Learning to eat (in restaurants)

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scrumptiouschef
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2018/05/07 11:25:13 (permalink)

Learning to eat (in restaurants)

https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/2018/05/06/learning-to-eat-in-restaurants/
 
 
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    ScreamingChicken
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    Re: Learning to eat (in restaurants) 2018/05/07 18:08:44 (permalink)
    That was pretty interesting, and I confess that I'm much less comfortable in high-end restaurants than I am in places that cater to unwashed masses like myself.  One fork is all I need for an entire meal.
     
    The woman who ate the butter because she thought it was cheese...if I was on a date and that happened I'd immediately start thinking about what I was going to serve her for breakfast the next morning.
    post edited by ScreamingChicken - 2018/05/08 10:27:02
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    kaszeta
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    Re: Learning to eat (in restaurants) 2018/05/08 10:06:03 (permalink)
    While a more modern experience... at one point we took my partner's parents out to dinner to a relatively fancy restaurant: the Chef's Table at the New England Culinary Institute.   It's not really all that fancy a restaurant, but since it's a training center for the school, they at least go through all the trappings of a really high end restaurant (full place settings, charger plates, amuse bouche, salt cellars, etc).
     
    It was truly a fish-out-of-water experience for them (he's a retired steelworker), not knowing what most of the menu items were ("What's plaice?"), what utensil to use, where the salt shaker was, why some dude wanted to put pepper on their food, etc.   They really enjoyed the meal, but it had more than its share of uncomfortable moments as well (and it was definitely a good experience for the students who have to learn how to deal with customers like that gracefully).
     
    While the intent was to treat them to a really nice dinner without spending too much money (they'd faint dead at some of my restaurant bills I've had), I now try to aim a notch lower when treating them just so they aren't too uncomfortable.
    #3
    RodBangkok
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    Re: Learning to eat (in restaurants) 2018/05/08 21:15:57 (permalink)
    Having been entertained in new cultural cuisines, and entertaining others not familiar with the cuisines, my best advise is leave your ego behind, if your totally new to a dining experience say so and seek advise, ask questions and be open.  
     
    I do the same when putting people at ease while entertaining them in a new environment.
     
    It also puts your hosts at ease, it helps to be a natural with chop sticks if your spending a lot of time in Asia.  You can tell a lot by just how a person holds them the first time.
     
    I had to learn everything by asking and observing as my learning curve came well before any internet.  I’m sure today you can find a thousand videos on just chop stick techniques and etiquette.
     
    Don't be a snob, treat any new experience as a learning exercise.  It goes a long way in developing both personal and professional relationships.
    #4
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