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PaperclipPerfector  23hr ago (text post)   1012 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 23, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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I feel like this is mildly culture war but more fun.

When I got my weekly Chipotle slop bowl this week I noticed they were promoting the amount of protein in their bowls. And double servings of chicken being 60+ g of protein.

It being January I am in workout mode and noticing my protein. So fits with what markets well to me at this moment. One thing I only just realized Chicken is like the best protein source in terms of protein per calorie.

Marketing to gym bros is like super not woke. You only really know it’s a gym bro thing if you’re a minor gym bro. Also find it interesting that I believe Chipotle is the definition of a slop bowl, but when I was in college Chipotle was like this shits awesome and tasty compared to my all you can eat college buffet at a private school.

I don't think "gymbro" is anti-woke, it's a pretty common archetype in the culture now. "Gymbros" are harmless. They're even a little cute. They're not quite on the level of "goofy TV sitcom Dad" or "that whiteboi can dance," but they're largely a safe idea. Guardian-Vox hitpieces on "The alt-right lifts weights and eats meat" mostly failed and didn't permeate neutral corporate space.

Unrelatedly, I hate the new cultural obsession with "protein". What the hell is protein? Chicken, I know what that is, beef, pork, shrimp, but everything is "protein" now. We've idealized this raw macromolecule into being a good in and of itself, it can do no wrong, it's healthy! Slather it up in sunflower oil, bread it and fry it, shove the cow in a pigpen and bathe it in its own shit, feed the salmon corn and lock it in a cage, whatever, it doesn't matter what quality it is, it's protein, and protein is good for you. I'm not making a moral objection here -- aesthetically, I think the whole "category" of protein is gross. I don't care how high chicken measures in protein per calorie, diced burrito chicken is gross, I don't want it. I don't need to protein-load my quesadilla or milkshake, I will take however much is pleasing to eat. I don't condition my enjoyment of a steak knowing that it's protein, it fits the right ontological category, it's one of the five basic elemental categories, it's the good one. No, I enjoy steak because it's delicious. And if it's not delicious I'd rather just eat some mashed potatoes or pineapple juice or chocolate cake or pasta, quelle surprise, even without meat.

I'm not making a moral objection here -- aesthetically, I think the whole "category" of protein is gross.

Agreed, although for an aesthetically gross slop bowl from Chipotle, "protein" is probably the correct term.

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