Restaurants are for convenience only it seems. The food offerings are kind of meh unless you are willing to spend a lot of money. Will we know we are in a recession when people stop eating out? I remember my brother telling me in the Reagan era that people love burgers even if unemployment is way up and pay is dismal. Wonder if that will stay true nowadays.
2 Likes
It is not just about the food offerings. Other than people wanting to get out and socialize, I think the appeal of going to a restaurant is to have someone else do the cooking and not make a mess in the home kitchen. Some dishes require so many ingredients and a long time to make and, in many cases, it is just easier to eat that dish at a restaurant.
1 Like
When you are young eating out is a combination of gastronomical and social adventure.
As you get older, not so much.
2 Likes
yeah, sort of. In my case, I ate at a greasy spoon touristy spot the other day and had a burger with fries. If I need a burger next time, it will be made in my kitchen for less than half the cost.
I get the socializing part but honestly, being crammed into a restaurant table with strangers next to us who are noisy and having to deal with all that is getting old. If a restaurant had food that I wanted to try out for the first time then it maybe worth it. The price of it all though, it is getting prohibitive for what you get.
2 Likes
We donât eat out nearly as much as we used to because weâre eating healthier. So many restaurants serve fried this and that, they overdo the sauces and salt, etc. We prefer ethnic restaurants (Mezeh, Vietnamese, IndianâŚ).
Recently I met a guy in Wisconsin who works for a food distribution company. He goes to bars and restaurants (called supper clubs there) and convinces the owners to order food from his company. No wonder the menus of these places are so similar. They offer nothing I want to eat.
Some leftovers get better, some get worse. Either way, they lose some appeal because you just ate the same thing the night before and your body wishes for something different.
1 Like
I guess it depends upon the restaurant and location you choose.
Here on the Big Island we have lots of restaurants and some have very high prices. Yet there are still small out of the way places that are exceptional.
Years ago a reported called the very small Da Poke Shack âWhen I called Da Poke Shack to ask if theyâd heard that they had garnered Yelp.comâs top overall rating, the on-duty manager replied, âOh, cool. You mean best on our island, right?â No, I said. Best in the country. The line went silent for a few moments.â. This is essentaully a hole on the wall, literally a small indoor counter, some soda machines and ample (if there no more than about 2 couples) seating outside.
I agree with the comments that sometimes you just have to go out and let someone else cook for you. You also might learn some new food pairings or ways to prepare things you might not have thought of.
I enjoy eating out because I watch others. I am the guy who would sit on the train looking out the window and noticing the houses and businesses and wondering who these people were and what they were doing. Perhaps it is the writer in me.
When I was working, my second shift coworkers and I would all go out to eat dinner and it was a great bonding experience. Daytime workers would eat in the cafeteria at work but it was closed second and third shift. Now that I am âretiredâ of sorts, I still get together sometimes with neighbors and friends at restaurants and pot-luck gatherings.
I donât live at restaurants like I used to, but I do eat out often enough. Otherwise I am stuck at home with a large portion of Costco food that may go bad before I get to it.
1 Like
We are of the opinion that restaurants in general are unhealthy as well as expensive. Instead of healthy fats, they invariably use seed oils that are full of linoleic acid which is unhealthy.
Remember the old days when yummy McDonâs fries were cooked in tallow? When Chick Fila taters were cooked in peanut oil? Oh that animal fat is baaaaaaaad for you so it went. And so many were damaged and suddenly got deathly allergic to peanuts so that went.
Of course healthy fats are still out there but they cost more. Butter, gee, and lard are all readily available for you to use at home. Fortunately I got a new bride and she is good in the kitchen (and yard and sewing room) and wants us to be healthy.
There is one restaurant you cannot keep me out of though⌠Beefy King in Orlando!
We do a lot more takeout now since Covid unless its fine dining. Many casual restaurants are not adequately staffed and the service is poor, so better to just take that out of the equationâŚ
Fast food has become so expensive that it competes price wise with a full service restaurant. And the full service restaurant food is typically much healthier.
1 Like