Food Culture. Have we all become twats?

[El Presidente]

5 minutes ago, bayala said:

I don't know how old your GF's friends are but from my experience (21YO GF) whenever dining and money comes into play it's always WW3. Order more food and expensive drinks - let's all split  equally and god forbid you speak out. Order less food and inexpensive drinks - you better contribute equal to the total bill... blows my mind. Another great one is the message on a monday "Hey can you please transfer me that $2.04 for xyz". Now I'm all for not being a sponge but that kind of money equals out over the long term. 

Benny I have met plenty of 40 and 50 year olds with the same affliction. 

There is a built in "tightarseness" in some people when it comes to money. They can be fine in every other way but if coin is involved they turn into Sméagol'Gollum. On tour, we weed them out mercilessly as the lads can attest to. Nothing is said, just invitations to everything stop. 

[smokin.joe]

Occasionally, I will do a credit card split if among 3-4 friends. One bill, the amount is split 4 ways equally with credit cards. This seems to be fine by most restaurants in the US. This is sometimes necessary if dining on an expense account for work.

Seems the picture taking of food is for Facebook purposes. Really, I don't give a damn what you ate last night and certainly don't need to see it either.

No patience for individuals who get their panties in a wad over a few bucks. So what if you didn't order a salad and everyone else did. Take the long view on life my friends. Now, I can take issue if I am with a group and one person decides they want to drink multiple bottles of expensive wine ($100+) without getting buy in from the other guests or offering to kick in a few extra bucks.

[Ken Gargett]

the splitting of bills is always an issue. had a mate, now a QC interstate, who was notorious. always insisting on equal splits no matter what others had but when he turned up late and didn't have his usual troughful, individual bills. drove us all mad. some very biog fights. which for once, i actually stayed out of. 

salt/pepper? seriously? the chef has done his best and you see people who have not even touched the meal suddenly start dumping salt all over it. if i were a chef, i'd be pissed to. if you try it and find it needs salt for your taste, fair enough, but not just dump the stuff. i once saw a chef fling a carving knife best part of 20 metres and just miss a bloke who'd put tomato sauce all over a dish he'd worked on for hours. and the chef was not so talented at knife-throwing so as he could deliberately miss. 

as for pics, i'm not on any social media - well, not true as whipcrack insisted i sign up for facebook when we did spitbucket and now i have 4000 friends and actually know about three of them - but i'll take a pic of a special dish, just for myself. i usually take pics of the wine bottles, for any half decent event. 

[Wailbait]

Oh wow.  Now this is my milieu.  I could bust the FOH server with the levels of my gripes.  This is my industry.  I'll give you a couple of my gripes from the other end of things . . . . 

Please end your phone call before ordering.  

"To go" means you don't eat it at the restaurant.  If you want to eat at a restaurant, you eat at a restaurant.  That's called dining in a restaurant.  Nothing makes me madder both from an environmental standpoint (it's wasteful) and financial standpoint than watching a dude order food to go then eat it at a table.  I hate the waste and I hate the optics.  

Please don't nickel and dime your "substitutions."  If you want a dish with no cheese and no bacon or whatever, please don't be surprised if the restaurant charges you for the avocado or chicken breast you added.  It's a restaurant - not a bartering center. 

Please don't snap to get people's attention.  I actually don't have a specific reason why I find this distasteful, I just do.  

When sitting in a venue with open seating, try to choose a table size that roughly corresponds with your group size.  If you are dining alone, don't sit at the table that seats 8.  If a party of 8 walks in 5 minutes later, we don't want to ask you to move (because that feels crummy for all parties).  Why not just choose that table that seats 2 to start with?

 

I have many many more of these.  I will say that I have observed far fewer of the bloggers/influencers trying to strut their stuff of late.  I don't know if the trend has waned or if it has just proven to be ineffective.  I'm pleased to see that.  

  

[nKostyan]

I see the only way out: a social filter. This is still working in Russia. Serious restaurants work with a regular solid client, hipster or blogger can let, but after that he will be blacklisted. A serious restaurant will offer children to go to the game room with an animator. The chef respects my taste, not his, so salt and any spices. The rule is simple: if you want educated neighbors, you do not need to buy an apartment in the slums. If you want a good restaurant - no need to save. Who invited friends to the restaurant-he pays for everything, including alcohol, in return enjoys. If it's a reunion all give money, not counting on the calculator exactly how much someone has eaten and drink. the amount is always more than the bill, the change is given to the waiter as a tip, to see his surprise and round eyes - it's fun for us

 

[HopeUgood]

7 hours ago, El Presidente said:

your Gf's friends

I wanna make sure I am using the terminology right next time the opportunity arrises.... ?

[HopeUgood]

8 hours ago, bayala said:

I don't know how old your GF's friends are but from my experience (21YO GF) whenever dining and money comes into play it's always WW3. Order more food and expensive drinks - let's all split  equally and god forbid you speak out. Order less food and inexpensive drinks - you better contribute equal to the total bill... blows my mind. Another great one is the message on a monday "Hey can you please transfer me that $2.04 for xyz". Now I'm all for not being a sponge but that kind of money equals out over the long term. 

To that I might be an a**hole and reply something like "Im a little short, bills went through something something. I can transfer you $1.98 now, won't be to the bank for a day or two" 

I hear ya though,  I would honestly think someone was joking if they sent me that.

GF friends were in their 30s. 

[Drguano]

I only photograph my food if I think I might want to show to the lads in the ER later...

[Puros Y Vino]

As a rule no. As an exception? Yes. If I have something that is worthy of mentioning.

Like these two dishes at Montreal's Au Pied de Cochon.

Starter. Foid Gras on a buckwheat pancake with maple syrup, bacon and cheese.

 

Main dish.  Happy Pork chop.  With onions and mushrooms in wine sauce.

[mk05]

22 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Does everyone now take photos of their food? When is the last time you went to dinner with friends and no one took a photo?

From what I gather, the photos are a function of frequency. People either can't afford those restaurants on regular basis, or the restaurants are too difficult to visit on a relatively constant basis (distance, reservation, etc), thus they seek to capture those precious memories. You don't see people taking photos at MCD, do you? So in that manner, I understand the reasoning, thus I don't judge these people. 

22 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Why has salt and pepper on the table disappeared from good restaurants? Are chef's so sensitive that they will break down crying if I ask for salt? Toughen up princess!

If you don't like/can't eat a specific ingredient, choose another fricken dish!  

Does everyone need to "speak to the chef "these days?

I believe this is an example of the trickle down theory based on what I call the "Bourdain Phenomenon." Guys like Bourdain made cooks popular - much more so than the Golden Years of FoodTV where Emeril and Mario had their own shows - evolving the historical relationship between customer and chef. This changed gastronomy to what we perceive nowadays. Think about how many "chef-driven" restaurants you see nowadays...even pubs. Chefs (regardless of objective talent, let us be real for a second) want the customers to experience their perspective on gastronomy, because largely, most people have horrible taste (true).

While this statement may shock most, it is an objective truth. Top chefs (even bad ones) achieve years, decades of *professional education and field experience* on what most people pass through as a daily routine. Therefore, what is going on now is that chefs are seeking to teach the public about how to understand the concept of food. Before people get defensive and say "I have x experience in eating, I know what I like," think about the atrocious beers and pink wines you used to drink in your earlier years; You don't know anything. Approach with the open mind that you know nothing. One could make the argument that those who disagree would also make the platitude that a sorority girl-turned housewife with 30 years of drinking experience has the same level of experience in oenology as Robert Parker. 

As for asking to remove an ingredient, a customer may simply want to experience the lesson that the chef is trying to provide, but is unable to partake fully. It depends on the person, so I can't judge that.

Whatever minute the community, if the base becomes saturated enough, there will be a following of a sort. Certain chefs have attained that following, and for some "foodies," it's kind of like meeting a celebrity. I am sure you experience the same sometimes Rob.

22 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Control your kids! If your offspring can't sit still and behave, they don't belong in any restaurant that doesn't have a big yellow M on the outside. Bugger off. 

I could say the same for any sort of gathering in crowded spaces, ie airplanes. Who wants to start a 18yr+ airline!?

[bpm32]

3 hours ago, bundwallah said:

As a rule no. As an exception? Yes. If I have something that is worthy of mentioning.

Like these two dishes at Montreal's Au Pied de Cochon.

Starter. Foid Gras on a buckwheat pancake with maple syrup, bacon and cheese.

 

Main dish.  Happy Pork chop.  With onions and mushrooms in wine sauce.

I went to Au Pied de Cochon recently based on the threads that mentioned it on FOH. Great food. 

[MD Puffer]

17 hours ago, Fuzz said:

Same reason you have to take a pic at the airport gate, otherwise people will question whether you actually went on vacation.

Also, so you can show people the beef pasta you ordered, didn't remotely look like any pasta an Italian would recognise...

Hmmmmm....beef lo mein!

[MD Puffer]

I'm content with being a hypocrite.  I ridicule those that take pictures of meals and post them on social media.  But then I enjoy viewing them online and making notes of where I need to eat when I travel.  It's the best of both worlds.  I'm an imperfect creature.