I used to enjoy eating out every once in a while when I first came to America. The sheer number of cuisine choices was quite amazing and I wanted try everything at least once. Eating out in India was not quite as commonplace even a few years ago as it is today so this was a new experience for me. Once the newness wore off, I found myself growing jaded not with the endless options but with what happened once I am inside the establishment.
I realized quickly that there was a correlation between how much the meal cost me and the treatment I received from the wait-staff. If I was going to waste their time leisurely sampling a little bit of this and that to savor a new kind of food, chances are I was occupying the table which could have been given to a better spending customer. I felt rushed, slighted and generally unwelcome. Even at a twenty percent, my tip did not amount to much because the bill was too small.
If I was in a rush and wanted to grab something on the go, I had to deal with surly food preparation staff who mumbled the litany of options I could choose from and almost never gave me what I ordered. I found myself struggling between letting it go and throwing a fit as I paid up for something put together half-heartedly and not to my taste or liking. Racial prejudice has also been a recurring theme and naturally lead to indifferent or downright bad service.
Between such experiences, I have been almost completely weaned off the desire to eat out. I will go out with friends and co-workers on occasion, to a place of their choice and try to find something on the menu that I will like. Being part of a large crowd I have found is the best cover for someone like me. Enjoying a meal cooked supposedly for your pleasure should not be this hard.
I realized quickly that there was a correlation between how much the meal cost me and the treatment I received from the wait-staff. If I was going to waste their time leisurely sampling a little bit of this and that to savor a new kind of food, chances are I was occupying the table which could have been given to a better spending customer. I felt rushed, slighted and generally unwelcome. Even at a twenty percent, my tip did not amount to much because the bill was too small.
If I was in a rush and wanted to grab something on the go, I had to deal with surly food preparation staff who mumbled the litany of options I could choose from and almost never gave me what I ordered. I found myself struggling between letting it go and throwing a fit as I paid up for something put together half-heartedly and not to my taste or liking. Racial prejudice has also been a recurring theme and naturally lead to indifferent or downright bad service.
Between such experiences, I have been almost completely weaned off the desire to eat out. I will go out with friends and co-workers on occasion, to a place of their choice and try to find something on the menu that I will like. Being part of a large crowd I have found is the best cover for someone like me. Enjoying a meal cooked supposedly for your pleasure should not be this hard.
Comments
Even when in home, I avoid going out. I often cook my food with my microwave (boiled vegetables, pop corn, oats etc.)
I don't like the idea of tip but I have read it somewhere that it is not that bad and we should be liberal with it!
I recall reading somewhere that TIP is an acronym : To Insure Promptness!
In the campus, I often avoid sitting on benches by the dhabas which could accommodate more than one person because I have optimization in mind! I'll probably think the same when in a restaurant!
I will be very uncomfortable in a big restaurants or five-star places. I often think like ten rupees plus my microwave will get me almost one kg of Cauliflower or 300-400 gms of Broccoli (plus a lot of health) then why go and waste money! But when I have money I will probably eat like anything! Presently I don't even attend parties!
BTW, I have seen a pizza only in photos!I often overdo things and really avoid developing new tastes (also I have money in mind). I recently quit lamb momos (dumplings) for six months because I was eating it daily (@ Rs 30 per plate 8pcs which was cheap)! I have almost lost my six-pack home made body though it is very temporary!
I have also travelled very little in life. Recently I explored the JNU caves and documented it. http://jnucaves.wordpress.com
And though I do not know swimming I am leaving for Rishikesh river-rafting on the evening of 13th March for two-three days! Just bored with life!
Every Holi I have locked myself in the room!
But tomorrow, I may go out with my camera. I want to document JNU Holi.
Needless to say, she will not eat the said left-overs. I figure eating out alone with a kid is enough work without having wait-staff giving me attitude. I might as well eat at home and save my money !
vikas - Stick to the microwave and home-cooked food. Eating out is seriously over-rated ;)
money finances - In establishments that don't usually see a lot of desis, the staff often look at a desi like they had landed from another planet. It is like, "What are you doing here ? Are you sure you want to eat here and not at the Indian buffet down the street." Everything goes downhill from there.