Food critic: Eminem's "Mom's Spaghetti" restaurant "the worst spaghetti that I have ever had in my entire life of eating spaghetti"

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/03/03/food-critic-eminems-moms-spaghetti-restaurant-the-worst-spaghetti-that-i-have-ever-had-in-my-entire-life-of-eating-spaghetti.html

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I mean…the line from Lose Yourself is “there’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti.” If the restaurant is meant to serve spaghetti reminiscent of what Eminem grew up with, I think it’s safe to say it’s not going to taste like gourmet 5 star Italian cuisine. And I know the line is illustrating the nervousness of the narrator, but Eminem also grew up poor. This would have been cheap spaghetti, cheap generic canned sauce, and the store brand version of the powdered Kraft parmesan. Now, why anyone would want that from a restaurant, I have no idea. But it’s what I would have expected from Mom’s Spaghetti.

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Maybe the review will be a powerful call to action in the kitchen?

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WT actual F.

I’m quite open minded*, but there’s a limit.

*For an Italian.

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Will Will Smith eat it?

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Comfort food? I mean, I love me some mac&cheese, though when I want that I make it from a box, not pick it up at a restaurant. But if I did, places such as Panera and Popeyes have pretty good options.

Spaghetti is “poor food,” as is just about any food that is prepared in bulk sauce form. It doesn’t mean there can’t be delicious, even 5 star gourmet versions, but if you need to feed a bunch of people cheap, a watery flavored sauce on top a cheap and easy to make carbohydrate can’t be beat (spaghetti, soup, curry).

At $14 s plate I don’t know if it is worth it, but my guess is it is more of a dining “experience” than it is about delicious, high quality food.


(Trip Advisor)

The website for the jarred sauce says it all:

This isn’t a sauce that tastes like what your neighbor’s Italian grandma would spend all day simmering. No.

To conclude, this is someone’s thing. I’m not going to yuck their yum. Diversity and variety is the spice of life.

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Last I heard Eminem still lives in his childhood home. He has different thoughts about childhood attachment, as he could live anywhere. That would indicate to me that the spaghetti isn’t the best, especially with the vomit line connotation.

You want good food made by hip hop go get at some Bun B Trill burgers.

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Well, I never would’ve been interested in it before, but now I’m kinda curious.
I hate that I have that response, but I can’t deny it’s there.

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I never assumed the restaurant’s food would be amazing, but it sounds like really no effort is being put into it which is disappointing (though unsurprising). I hope he or whomever is running point on the restaurant might revamp the approach but who knows.

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That looks good! Next time I’m Houston I’m going to check it out.

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I’m not tucking anyone’s yum. Quite the opposite. I think the reviewer had completely unrealistic expectations. Do you know what my goto comfort food is when I’ve had a particularly bad day? Spaghettios. With those gross little meatballs. They will immediately make me feel better.

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To be clear, I know you aren’t yucking anyone’s yum. I was agreeing with you :blush:. I meant the reviewer. It’s even worse because Eminem is clear and unabashed about the fact that it isn’t supposed to be gourmet spaghetti.

It’s like a reviewer ordering off McD’s dollar menu then complaining the burger wasn’t Wagyu beef.

(Edit: just wanted to be clear I was agreeing with @danimagoo)

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Ah, gotcha. I will say I still don’t understand why someone would buy this at a restaurant, especially at those prices, but to each their own. I wouldn’t buy spaghettios, or a grilled cheese sandwich with kraft singles and Wonder bread from a restaurant, either. I did recently watch a video of Giada De Laurentiis making an improved version of spaghettios, and I’ve been considering trying it.

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:hugs: I’m with you. My guess is that the draw is living a moment in Eminem’s shoes. He did “invent” the concept of “Stanning” after all!

When I backpacked through China there was a restaurant that was selling a “Long March” meal experience. To me, the food was awful. Served on tin plates with reusable chopsticks at communal tables. But it did have “educational”* exhibits about the long march, Mao, the revolutionaries, etc. it was an interesting experience I can say I did.

*mostly propaganda

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The recipe looks good, too! Thanks for sharing!

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Like, at least consider updating packaging so you aren’t serving open cartons of spaghetti in a bag for drive through orders. That’s just ridiculous. :roll_eyes:

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General rule: never eat at a place called “Mom’s.”

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I assumed the “food” would be made with store brand spaghetti and canned tomato sauce. Sounds like I wasn’t far off.

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