wonder if the fixings were unlimited, but I had no interest in eating beyond the servings I received.
The spirit of the unlimited is that you can't take anything with you. The crumblies are the exception to the rule only in that they are barely food. For those who aren't Long John Silver's fans, crumblies are the leftover pieces of deep fried batter. They are not healthy by any definition but they do taste good.
The chain has served crumblies for years but in recent times, they have acknowledged the crumblies as part of the experience.
The best moment, perhaps even more than the food, was going to the counter to get another piece of fish. I waited for what seemed less than a minute and I had a piece of fish to add on to my meal. No money was transacted.
I realized in the middle of the fish piece #3 that the meal was going to stop at 3 pieces of fish. If I had been younger and weighed less, maybe I had a shot at 4 pieces of fish. I wasn't going to suffer over the deal, especially since I had beaten the system. Without the fixings, I might have had 4 pieces of fish but we'll never know.
I might have had 4 pieces if we could choose a mixture of fish and chicken. I realized that the setup was geared in one direction for a reason.
Traditions can go on, even if we cut down on their foods
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I did this for lunch instead of dinner so that might have cut down on the amount. I also walked a mile to the restaurant and would walk a mile back. I also drank water to make up for the salt and not spend calories on soft drinks.
The Long John Silver's approach to all-you-can-eat doesn't fit the typical pattern. Everything was deep fried except for the cole slaw, though you can choose 2 non-fried side dishes. A true all-you-can-eat dining experience should have a bit more variety. But fast food offers very few all-you-can-eat options. Red Robin offers bottomless steak fries. Olive Garden offers unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks.
You might think an all-you-can-eat experience is a roadblock on a good eating program. Sometimes having such an experience can free you up on how you think about food. This meal did offer a bit of variety; a non fast food option can provide more extensive variety of different flavors and textures.
While this might seem a horrifying curveball on the way toward better eating, sometimes the most unusual detour can make you appreciate the progress that you made.
photos credit: me
Great Post About What's Tempting: All you can eat at Long John Silver's
I love this
Posted by: one week diet | January 22, 2019 at 03:00 PM