Eating Out

Getting family in the car or just meeting friends at a local dining establishment has become a habitual routine during this season.

For that matter, it happens all the time. Don’t we have kitchens and know how to prepare a meal ourselves?

There are certainly enough cooking shows and books and utensils and appliances to make even the most unskilled boil water like the finest chef. Even the laziest of us (yes, I concur) have that microwave machine that turns a bag or box into ‘food’ with a push of a button. Still the adventure of having a room full of drawers with pointed or sharp objects to slice and dice and apply heat and if following the directions correctly prepare a tasty plate of grub.

Still it is something special about ‘eating out’.

If it is the speed of the drive thru with no dishes to clean but just some Styrofoam boxes and greasy paper to dispose of, your tummy is full. If it is elegance and being waited on by folded napkins on your lap and real china and silver service, the meal maybe more expensive yet the feeling of superior privilege out ways the pallet.

Eating out does give the opportunity to try different dishes without committing to a cabinet full of weird sauces and spices. Oriental, Mediterranean, European cuisines can be tasted with every eatery having their own ingredients, techniques and presentation. With some back-story knowledge and some encouragement, new taste can be found and appreciated, with a possible return for more. If the eating background is a can opener and a Chef Boyardee, the nuances of flavor may be lost.

I’ve never worked in the meal preparation industry, but my father managed a private club and I’ve seen what goes on in the kitchen.

I’ve eaten in the roadside greasy spoon and the 5-star dining rooms, so I can be somewhat of my own critic of what I’d prefer on the plate presented before me.

The ‘eating out’ experience is not all about ambiance (but it helps structure how the meal is received) but by the timing and the people sharing the meal. If one is truly hungry, even whatever is present from a roach coach taste mighty fine. If one is unhappy, the most exquisite meal will be wasted.

Some diners pile on the servings while others don’t have enough for the kitchen rat to clean the plate. Don’t forget to fill up on the bread and salad before getting your main dish…. and don’t forget to save some room for dessert.

The server can make a meal taste better by being attentive to your empty plates and refills or can make a dining experience a disaster by presenting the wrong order or cold plates or mix up on the bill.

I myself read the restaurant reviews before I venture out. I have certain expectations and fully understand what will be prepared at ‘Joe’s Hogs & Dogs’ and am disappointed to find spots on the glasses at the table of reserved and proper attire restaurants. At these prices, everything should be perfect.

I will pay whatever fee the management charges but may never return if the experience is not worth the price. Every restaurant has problems with staff, food inspectors, crowds, but these should not be aware to the diner.

There are a few favorite places I normally attend and entertain, but restaurants come and go faster than sous-chefs and bartenders. If the food is palatable and the service attentive, the dining experience was worth the price.

And don’t forget to tip your server.