So, I find myself driving through north Georgia at lunchtime. The best choice is McDonalds - wouldn't consider the lesser choices. I order a cheeseburger, diet coke and side salad. My dressing choices: ranch or ranch.

If the Hidden Valley ads are to be believed, Ranch dressing is a recent phenomenon. And, if the ads are shot anywhere near the real ranch, it's a long way from the south. I'd say it looks more like Montana or Idaho. But, southerners have taken to Ranch dressing like no other geography. In addition to topping salads, it is used on sandwiches, to fill baked potatos, for a dip, and for all I know, as a sunscreen. At 75% fat, it's no surprise. Most people here wouldn't see the produce section of Winn Dixie if they didn't have to pass it on the way to the bacon department.

But, the stuff has no more flavor than mayonaise. Paul Newman should be ashamed of himself. I wouldn't put my name, let alone my likeness on a package of anything so bland. Yet, I'm in the minority here.

How 'bout y'all?

I'm not a big fan of ranch dressing either.
I don't eat a lot of salads but when I do, my dressing of choice is usually bleu cheese or Roquefort cheese if it's available.
One of my favorite dressings at home is Green Goddess but that stuff is very hard to find nowadays and I usually order it online.

Try what I do... when I make up a batch I like to add several dashes of Tabasco. ^

Whoa.....Now that speaks volumes about restaurant choices in north Georgia. Thanks for the warning.

That also speaks volumes....

I LOVE ranch, and I have no idea what's in it. Ranch + fries, please. I'll sometimes even request a Caesar salad, but with ranch instead.

Also, it seems like ranch from a restaurant/salad bar, without fail, tastes better than ranch from the market. Why is that?

Cholula, I'm with you. Until they rolled it out nationally, I had difficulty getting Ken's Steak House Lite Caesar where I lived. I once had to open my carryon at TYS security to show a dozen bottles of salad dressing and a dozen packages of Martha White raspberry muffin mix (since discontinued). When they wanted to open one of the muffin mixes to prove it wasn't heroin, I went the mail order route.

Some restaurants make their own Ranch dressing. When I was a salad bar attendant (yes, that was my title) for a summer as a teenager, I was schooled in making Ranch dressing "from scratch." The process is sort of gruesome (combining one part mayonnaise, one part buttermilk, and spices; we used to make it a gallon at a time so 1/2 gallon of each = bleh) but it does come out tasting pretty good and is less expensive than ordering a gallon of Ranch dressing from a supplier.

Bama, I'm with you. I don't get it either. I've tried it several times, only on salads, but I have not acquired a taste for it. Maybe Ii should try it on sandwiches or taters. Now that sounds interesting!

Depends on the ranch you get. I've found a lot that are pretty flavorless, but good ranch shouldn't be. I don't mind it from time to time. I will say, however, this whole trend away from bleu cheese in favor of ranch on Buffalo wings is an absolute disgrace.

And where is the HQ of this bizarre trend?

I don't know specifically, but it's got to be in the south.

I love Ranch dressing.

It's essential for my pizzas, breaded chicken... yum.

I usually do sprinkle some Tapatio (take that Cholula ) into it to give it a nice kick.

Hey, get your tapatio and tabasco out of my thread. This is Cholula country!

Yeah, no kidding. Was just travelling in SoCal with an associate who hails form Georgia. So, one night we just go to a pizza joint for dinner and beer. We get some breaded mozzarella sticks to split as an appetizer.

Waitress: Marinara sauce for the mozzarella sticks?

Him: Do you have ranch dressing?

Waitress: Sure. Want that?

Him to me: Ranch okay?

Me: You effing kidding me? No.

Me to the waitress: We'll take marinara.

Him to me: ~all crooked eye and stuff looking at me~

Me to him: You're disgusting.

Hey, everybody to his/her own preferences.
Tapatio is "Mexican" hot sauce made in South Central Los Angeles.
Cholula is made in the State of Jalisco, Mexico with authentically grown peppers and by workers who tenderly massage each pepper before it is converted to hot sauce.
But, as I think of it and considering the demographic makeup of Southern CA, Tapatio may well be the more Mexican than Cholula.