Hey, I know this is a subject that can tear families apart and pit neighbor against neighbor. Divisive! But I love mayo. Yes, please let me sing you my love for this creamy condiment.
mayo is delicious
Condiments are powerful! Of course you’re not going to drink a glass of olive oil or lemon juice. But in small amounts, they can do amazing gustatory things.
When I was a kid, we had Miracle Whip. Yuck! I hated it! It tasted so sweet and cloying. As soon as I could, I asked my mom to make my sandwiches with butter instead.
I was in jr high before I tasted actual mayo. We were in Missouri on my first ever road trip, visiting relatives, and my dad’s mom made me a sandwich. I was amazed by how delicious it was. Yes, advanced sandwich dampening. There was a synergy between the lettuce and the sauce on the bread that felt exciting and right.
“What is this you put on my sandwich?” I asked my Nana. “It’s so good!”
“It’s just mayonnaise,” she said. She showed me the jar.
“Ok, thank you,” I said, filing away that fact as my dream for the future.
nostalgia
The incident showed me how good mayonnaise can be. It laid the foundation for condiment nostalgia.
Yes, real mayo is amazing. I knew I could grow up and have a life separate from my family of origin and enjoy mayo one day, when I was free from the tyranny of Miracle Whip.
To this day, I love the synergy between mayo and lettuce. Mayo and tomato can have a great synergy too. Especially with black pepper. Deviled eggs, garlic lover’s pasta, and other pasta salad are made tasty.
The years I was vegan, I still loved sandwiches. I would put Vegenaise on my sandwiches. Wow, that stuff is good. Thanks, Follow Your Heart.
sauce
Mayo is a sauce, a sauce like any other. Yes, it can be bland. Yes, it’s fatty. But fat doesn’t have to be bad. Your nutritional needs are your business!
A lot of people like ranch. But how is ranch different from mayo? In my opinion, ranch is like glorified mayo. Congrats–there are little green flecks in it. Do green flecks allow you to pretend your sauce is a vegetable? No, your sauce is bland and fatty, but for some reason there is no guilt factor to putting ranch on salads, chicken wings, pizza crusts, even fries.
When I want mayo for my fries, that is stigmatized. I’m shamed for my condiment preferences! No fair.
Wow, ranch dressing originated in my homeland. I had no idea. I assumed it originated some horrible place I have never known. Hidden Valley Ranch was on San Marcos pass near Santa Barbara.
conclusion
Garlic aioli is glorified garlic mayo. Use a foreign language, and it’s now fancy and valid. Some delicious sauces use mayonnaise as a base, such as campfire sauce from Red Robin.
This is my stopping point, going off about mayo. Thank you for considering my opinion and condiment needs.
Love to your own taste buds, health, texture desires, mouthfeel requirements, sensory needs. Thank you for helping create a world where sensory differences are ok.
