In this thread you ask how to behave in restaurants and other locations, and people who have been ou

[scarphe]



Still holding a grudge from '96?
TKD competitor or not, most people would probably remove their foot when asked politely. Use sign language if required.

Note, olympic TKD is hardly useful outside a TKD competition.

fixed

 

[Fuuma]



It's not as if the anticipation occupies all your free time for two months. It takes 30 seconds like any other reservation.

Sure but I don't want to have chosen to dine at a particular place with a determined group of people two months in advance; that's not how I approach eating and socializing. I'll easily grant that I have neither turned eating into a hobby like some (preparing food, reading books, planning trips to renowned establishment) nor made it a constitutive marker of my status/list checking (what I think of most so-called "foodies" here and elsewhere).

 

[itsstillmatt]

Fuuma, stop being such a reactionary. It is unbecoming of you. As to the question, I will make reservations in advance only if I am going to be on vacation. At home I won't, which is one reason why I haven't been to the 2 month restaurant in question more than twice in its almost 20 year existence, even though I live close by.

 

[impolyt_one]

<<< insert pic of Fuuma eating falafel while drunk >>>>

 

[idfnl]



I have.

Finished our meal at a nice restaurant in Providence. Server collected my credit card with the bill. Didn't come back to the table for 20-30 minutes. Signaled him and asked if everything was alright. He went to go check and said they must have lost my credit card. Asked me to pay with another card or use cash. Alternatively, he offered, I could take as long as I needed to find the card myself. I said "I don't think you understand that you lost my credit card. I want to speak to your manager." The manager comped the entire meal.

This is a proper reason to call a manager. Or the establishment is unwilling to provide height challenged patrons with a phone book to sit on.

Any waiter that does not IMMEDIATELY return the processed CC with the check is a stupid waiter. The act of paying is the second to last interaction with the customer and will be freshest in his mind right at the moment of truth. Making the person wait is about as stupid as it gets. It will lower your tip immediately.

 

[poorsod]



Fuuma, stop being such a reactionary. It is unbecoming of you. As to the question, I will make reservations in advance only if I am going to be on vacation. At home I won't, which is one reason why I haven't been to the 2 month restaurant in question more than twice in its almost 20 year existence, even though I live close by.

I was on vacation and this place was a PITA to get reservations. My friend and I called 3 or 4 days in a row right when they opened before we could get a spot. They had only 1 table for 6. I think it is easier if you have a big enough party for the private room upstairs.

 

[Piobaire]



Sure but I don't want to have chosen to dine at a particular place with a determined group of people two months in advance; that's not how I approach eating and socializing. I'll easily grant that I have neither turned eating into a hobby like some (preparing food, reading books, planning trips to renowned establishment) nor made it a constitutive marker of my status/list checking (what I think of most so-called "foodies" here and elsewhere).

For the majority of us wage earning plebs, there's life where you live, and life on vacation. For those of us beholden to earning a living, we have to schedule vacations, and I find vacations work best if you have some highlights planned with lots of room for just exploring and chillin'. If I ever reach true baller status (or somehow become landed gentry), where all my time is my own and the world can kiss ******, I will adopt this attitude. Until then, I shall unabashedly schedule certain things on my scheduled vacations.

Where I live is a different story.

 

[deadly7]

1. What's everyone's take on eating with hands in culturally accepted cuisines (eg: Asian/Indian)?

2. What is this "at rest" or "off" position stuff? And be honest, do you guys really care about that? If you take a friend to a high-end restaurant and he makes the faux pas of using the wrong fork for his salad, but is otherwise pleasant and well-mannered, is it really that much of a bother?

@Pio/matt: I've been to a restaurant where the water glass was handled on the inside of the rim. Before he even began filling, asked for a new glass.

 

[freedom_fries]



Costco has an extremely liberal return policy. You can pretty much return anything for any reason whenever you want. I had a high school teacher who would buy a top of the line tv from costco, use it for 2-3 years, return it and use that money to buy the current top of the line tv again.

this is true. i bought an airconditioner from them and used it during the washington DC summer. toward the end of august, something went awry and the machine started making weird noises. after a couple weeks, we took it back for a replacement, and they asked if we wanted cash-back. i thought, well, okay, i had planned to sell it anyway at the end of summer, so good deal.

 

[impolyt_one]

Would not eat with hands if Indian food, unless it's bread. Was young and rode on a Sing Air flight that originated in Delhi, so the food was all Indian food, people eating their curry and rice with their hands blew my mind.

Sushi, always by hand. I can't really think of many other common foods to eat with your hands if it's East Asian food, except various chicken things and buns/bao.

 

[impolyt_one]



2. What is this "at rest" or "off" position stuff? And be honest, do you guys really care about that? If you take a friend to a high-end restaurant and he makes the faux pas of using the wrong fork for his salad, but is otherwise pleasant and well-mannered, is it really that much of a bother?

Have never really been anywhere where they'd have the entire silverware set all laid out on the table at once - that takes up too much space and seems like something from a cartoon or weird American magazine or something, not real life. They'll have the appropriate couple pieces there for you and then maybe a butter knife if you're at the bread stage, and then when you're done with the dish you're expected to leave them on the plate for them to carry away, repeat with new silverware. Fine dining 101.

 

[freedom_fries]



Have never really been anywhere where they'd have the entire silverware set all laid out on the table at once - that takes up too much space and seems like something from a cartoon or weird American magazine or something, not real life. They'll have the appropriate couple pieces there for you and then maybe a butter knife if you're at the bread stage, and then when you're done with the dish you're expected to leave them on the plate for them to carry away, repeat with new silverware. Fine dining 101.

The silverware stuff is really simple - you start on the outside and work your way in - and the on/off position is also basic. why is it such a problem to figure this **** out? i have the feeling some people make a big fuss over it in an attempt to demonstrate some sort of working-class street cred or something.

in any event, the only places i've encountered the over-the-top silverware with any regularity are at "official" settings.

 

[lefty]

Quote:

1. What's everyone's take on eating with hands in culturally accepted cuisines (eg: Asian/Indian)?

2. What is this "at rest" or "off" position stuff? And be honest, do you guys really care about that? If you take a friend to a high-end restaurant and he makes the faux pas of using the wrong fork for his salad, but is otherwise pleasant and well-mannered, is it really that much of a bother?

I lived in India for a while and ate with my hands all the time - a scoop of rice with various sauces on a banana leaf. I miss it. When you're in a new culture, adapt to the local customs. Seriously, this stuff is not that hard to figure out.






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"When you have finished eating place the fork and the knife in the 4:20 position (shown below) or across the middle of the plate, parallel to the edge of the table with the handles to the right and ending on the edge, not hanging over. Either way is correct. The fork will be nearest you with the tines turned up. The sharp side of the knife points toward you as well. Why, you ask, is this important? Because this simple universal act signals to the staff, waiter or otherwise, that you have finished your meal."



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Do I care if someone uses the wrong fork or water glass? No. But there are people that I no longer eat with due to their table manners--talking with a mouth full of food, plate lickers, that kind of thing. To be honest, I'm over fine dining and when I travel I focus on street food or small local places rather that the hot restaurant of the moment or city. Drives my wife crazy.

lefty

 

[deadly7]



The silverware stuff is really simple - you start on the outside and work your way in - and the on/off position is also basic. why is it such a problem to figure this **** out? i have the feeling some people make a big fuss over it in an attempt to demonstrate some sort of working-class street cred or something. in any event, the only places i've encountered the over-the-top silverware with any regularity are at "official" settings.

"Basic" to whom? I can honestly say I've never had that be an issue, and unless you solely go to fine dining establishments, your waiters will not know what the "on/off" position is either. It's really not as big a deal as people seem to make it.

Quote:

I lived in India for a while and ate with my hands all the time - a scoop of rice with various sauces on a banana leaf. I miss it. When you're in a new culture, adapt to the local customs. Seriously, this stuff is not that hard to figure out.





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"When you have finished eating place the fork and the knife in the 4:20 position (shown below) or across the middle of the plate, parallel to the edge of the table with the handles to the right and ending on the edge, not hanging over. Either way is correct. The fork will be nearest you with the tines turned up. The sharp side of the knife points toward you as well. Why, you ask, is this important? Because this simple universal act signals to the staff, waiter or otherwise, that you have finished your meal."


---------------------------

Do I care if someone uses the wrong fork or water glass? No. But there are people that I no longer eat with due to their table manners--talking with a mouth full of food, plate lickers, that kind of thing. To be honest, I'm over fine dining and when I travel I focus on street food or small local places rather that the hot restaurant of the moment or city. Drives my wife crazy.

lefty

1. I was referring more to in the US. Out of habit (family friends were Indian) I've learned to eat Indian food (with the exclusion of rice) with my hands. I've seen people eat using utensils and was wondering if it was proper table manners or personal preference. 2. Interesting. I still contend that most waiters outside of high-end restaurants don't know the on/off position either, but I will tuck this knowledge away for future usage. 3. I have stopped eating with people that do all the things you mentioned, also. Bad behavior is more reproachable than lack of fine dining etiquette. I also don't take friends to my favorite places until I know they tip at least as much as me.

 

[impolyt_one]

I keep reading about plate lickers and stuff - I can't imagine this ever happening before my eyes. American thing?