I guess the Duggars buy name brand food now

[xDreamerx]

I know! The American coffees are so big! Cadbury was bought out by Hershey so prepare for suckage. I have a small portion of picnic bars collected as a reserve.

[Wolfie]

Yes, Jif is definitely better and you can get it with WIC vouchers.

My favorite is Jif- except I have Skippy in the cabinet right now.

[lilwriter85]

I think that most generic versions are as good as the name brand. In some cases the name brand is better and in some cases the generic is better, but mostly they're equal. When I was in 8th grade we learned about blind taste tests in home ec. We were comparing chocolate chip cookies and the whole class got to participate, but you would get extra credit if you brought in some cookies to be part of the test. I lived in a rich snooty neighborhood and I picked the generic kind because I knew that nobody else would bring them. And everyone was quite surprised when the winner was revealed to be the cheap generic cookies that I had brought in.

My mom used to work for the department of labor and industry. She said that very many generic brands are literally exactly the same as the name brand counterparts, even made in the same factory. They slap different labels on it to appeal to two different markets. This isn't the case with every food, but it's very common. It's also common with clothing and shoes. When I was 12 I had some really cool Nike sneakers. I visited my relatives over Christmas and my uncle had literally the exact same shoes without the Nike symbol stitched onto them. I'm sure he paid half the price.

There are some things that I really genuinely prefer the name brand, but for most things I buy the generic even when I'm earning plenty of money. And for things like eggs and butter, I always buy store brand even though I can't taste the difference because it's more likely to be local, and therefore fresher.

My uncle said the same thing about generics and brand names being made in the same factory. He worked at factory in which he saw Del Monte ketchuup being labeled and then other products being labeled for generic/store brand.

[Patsy]

OMG I'm sobbing. That 91 year old guy talking about how is he going to start over? I have a really big soft spot for the elderly, probably because my parents were elderly when I was born lol. I can't stand it.

ETA: I calmed down and noticed I was missing words.

What happened? I only watch the show on youtube and there's usually a large gap between airing and someone putting it up.

On the peanut butter discussion: I've had Reese cups from America before, and the peanut butter in them is oddly gritty. It's different enough from normal (for me) peanut butter that I assumed it was special stuff just for confectionary, but maybe that's actually what normal American peanut butter tastes like. Assuming Americans who've had peanut butter and Reese cups could let me know :)

I've roasted, chopped and blended peanuts before in cooking, and the end result is almost identical to peanut butter (different consistency would be the main difference). There shouldn't be much else but peanuts in the ingredients if it's done right :)

[Jessica]

Non-Reese's PB is usually pretty thick and solid but not gritty... somewhat like cake frosting (in terms of not spilling). I get the organic from Costco which is just peanuts and salt and it's a lot more liquidy. But Skippy and other big brands like that can be scooped right out of the jar and it will keep its form. One of my favorite "meals" as a kid was a spoon of PB with a glass of milk. :)

[Guest Anonymous]

Mmmmm, the Kraft Natural peanut butter is soooo good. That is one thing I always, always buy, no matter how much more it costs than the skippy or PC stuff. If it goes on sale, I buy like 5 jars at a time. Yum. And WTF is up with Jiffy? Is that an American peanut butter? That stuff is just nasty and it has, like, icing sugar as the second ingredient, IIRC.

There is NOTHING like British chocolate, though. Cadbury's from England is creamier and just a touch less sweet than the stuff we gethere in Canada, so it tastes chocolatier and richer.... Mmmm. I may or may not literally be salivating now.

[emmiedahl]

Reese's PB is definitely different from the PB I buy. Love me some Reese's cups, though.

Cadbury chocolate in the States sucks. Blech. Tastes like wax.

[bekkah]

Peanut butter was one of the foods I love. I am def a jif all natural kinda gal though. Someone in the house just bought the skippy natural and that stuff is pretty good......I think name brand vs generic is up to the person. I think we are pretty name brand centric here but to get the healthy stuff we have no other choices with living in a small town.

[forever ago]

My family buys a lot of Food Lion brand stuff, like peanut butter and soda. The Food Lion soda is awesome, much better than actual Coke, and afaik the peanut butter isn't really different from other peanut butter.

I've noticed the peanut butter in Reese's cups is a lot different from other peanut butter, and not quite as good. I think it is like, confectionary peanut butter.

I don't eat Hershey's chocolate anymore though. I found some non-American chocolates, and they're far, far better than Hershey's which tastes oddly... acidic? Then again the makers do put this chemical found in vomit into the chocolate to preserve it or something. Bleh! I'll stick with the foreign chocolates... and Dove. I love me some Dove chocolate.

[Lillian]

Ugh, I hate Hershey's chocolate. It just doesn't taste like real chocolate, it's too fake. Cadbury is nice (in Australia at least), but I think Aldi brand chocolate is just as good.

I'm not really fussed about brand names, personally. As long as it tastes good/ works well I don't really mind whats on the label.

[TheJewAmongUs]

I noticed name brand detergent awhile back too. I assumed it was a product placement, since they went through the effort of showing us how they make detergent and mentioning that savings multiple times. Free or paid-to-use beats made-on-the-cheap any time.

Most of the product placements on the show are barely thismuchmore subtle than the ones on Jon & Kate Plus 8. But it's fun to spot them :)

[buddingmedievalist]

Could be very possible. A lot of shows do it. Gilmore Girls had a coke sponsorship/tie in for a while. I personally prefer name brands for certain foods. Peanut butter and ketchup are two of my brand must haves. Well scrap that, I do it with most foods. You get accustomed to something and then just don't see a reason to switch I guess.

Wait, they did? I own all 7 seasons and watch them continuously... trying to think of Coke references. I mean, there were a few Friday night dinners that I know Rory asks for a Coke, and then it just becomes the more generic "soda"--is that what you're talking about?

Sorry, I'm a huge GG nerd :oops:

[Lillian]

Wait, they did? I own all 7 seasons and watch them continuously... trying to think of Coke references. I mean, there were a few Friday night dinners that I know Rory asks for a Coke, and then it just becomes the more generic "soda"--is that what you're talking about?

Sorry, I'm a huge GG nerd :oops:

Ahhh me too!! I've been trying to think of a specific episode, can't remember any. They did an Aquafina water commercial at one point, but that's all I can think of. (link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0-gebU_yTQ)

Sorry this is off topic!

[nutella addict]

To jump in on the peanut butter discussion:

British peanut butter is nasty. In the US/Canada I was never especially picky about brand and could eat the stuff out of the jar/live off of pb sandwiches. Sure there's the odd brand I didn't like as much so I didn't buy again, but here I've tried a few brands and there's only a few that I like well enough to eat, and then only sparingly with other things, and that's about it. But this has also been my experience with other American foods made in Britain.

I grew up mostly on German chocolate since my grandparents would pack a suitcase of it every time they came back from Germany, and they would bring a good portion of it to us when they visited (Yes, I was spoiled when it comes to chocolate.). I like American candy bars like Kit Kat and Twix (Mmmm Halloween candy) and stuff better than the British copies, but for plain chocolate bars, not Hershey unless it's for s'mores. Caramel Hershey kisses though...

Really, I buy generic regardless of country, if it's cheaper/tastes as good/isn't packed with something terribly unhealthy like hydrogenated oils.

[Deleted03]

I sure am! Haha. It's funny that you ask because this is like a weird fascination for me. I can't speak for all American peanut butter, just the stuff in Michigan because we sometimes cross border shop there (OMG it's sooo cheap compared to our prices!). I found it to be weirdly oily and kind of gritty? The same thing with Oreos. They were crap compared to the ones here. The cookies were not as strongly flavoured and the icing was gritty and weird. I also hate Kroger chocolate milk it has a weird after taste and isn't as sweet as ours. Random, but I had to tell someone. Brit peanut butter is even worse though. It's...grittier and just nasty. I couldn't understand why my English friends hated it, until I tried it.

I don't see any difference (on smooth PB) bt Canada and the US but I'm french and was not raised on it so I am not an expert for sure!

[apple1]

Wait, they did? I own all 7 seasons and watch them continuously... trying to think of Coke references. I mean, there were a few Friday night dinners that I know Rory asks for a Coke, and then it just becomes the more generic "soda"--is that what you're talking about?

(I truly do not watch the Duggar shows- just can't do it).

I have no clue about the context, but there are people (regions/dialects) that say "Coke" not meaning brand-name CocaCola, but in a generic manner to mean soda/pop/soft drink/cold drink etc. The names people use for this are very regional.

http://bigthink.com/ideas/21360

[IReallyAmHopewell]

Maybe their deal with Aldis ended? (I don't KNOW that they had one, but they were like the official Aldis family).

[maybeizfundie]

Product placement. Very likely given to them.

I remember the whole swiffer thing (was it swiffer or some other mop-y thingy?). Silly and awkward.

[contrary]

1) i agree that all the duggar brand names are freebies for product placement.

2) caffeine free mountain dew?? i thought caffiene was the sole point of mountain dew's existence...

3) i buy a lot of store brands, but am picky about some name brand things: instant oatmeal, coffee, kraft mac n cheese, and mayo. the only acceptable form of mayo is hellmans.

4) regarding coke as an all-encompassing word....yes. in the south, it's very normal to hear "you want a coke?" / "sure" / "okay, what kind?"

[bananacat]

2) caffeine free mountain dew?? i thought caffiene was the sole point of mountain dew's existence...

It's sort of popular in Utah where there is a large population of Mormons who can't have caffeine. I didn't think you could find it anywhere else though.

[snarkykitty]

Ugh, I hate Hershey's chocolate. It just doesn't taste like real chocolate, it's too fake. Cadbury is nice (in Australia at least), but I think Aldi brand chocolate is just as good.

I'm not really fussed about brand names, personally. As long as it tastes good/ works well I don't really mind whats on the label.

I LOVE Cadbury from Australia. When I was still working, whenever the rep from the AU office would visit headquarters, she's always bring Caramello Koalas. O.M.G. Nothing compares. (Plus i have a thing for Koalas).

I once tried to have them shipped here via the internet and they melted. It's either summer here or summer there, so it's hard to get a good time for shipping.

(If anyone knows where in the States I can get these, please let me know!)

[DamnPrecious]

What happened? I only watch the show on youtube and there's usually a large gap between airing and someone putting it up.

On the peanut butter discussion: I've had Reese cups from America before, and the peanut butter in them is oddly gritty. It's different enough from normal (for me) peanut butter that I assumed it was special stuff just for confectionary, but maybe that's actually what normal American peanut butter tastes like. Assuming Americans who've had peanut butter and Reese cups could let me know :)

I've roasted, chopped and blended peanuts before in cooking, and the end result is almost identical to peanut butter (different consistency would be the main difference). There shouldn't be much else but peanuts in the ingredients if it's done right :)

It was a guy talking to the camera, he said something to effect of "how can I start over, I'm 91" all teary eyed. I'm choked up now thinking about it.

[Deleted03]

I LOVE Cadbury from Australia. When I was still working, whenever the rep from the AU office would visit headquarters, she's always bring Caramello Koalas. O.M.G. Nothing compares. (Plus i have a thing for Koalas).

I once tried to have them shipped here via the internet and they melted. It's either summer here or summer there, so it's hard to get a good time for shipping.

(If anyone knows where in the States I can get these, please let me know!)

Cadbury from the UK sucks too. Sorry UK.

[slickcat79]

To jump in on the peanut butter discussion:

British peanut butter is nasty. In the US/Canada I was never especially picky about brand and could eat the stuff out of the jar/live off of pb sandwiches. Sure there's the odd brand I didn't like as much so I didn't buy again, but here I've tried a few brands and there's only a few that I like well enough to eat, and then only sparingly with other things, and that's about it. But this has also been my experience with other American foods made in Britain.

This. Although I was able to get American-style skippy at Sainsburys...it cost like twice as much but was so totally worth it. I also thought sodas in the UK tasted weird, like they were flat or something, even if it was Coke or another brand I was used to. The only kind that didn't taste very different was Dr. Pepper, but I've never been that much of a Dr.P fan anyway. UK stores did have some amazing varieties of cookies (biscuits) that I really liked, and they were super cheap. I actually really like Hershey's compared "real" chocolate :oops: I don't like dark chocolate unless it has PB or nuts or something to cut the bitterness.

As far as name brand vs. generic, I don't like generic bread. I will make a point of buying a name brand, even if it costs significantly more, but that's about the only thing. Then again, I coupon, so it's rare that the generic brand would cost less than what I could get the name brand for. There's a lot of things that I can't tell the difference on, especially rice, pasta, etc.

[FJismyheadship]

I cannot drink off brand soda. It just tastes wierd... Dr. Thunder is sooooo much sweeter than Dr. Pepper. It literally makes me GAG.

If it aint Prego spaghetti sauce, I won't eat it. I have eaten Prego my whole life, and anything else doesnt taste right.

Then again, I'm the girl who won't eat anything white hahaha