Ah, dining out. One of the simple joys in life. No need to futz over the stove or fiddle with preheating the oven - everything is taken care of. Just sit back, relax and ... wait, did you say relax? Too bad your restaurant compadre is a total buzzkill.
We polled our friends and colleagues about their dining Debbie Downer pals, then kicked backed and watched their complaints roll in.
Here's what they had to grumble about.
The Top Chef judge
"The food is not hot enough. The chicken is too dry. How long have the ribs been cooking? How often were they sauced? Just enjoy your meal!"
"What do you expect me to say now that you've totally dissed the restaurant? For the record, my salmon was delicious."
"I know, I know, I know. You TOTALLY could have made that sabayon of pearl tapioca better."
"Oh, those lovable faux wine connoisseurs: they sit there swirling and sniffing and gargling when really, they wouldn't know the difference between a Bordeaux and Burgundy if it hit them in the face."
The competitive non-eater
"For some reason, this is particularly the case with women. It's like, let's see how I many times I can push around this piece of lettuce before I set my fork down. I call it 'competitive non-eating.'"
"I really wanted that 16 ounce filet. Curse you for ordering a cup of soup!"
"When that bread basket comes out, you better believe I'm going to have a piece. And if you give me the stink eye, you're just jealous of the delicious carbs I'm about to stuff in my face."
The on-the-side fiend
"I'll have the dressing on the side. The croutons on the side. The tomatoes on the side. The noodles on the side. If they're on the side, you do know you still eat them ... right?
"The dish is written out that way on the menu for a reason. This isn't like Build-a-Bear workshop."
The calculator
"I understand that money is hard-earned and a sensitive topic, but when you take the tax off the total before calculating the 15 percent tip to the penny, it's a little excessive."
"Was the ten extra minutes you just spent doing long division to split up the check perfectly really worth the dollar you just saved?"
The extend-a-fork
"I'm happy to let you have a bite of my scrumptious food - but ask before you reach. I don't want a puncture wound because an unexpected fork comes flying towards my plate."
"Sharing means equal parts. If eight oysters are served, that means four for you and four for me. NOT six for you and two for me."
Good golly, Miss Molly! These folks have divulged their dining dislikes, now it's your turn. Got a friend who’s a pain in the bum to eat with because of their over-the-top demands? The comment therapy lounge is now in session.
I've turned down dinner invitations from people who are just @ssholes. That wasn't on the survey. I've also dined with a group where a couple of members seemed to be competitively trying to out-b!tch each other by seeing how much stuff they could complain about and get comped. I actually apologized to the waiter one of the times when I went to the bathroom. Those chicks were awful. I don't hang with them anymore either.
I have a couple of friends who I go into each dining experience with caution because undoubtedly "something" will be wrong with what they've ordered and will send it back. Everyone has that stuff happen once and awhile, but every single time? I also had on friend I dined with order a ginormous sampler type meal only to send it back because it was too small when the person sitting across from them got the same thing with the same size portions. Really?
"The food is not hot enough. The chicken is too dry. How long have the ribs been cooking? How often were they sauced? Just enjoy your meal!"
I generally don't complain about the meal, but if someone thinks their meal is not hot enough how can they enjoy it? Taste, texture, and temperature all go into the dining experience among other things so if the temperature is not right how can you fully enjoy it?
"Oh, those lovable faux wine connoisseurs: they sit there swirling and sniffing and gargling when really, they wouldn't know the difference between a Bordeaux and Burgundy if it hit them in the face."
Perhaps they know more about wine than you think. Quit judging.
"I'll have the dressing on the side. The croutons on the side. The tomatoes on the side. The noodles on the side. If they're on the side, you do know you still eat them ... right?
I know I order things on the side because sometimes they put too much of a given ingredient so when you request it on the side you can put exactly how much you want. So in short, you don't eat them. You eat SOME of them.
"I understand that money is hard-earned and a sensitive topic, but when you take the tax off the total before calculating the 15 percent tip to the penny, it's a little excessive."
A lot of folks I know do not eat beef or pork (be it for religious reasons or personal choice). One thing that annoys me is when menus do not specify that beef or pork is present in a dish. For example, they will order a salad and get bacon bits in it. Or they order a fish or chicken dish and there is bacon in the mashed potatoes or in a side order of green beans. As a pork-eater myself I do understand bacon adds great flavor to a dish... but it pains me when my friends have to send a dish back or are unable to enjoy a meal because the menu does not specify that the dish includes bacon.
More often than not, the server is helpful and when we tell him/her we want a dish without pork, they point us to the choices available... but quite often they forget the side dishes. We then get an angry stare when the dish is sent back. I think that it's more of the restaurant's fault for not specifying it on the menu.
[incorrectly posted earlier, my apologies for potential double-post]
Many years ago I was out on a date with a self-proclaimed "princess" who proceeded to berate the waiter for being served "2 minutes late" for a drink that wasn't "exactly prepared to MY specifications" (which took 5 minutes to describe to the waiter), food that wasn't "pleasantly presented to MY taste" and literally ordering the waiter for service approximately every few minutes. Longest date of my life. I tipped the waiter generously and dumped Princess back at the castle (of course, I was subsequently "dumped" online because I wouldn't "put out")
Former waitress here (and it will always be in my blood). I haven't read all the comments, but one thing I've always noticed is that so much of being labeled an annoying "picky eater" is in the approach. If you have a food allergy, bring it up (politely, of course) to your server right away and she what he/she suggests. Chances are they've encountered this issue before and they know best which dishes can be best modified in a way that is both efficient for the kitchen and maintains the integrity of the item so you have a good dining experience. If they can list off three or four options right off the bat, one of them is likely to be to your liking. Also, consider where you are – a chef-driven restaurant and a local pub are two different animals.
Also, think ahead to what your desired final meal is. Instead of saying, "I want a burger with no lettuce, no tomato, no onion, no ketchup, no mayonnaise, none of "that sauce" and no bun but WITH cheese and make sure it's dead", say "I'd like a very well done burger with cheese only, no bun, please". And don't be bitchy. Seriously, there's this clipped way a lot of women say, "WITH lemon" or "on the side" (usually accompanied by an I-don't-trust-you-to-get-this-right glare). Just, don't. I understand that people with particular food needs have had many experiences over time where they have not been met (for me, it's mayonnaise – I hate it, and if I get it I will send it back – and I'm mortified to have to do it, but hey, I asked nicely and I tip well. Ditto for an overcooked steak.), but putting your server on the defensive in a manner which "challenges" them to get your order right is just rude power tripping.
I am lucky I don't dine with super picky people. Most of the time, they will order their food within acceptable time frame, not look down on others, or complain about everything, etc..My boss is quite picky, due to diet restrictions, yet he's always to the point but polite on his order, not really a problem for me.
Looking at that photo...the older guy looks like he wants the younger guy for desert....What kind of pals are we talking here..and do they have to share the same menu.
This is a great thread becuz it so perfectly illustrates all the picky eater problems ++ . Right off the top, people who can't hold a conversation–right wing politico nuts are the worst! Then the food allergy, vegan, veggie patrol. PLS give up going out to eat FOREVER if you fall into these categories. You're just too special. Speaking of special–ok–now we have all the super-elite taste budders/wine drinkers–if you're spending top dollar than holla. But doing this stuff in Olive Garden–really??? Nothing better than a quiet meal with my computer-best mannered, most selective companion, ever.
I am not a picky eater but I just dont like experimenting with friends. I can do it with family but not with friends and sometimes it does turn people off..
Some of these habits really, REALLY don't affect the rest of the people at the table.
I personally have been a picky eater for my whole life. Often others fault me for this, acting like it detracts from their meal in some way. I don't enjoy being picky. I truly do wish that I could eat more foods, but I've learned to accept my limited tastes for what they are. If I want to spend the meal eating only a side dish because it's the only thing on the menu that I like, then that's my problem and nobody else's. I'm not going to complain about it, and If I don't want to make a big deal out of it then neither should anybody else at the table.
Think of the food you like least, and imagine experiencing the intensity of that dislike on a large range of foods. Comments such as, "The dish is written out that way on the menu for a reason. This isn't like Build-a-Bear workshop" seem incredibly ignorant to me. I don't think anyone enjoys needing to order altered items, but I'll do it if it's the only way I can order a whole meal. It's important to appreciate the subtleties of tastebuds.
What a picky person orders has nothing to do with the other people at the table. It's not right to judge us and make us feel badly about something that we simply can't help. Leave us alone, just enjoy your own food, and everyone can have a good time. That's all we want.
Other people's picky eating habits don't necessarily detract from my meal, but their behavior at the table certainly does. When it takes them 30 min to pick something to eat, it makes me hungry and irritated – that detracts from my dining experience. When they send the food back because it has a little piece of pepper in it and sit there staring at me eat while the kitchen fixes her meal again, that detracts from my dining experience. When they finally get their food and proceed to complain nonstop about it and pick at it like a 2 year old, that detracts from my dining experience. There's a difference between simply being a picky eater, and a royal pain in the ass who has absolutely no idea how to be a pleasant dining companion. I find that most people who fall into one category also fall into the other.
There is one lunch guest that is worse than all mentioned.
I particularly cannot stand my friends that never learned basic table manners. Close your mouth while you chew, please. Elbows off the table, if you will. Stop texting people that aren't here. Quit being an ass to the poor waitress– she hasn't done anything to incur your wrath. Yes, I'm a vegetarian, no I do not think it's cute that you're offering me your steak. You ordered a salad, I ordered an entrée, no you may not proceed to "taste" my whole meal.
There are some people I dread going out to eat with. When someone spends about five minutes ordering, picking apart each food item in the meal to order it with some alteration, it can get a little tedious. When that person then demands fresh napkins/silverware/general table items because, confidentially, they want to "make sure it's fresh," it's kind of annoying. When they then get increasingly, vocally impatient while they cook the food, it's uncomfortable. Then when they get their food and inspect it, send it back every time because of a small imperfection ("the asparagus spears are uneven!" I'm not kidding.), and THEN get snippy at the wait staff for not being quicker/better/prettier/etc., it's angering.
I'm rather easily embarrassed, I realize. So anyone who makes me want to crawl under my seat and hide during the meal I avoid. But I'll eat with them at home or in a place where we can get our food to go.
My group of friends does not include "picky eaters", out of all of them I might be considered the pickiest "I'll have the __ salad with no meat please!" but that's the extent. My MIL, however, is one of those who will LOUDLY dispute the amount of tip we leave on the table ("don't give him that much!") or if something isn't cooked to her liking she'll loudly proclaim the shortcoming of the chef. Things happen, lady, just be polite and discrete..
I have a friend who is strictly a 'meat and potatoes' eater.. no fruits, veggies, no Chinese/Thai/Indian, etc. We have tried many times to get her to expand her palate and try new things but she is pretty stubborn. Oh, I take that back.. she does eat CORN as well. That's it. Any suggestions?
Plain tacos?
I had a friend whose wife left him because he was such a picky eater. He refused to go anywhere that didn't serve steak or burgers. He would only eat french fries as a side. Ethnic dining was way beyond his comfort zone. PITA!
Don't you know what they do to your food when get picky about your meals? If someone is a pain and changes the menu around to meet their needs, THEY WILL have their meal altered.....just not in the way you'd expect. And believe me, you'd never know it–except it may taste just a little bit off.
I don't think someone with food allergies can be classified as "picky". Neither can someone with dietary restrictions. There are some real health concerns there. I also don't have a problem with people, like myself having certain simple requests ie: dressing on the side or no pickle. I don't torment the wait staff and my dining companions. Everybody has their little quirks. It's the people who take it to extremes that are the problem. I once went out with a someone to a pizza resturant who proceeded to tell the waitress that she does'nt eat dairy, oil or carbohydrates. I was stunned to say the least, and she had the nerve to be annoyed with the waitress' suggestions which she found to be to "limiting". That to me is picky, and obnoxious. Also, kudos to Rebecca's aunt for calling ahead and speaking to the chefs about her allergies. She obvoiusly is in tune with her restrictions, and very considerate of those she will be dining with. And sometimes I do take too long to order, but that's not picky, it's just a brain cramp.
My parents are blacklisted from eating out with me because they will not eat at any restaurant that serves any kind of alcohol. That leaves Bob Evans, Dennys, or fast food. No thanks. If you can't enjoy a good meal at a real restaurant because you're too uppity and judgmental, I will take someone else out to dinner and enjoy a glass of wine while I'm at it. I'm not saying someone has to drink at a restaurant but is it really a huge deal to be in the same room as alcohol?
I'm totally with you . Smoking was a problem because it drifts to other diners but alcohol does not .
Although , I initially saw your post and thought ' religious issues' But . . .
maybe one of them was an alcoholic and is now avoiding temptation ? in order to stay sober ?
If that's the case I would support them by finding an alcohol free environment .
I have no problem with dining with a picky eater unless...they take 30 minutes to make up their mind, order something so complicated it holds up the rest of the diners' meals, or they complain the entire time about their dish. That's not trying to make you conform to non-pickies, that's just common courtesy...I don't want to wait an extra hour because you're picky.
I've waited tables for about 6 years and just want to know why it's overwhelmingly women who have "allergies" and need things on the side. Can someone explain?
If they can still eat it "on the side" , I suspect it's weight watching but they think 'allergies ' sound better .
As far as true allergies , all of the gluten , shell fish and nut allergy people I know are Male .
They however do Not eat out except in pre-screened restaurants because they do not want to risk a reaction .
I'm female. I order my dressing on the side because I only use about a teaspoon or so for a whole salad; any more than that and I don't taste the greens, so I don't like the quarter cup or more that most restaurants pour.
As far as allergies are concerned, I've had a handful of them all my life and have had several more develop in adulthood. The excrutiating mouth ulcers I get when I accidentally encounter one of my allergens are no joke, though they could result in weight loss if they made it too painful to eat for awhile; it's not something I care to try. I'm just thankful that nothing has progressed to an anaphylactic reaction to-date, though I carry an epi pen just in case.
Dining out, whether at a casual chain, or a formal chef owned hot spot, is first and foremost a "social" occasion. When you share a table with other people you have a social obligation to break bread in peace. Yes you are paying for it, and you are hungry, but BEHAVE like the food is the backdrop, and your table companions are most important.
Yeah, I have had the "not pleasure" of dinner outings with attention seeking/ control freaks who would rather play "challenge the kitchen", than enjoy my company. Ugh. I have also witnessed inconsiderate histrionic behavior from other tables, that so take up the time of the waitstaff, that my party's service suffers. Thanks!
Order when everyone else is ready to order. Be succinct. Be aware the the more changes you make to an item, the more chances the kitchen has of getting it wrong. And holding up the meal for your whole party.
Allergies are pretty common and because of liability issues, restaurants are very accommodating. I agree with the previous poster: Read the menu! Order what you CAN eat, or call ahead. Don't bore the rest of us with the minutiae of your digestive system.
I have a friend I eat with at a bar once every week or two. Unfortunately for me, she's a damn vegan, the worst of the worst, most annoying eating companions a normal person (yes I said normal) can have. It's hard to tune out her excruciating list of can't-have-this', and that even includes some vegetables for crying out loud! Thank God it's at a bar though; after a couple I can at least get to a point where I don't give a crap about her nitpicking dinner choices.
I think you've made a good point. I have no problem eating with vegans, but I have to say I do get very annoyed when they proceed to list to me everything they can't have, won't eat or can't let their food touch. After the first time, I get it. I'll ask questions if I'm curious.
Vegans, I know you're proud of your diet choice, but by constant reminding me you are a vegan and how MANY restrictions you have, it makes me feel like you are bragging and/or critisizing my eating habits.
For the record, if I'm eating with a vegan or vegetarian, I already alter my food choice. I ask if there's anything they would be very offended or sickened by me eating, and then I generally order a more vegetable heavy dish. All I ask in return is that they show me the same respect and don't make me feel judged.
I have a friend who refuses to eat at any sort of "ethnic" restaurants besides italian and mexican. It makes choosing a restaurant a pain in the ass because all of our mutual friends (myself included) LOVE thai, indian, japanese, chinese, greek, etc etc. But no, we always have to eat at Chevy's. She'll come along to the other places, but my god – she fusses about how there's nothing on the menu for her to eat, refuses to try anything new, meticulously removes all the peppers, onions, tomatoes, peanuts, and the 12 other things she hates and/or thinks she's allergic to, then picks miserably at her food the rest of the night. Picky eaters are the worst!
The only thing that bothers me is if the person is rude to the waitstaff. Ordering dressing on the side or specifying what toppings you want on your burger is not picky at all.
I am in the middle, I hate super picky eaters, especially because I love to try new things and I LOVE ethnic foods. But I am also that person that will ask for some provisions. I am very health conscious and, let's face it, if you don't ask for dressing on the side or the cheese on the side, your salad will be swimming in it and that kicks the calorie count up higher then a cheese burger! I don't mind picking out croutons if there are to many. Also, after ordering "steamed veggies" in place of french fries one time, I received broccoli that must have been soaking in a vat of butter. I now ask for no butter on my veggies. I think asking for some changes to your meal are ok but there is a definate line between a small change and a person who should have just stayed at home and made their own food.
This article should be called "Picky pals of picky diners." Sounds like there are as many complaints about the people as there are about the food. Why not just enjoy your own food and not worry about how unhappy they make themselves fussing about every detail.
One of the reasons people go out to eat (at least at nicer restaurants) is to experience the way food is prepared by the chef(s) of the dining establishment. Extremely picky eaters need to understand that modifying food to suit their preferences is not only insulting to the chef, it often demands changing the cook staff's routine and delays the orders of diners who want to see what the chef can do. If you are indeed that picky, I recommend taking some cooking classes so that you can appreciate what goes into preparing a restaurant-grade meal in a timely manner for large groups. And if your seafood allergies are that severe, please reconsider going to these restaurants at all: no one wants you to have an anaphylactic reaction, there are plenty of non-seafood restaurants, and if your friends insist, then they aren't really your friends.
You have a point at higher level restaurants, but I cannot believe that asking for no mayo (or honey mustard, etc) on a sandwich is that big a deal...your thoughts?
Nailed it. Most of the debate here could be resolved by indicating the type of restaurant in question. Casual dining chains? Customize to your heart's content! But if you're out to a place with a named-chef, you're there to experience that person's vision for the food. Respect it. (of course allergies trump all, I suppose)
I actually find it that at nicer restraunts the cooks are more flexible in what they serve for you. My best friend is siliac and lactose intollerant (no gluten, no milk products) and everytime we go to a nice restraunt the chef will happily make a dish on the fly for him, something he CAN eat.
The last time I ate with this person was at a Mexican restaurant. When the meal was done and just before we got the bill, she asked for more chips for all 12 of us and a refil on the drinks. When the bill came 2 minutes latter she asked for to-go cups for her and her husbands drinks and a bag to take the chips. She then pulled out her calculater and figured their portion of the bill to the penney without a tip, layed it on the table and said "Were leaving" and practicully ran out the door. This b**ch-on-wheels has done this in the past and I only tollerated it because she was family by marrage but no more!
I'm happy for you to get rid of an unsavory person like that. Along with picky eaters, penny-pinchers are another no-no I exclude for dining companions.
Ron – AGREED!
I cannot stand when the bill comes and it is $40 that they break out the calculator. Split it and call it even. If you need to watch every dime, you probably cannot afford to eat out.
The only time I "penny pinch" is when we're splitting the bill, and I had one glass of wine and the $15 chicken, and you had 6 glasses, with an app, and a salad, and the steak & lobster, and dessert. Umm... I'm not paying for your gluttony. However, if we share those things, or if our totals are within about $10 of each other, no probs.
Yeah have to agree there. Sorry but I was vegitarian for about 10 years and would end up eating soup and salad or some other fairly inexpensive item and frequently only drinking water. I don't want to split the cost of a meal if 3/4 of the people there were eating expensive steaks, lobster and/or having mixed drinks. If I feel like we've all shared or my dinner was more or less around the same cost no prob. Even if it was only once in a while I wouldn't have had a problem spliting but not constantly... it's not fair to expect someone to always split a bill and pay 40$ for a 15$ meal.
aside from personal attacks at the dinner table, i don't agree with the article. i can see how these things can bother the wait staff, but that's why they get tipped for their serve. Also, if you don't like your salad smoothered in ranch sauce i think it's diner's right to ask for it "on the side". And is something wrong with expecting consistency?
The "Food Critic"
This person is critical of everything that I ORDER !
"You should watch your fats/calorie intake."
"Do you know how many calories are in that dessert"?
"Red meat is no good for you"
"You use way too much butter on your rolls"
"You can get salmonella from the salad"
Don't forget the wholesale dismissal of your choice, as in "Oh man, you don't want fish"...
(I'm a grown man, I think I know what I want to order) grrr....
People who make unsolicited comments about my food choices open themselves up to my unsolicited comments about their choice of hair colour/style, clothing choices, current love interest(s), taste in music, etc. It is, after all, in their best interest that I give them the benefit of my years of wisdom and experience, no?
You forgot to include the diner who is never satisfied with the table at which they are seated. "This table is too small. This table has no view. This table is too dark." I have a friend with whom I refuse to dine out, following a restaurant incident in which he insited in sitting at four different tables before finding the one that was worthy of his over-inflated ego.
I am also a picky eater, BUT the problem I have is those I dine with thinking it is appropriate to just reach over and take a bite of my food BEFORE I even have a chance to atste it. THAT pisses me off to no end. I do not mind sharing, BUT PLEASE, May I have the first bite?!
I stabbed someone's hand with my fork once for doing that. I didn't mean to, it was just a reaction to the invasion of my plate. That guy never tried to steal a quesadilla again :)
The perfect revenge for people who find it OK to rudely reach over and slobber into your food w/o asking permission: have them do that with Indonesian rendang or Burmese kokang soup and not tell them what it is.. I had that happen once; they learned their lesson the very long, hard and painful (in a brief moment of schadenfreude) kind of way..
I'd order a pizza with my friend, split the cost but he would gulp down 80% of the pizza before I finished my first piece! Lesson learned, never again.
The third world countries I've been to do Not have SYSCO so eating is easy .
Lots of fish and local vegetables .
South of the border , corn is common and in Southeast Asia , rice is a staple .
I've found eating there quite easy , it is the American chain restaurants all supplied by SYSCO that are a challenge ( which is why I Never initiate an invite to one of those ) .
My next stint in Southeast Asia will be 6 months and a huge part of that is the great food .
Re SYSCO : having sampled food in about 40 of the 50 states , been employed by 2 corporates that used SYSCO for the company cafeteria and even had 1 friend that opened a restaurant & used SYSCO .
The experience is thus : except for a few high end options from SYSCO , the food is highly over-processed .and the places that utilize it are clueless about the ingredients .
The places that cook from scratch and know how to make a veal or chicken parmigiana are way better than the bulk soylent green / soylent orange products .
The good places Know the difference between farmed and wild salmon for example but eat in a place that utilizes SYSCO and the server is clueless .
Oddly , the most vocal diners I ever met were German youth in southern Thailand after a day of SCUBA .
I was asked a litany of questions about American positions on various food issues and I had to say ,
That except for some people on the coasts , I doubted that most people from middle America even knew what the issues were , let alone have a position .
( I hereby apologize to middle Americans for suggesting they were clueless as some coastal people are just as ignorant if not more about what they are wolfing down . )
SYSCO is for people who have moved beyond McDs but not gotten any further .
That is OK tho , because if everyone got a clue the price of the good stuff would really escalate .
( something else learned from boy friends altho posting here sort of violates the sharing rule )
Thankfully, I've never had anyone just invade my plate before w/o asking. I hang out w/people who have manners, which is nice. If anyone did that, that'd be the last I went out w/them. All of my friends are pecky types, though. They only get salads and they generally just push them around. Or they order "half-orders", which don't exist, but they get them anyway. The latter can be annoying, but I've grown accustomed to the former and they don't bother me anymore. I will, though, ask for chefs to hold certain ingredients I'm not going to eat (veggies on a burger, pickles, etc). There's no point in wasting the stuff, y'know? And I order my dressing on the side simply b/c restaurants tend to pour on dressing like it's milk on cereal. There's no need for that much dressing. I always, too, apologize to the server for being picky, and they usually tell me something along the lines of, "that's not picky. you should see picky. but thanks for the apology, anyway." When I'm at a higher scale restaurant, though, I don't ask for special orders.
"Menu Paralysis" drives me nuts !
After waving away the waiter, and studying the menu....
"I don't know what I want"
Then, polling the other diners... "What are YOU having"
Then interrogating the waiter; "Is the soup made with real tomatoes?"
...another waiter wave-off, more menu-reading.
By now, I've lost my appetite.
I enjoy dining out with most friends but there is one I try to avoid if at all possible. She will complain about the size of the portions, how it's prepared, send her plate back a couple of times, and then try to skip out of leaving but the most marginal of tips. At the same time she is stuffing her pocketbook with the extra rolls she demanded, the sugar and sugar substitute packets, and just about anything else not pinned down. Twice I caught her going back to pick up some of the tip we had left!! Needless to say, I try to avoid her at all costs.
I was at a luncheon sitting next to the wife of my husband's colleague. I was floored when this stranger ate some of her soup then reached over and stuck her spoon in my soup to get a taste. I had not tasted my soup yet and I didn't because of her spit sharing. I am amazed at the lack of manners in American society today. If I go to a chain restaurant, which isn't often or my preference, I go expecting food to look and taste like it came out of the freezer so there are no complaints.
That's life! Not everyone can live up to your/my standards. I think I have only had one "bad' dinner companion and he was having a really bad day at the time. What annoys one person, won't annoy another. I think the "Sally way" (when Harry met Sally) of ordering food is funny and I would be amused if someone did that, whereas someone else would never eat with that person again. I guess I have been lucky with my dinner companions
The restaurants that I choose to go to are determined by the friends that are joining me. Some will only go to chain restaurants, where they are comfortable and they know what they like (we don't go out much). Others are more adventurous, and with those friends we try new places, order as much as we can off of the menu and share everything.
I have a friend that will order food and if it doesn't look right, taste right or anything else she will send it back. Over and over again. She can even order a salad and send it back because she didn't know the dressing would look like that. It is truly annoying. I don't like sending food back because I watch to much Dateline and see what the waitresses and watiers and cooks will do to your food.
I have a colleague at work cam be soooo difficult to dine with because not only does she have to customize her food order, it's never right and what she really wants is to try and get her meal for free or reduced price. At least I already have my food by the time that starts so I don't worry about what will happen to my food.
Yeah, and they are always oblivious to the fact that no one else at the table does this. It's just their food that sucks everytime. They must be extremely self absorbed.
Man, I gotta tell you that I would have no problem telling this person to their face "I don't ever want to eat with you again because of...". Blessed I guess that I've never had to do this but man, eating out should be a 100% stress-free experience for me and repeating stress is something I don't enjoy.
I had a friend who was rude to the waitstaff and asked them a million questions, even when the restaurant was super-busy. I usually ended up tipping heavy to compensate, but once it was so bad I hunted down the server, apologized on behalf of my "friend," and begged the waiter not to spit in my food. At that point I decided I better find someone else to eat with.
I can so relate. Many years ago I was out on a date with a self-proclaimed "princess" who proceeded to berate the waiter for being served "2 minutes late" for a drink that wasn't "exactly prepared to MY specifications" (which took 5 minutes to describe to the waiter), food that wasn't "pleasantly presented to MY taste" and literally ordering the waiter for service approximately every few minutes. Longest date of my life. I tipped the waiter generously and dumped Princess back at the castle (of course, I was subsequently "dumped" online because I wouldn't "put out")
I have never known my nephew-in-law to be able to make his selection from a menu in less than half an hour. And that's STUDYING the menu. After any conversational interruption, he has to go back and start weighing his options all over again. It's irritating at the best of times, but when you're almost faint with hunger it's like being in hell.
The hard part of a standard menu is that much of the menu is pre-made SYSCO food with combinations already made up .
We resolved the problem by going to a good buffet place so each person easily has a choices .
Our favorite is a sushi place that also has salads you make up yourself and a hibachi station where you choose your ingredients .
This totally eliminates others having to wait on a complicated ordering process and lets each individual select exactly what they want .
We have gone with up to a dozen people and have Zero problems !
A buffet eliminates the ordering process? Thank you Captain Obvious. After reading your posts, I am assuming you annoy everyone you are with regardless of setting. Shutting your mouth eliminates people making choking gestures at you when you look away. Bet you didn't know that!
No just strongly dislike rude people like Mary and people who insert Obama into every single conversation about something negative like you. I am surprised you didn't say "Chris is cutting down Mary, must have voted for Obama". FYI, I voted McCain. Still don't like Obama bashers.
I hate having to dine out with others because I'm such a pain. I have a long list of food allergies and have to ask a restaurant to customize everything after which I still may have a reaction and be lousy company. I can always see the panic in my co-diners faces when i start rattling off all I cannot eat and negotiate with the server for allergy free food.
Perhaps , rather than the long list of what you cannot have ,
Just order the specific things you can have with no additions .
Some people do make the mistake of giving the server a 1/2 history of their issues but
Really , what the server needs to know is what you Can eat .
Just a recommendation from a former waitress .
My aunt has the same issue with her food allergies. What she does is call ahead to the restaurant and speaks to a chef to figure out a dish ahead of time that can be made to order according to her allergies. That way when she gets to the restaurant there's no trying to figure out what she can or cannot eat or panicking the waitstaff.
As long as I'm Not ordering someone else's food , they should Not have an issue .
I don't care if the other person has particular preferences about their food .
People who get attitude because someone has food issues is just a latent teenager .
Get a life , let the other person order the food the way They want as They are the one going to eat it .
I repectfully disagree. I have a co-worker who orders water with no ice or lemon and whines when a stray piece of ice falls into his glass during a refill. Picky adults are worse than teens. They're children. Chefs don't pour their hearts into dishes so that diners can deconstruct them. I think it's embarassing to watch a grown man pull a tomato off his sandwich like it's a worm or a woman scrutinize each bite of salad as if it's laced with poison. I typically offer these friends a kids menu and point to the grilled cheese...
OK , we might be splitting hairs on the definition of picky .
Most of the posts were sniveling because someone with an allergy was trying to avoid anaphalectic ( sp?) shock .
The ice person was either being funny & flirting with the server or extremely lazy .
But being traumatized because someone else does not like tomatoes is about the same as ice lady if she was Not joking or flirting .
All in all , 1/2 of the posters here are wayyyyyyy stressed over very minor things in someone elses life .
Too many are acting like mini Hitlers .
When I travel for work, I actually avoid dinner with co-workers because they are too difficult to dine with. The ones I avoid are those that are just too picky when selecting a place to ear, too critical of food, and those that customize the menu. And yes, that means I dine alone a good bit, but I like it better that way.
Sounds like YOU are the difficult one as You have to dominate what , when and how things are eaten .
Fortunately , we have do have some freedom in this country soooooooo ,
Your unrequited need to be the grand dictator of dining results in you dining alone .
Thank the lord for small favors .
@Mary...
Wow, judgemental much. Preferring your own company at dinner to other who are high maintenance is not some crime against society. Take a crowbar and pull your panties out of the crack of your ass.
Former waitress : Very very judge mental about wanna-be Hitlers and am celebrating You dining by yourself .
Those of us that are chillll are sooooo happy to allow you some private space far far away .
@ Mary – I think you read to much into my comment. There wasn't nearly the amount venom in my post that you insinuate. I find it interesting that you think I dictate what happens. I actually just say no thanks and take myself out of the process, when the conversation/debate starts, which usually takes an hour on a good day and a lot more when someone is overly choosy.
I love that you throw out a ridiculously over the top comment to provoke replies which, I'm sure, play into your sense of power. But if anonymous comments in a semi-public forum are a basis for a power trip, then, sister, you've got some serious emotional business to deal with!
I agree, Patrick. I would rather dine alone than with picky eaters. Not being able to order off a menu says a lot to me about a person and none of it is good. Mary, I don't think choosing to dine alone necessarily makes one a grand dictator of dining. I think it is beneficial to all and is a selfless gesture. The picky eaters don't have to spend time with those annoyed by them.
I am noticing that the common thread in these comments is that the people that will shove anything into their face are the complaining ones !
Those that are cognizant of what they eat are Not whining about those wolfing down any & all junk !
It is seriously looking like those that blindly eat "whatever" are hostile , antagonistic and apparently crappy company .
@ Patrick: I couldnt agree more. I travel too much for work and find myself caught in the middle of co-workers and clients acting almost juvenile about where, why and when we are having dinner.
@ Mary: I do not know if what you do for a living involves traveling much, but before you speak on someones idea of a comfortable meal after work on the road, I would try it for a year and see where you find your self. Im willing to bet that you will find your self making every excuse so that you can truly enjoy your meal, by your self.
@whosaidwhat – you nailed it. I really dislike being caught up in 1 hour debate at the end of the day of where the team should eat. I just excuse myself from the process by saying that I'm going to hit the gym, which I acutally do. The madness that occurs at the end of the day to appease all is something that just frustrates me, so I take myself out of the equation.
I am totally for anyone being able to enjoy a quiet meal by themselves .
The issue is not with them , the issue is with people who get hostile about someone else's choice of meals .
There are a lot of harpies on here , whining because someone wants to choose what goes in their own face .
That is a wholly separate issue from someone who is looking to eat alone after a harsh day ( even people coming home often want some quiet time , not just road warriors )
Don't forget about behavior. I have a friend who can be rude to the waitress. It's embarrassing. "I thought you said there was 4 pieces of fish. This only has 3." C'mon!
:) Guilty as charged..i am one of the picky customers and i accept it. Its not fun being picky..but being a vegetarian, I sometimes (almost always) end up changing my requirements for the entree`. I like to make my experience when i am paying worth it by enjoying what i eat. I wont exactly describe myself a "Debbie Downer" but none the less, i am one amongst my friends who takes maximum amount of tmie to order my food.
Do Not label yourself a downer for ordering Your food the way you want it .
Downers are the people who try to force someone else to conform to their way .
But , we should all hear out other's dining suggestions and NOT get so whinny ,
After all , when actually placing the order , each person does have the freedom to order Their preference .
I am occasionally the problem child, but only in seafood restaurants because of a food allergy. If everyone else wants seafood, I can usually find some non-fish item, on the menu, but have to ask the waiter to ask the chef to be careful of cross contanimation.
That is fine, order what you want wherever you go. I just hat people who go places like a STEAK house and ask what good vegetarian things are on the menu...
I am completely guilty of being a picky eater. I am vegan so I rarely eat out. When a friend invites me to go somewhere to eat I really do try to find something on the menu but most of the time I have to ask for something without cheese or without the dressing or the crutons and I know it bothers people. I would rather stay home and cook for myself.
Why don't you just eat at home? if you want something conformed to you, and not what's on the menu, why do you bother to go out to eat? I will never understand that. I had someone order mash potatoes at a restaurant that didn't serve them and then promptly asked the server if they could make some for him. I was flabergasted.
Diana, sometimes staying home isn't really an option. I have food allergies that make it much easier to stay home (eggs, yeast, seafood, several spices, fruits and vegetables), but my large, extended family sometimes has birthday and other celebrations at restaurants. I don't try to be difficult, but I do often have to clarify exactly what's in certain dishes, and I always have to order things without the sauce, etc.
I'm always polite and explain why I have to be "picky", and I always tip very well for the trouble. No one at any establishment has ever seemed annoyed with me, probably because I have no control over my situation.
I'm also a vegetarian. I don't think that choosing a healthier option of eating is being a Debbie Downer, especially when there are very few restaurants that have ready made dishes to accommodate our lifestyle. I'm not going to avoid going out with friends and family... Unfortunately it is not widely popular to eat healthy in restaurants though....
Truth! Spare Me! Surely there is a better format for your "Obama Soapbox Routine" other than a "Picker eater" article.
I'm thinking you need a more appropiate outlet for your issues.
Thanks for pointing out something the article forgot to mention...dining out pet peeve #5...people who rant on politics during a nice dinner out. Good luck finding friends to dine with...
Wow! Hey, I never thought of that. That is some terrific insight. Is it somehow liberating to know that you're a clueless douchebag and not care? I mean seriously, you have to know that you're a douchebag by now, and yet you continue to post your inane observations/thoughts. It must make you feel good. Kind of like masturbating.
Really, why do you have to dis the president. This is not even about politics. This is about eating out.... I would venture you would not be on my roster of people to dine out with...
He and others do it because almost everyone starts talking about his stupid comment and all of a sudden the post is about him. Makes them feel good. That's why we should never take the bait.
Last year I was enjoying a WONDERFUL meal at a restaurant in Boston's Little Italy neighborhood. (Cantina Italia, since 1931! website here: http://www.cantinaitaliana.com/) My grandmother was there, and she was dismayed to find that her pasta was a bit hard. She is from central Ohio and is used to cooking her noodles for twenty minutes until they aren't even noodles anymore...To make a long story short, she almost sent the plate back (even after explaining that her pasta was AL DENTE and what it meant to be al dente) – the only thing that stopped her was me telling her how embarrassed I would be if she did it. (And before you chide me, I did taste them and they were perfect, just as al dente pasta should be). Otherwise, I count this meal as one of the best of my life, and will always remember the experience with my grandmother as a pleasant one.
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I've turned down dinner invitations from people who are just @ssholes. That wasn't on the survey. I've also dined with a group where a couple of members seemed to be competitively trying to out-b!tch each other by seeing how much stuff they could complain about and get comped. I actually apologized to the waiter one of the times when I went to the bathroom. Those chicks were awful. I don't hang with them anymore either.
Oh yeah, and being rude to a waiter or waitress in any way or not tipping are also dealbreakers for me.
I have a couple of friends who I go into each dining experience with caution because undoubtedly "something" will be wrong with what they've ordered and will send it back. Everyone has that stuff happen once and awhile, but every single time? I also had on friend I dined with order a ginormous sampler type meal only to send it back because it was too small when the person sitting across from them got the same thing with the same size portions. Really?
"The food is not hot enough. The chicken is too dry. How long have the ribs been cooking? How often were they sauced? Just enjoy your meal!"
I generally don't complain about the meal, but if someone thinks their meal is not hot enough how can they enjoy it? Taste, texture, and temperature all go into the dining experience among other things so if the temperature is not right how can you fully enjoy it?
"Oh, those lovable faux wine connoisseurs: they sit there swirling and sniffing and gargling when really, they wouldn't know the difference between a Bordeaux and Burgundy if it hit them in the face."
Perhaps they know more about wine than you think. Quit judging.
"I'll have the dressing on the side. The croutons on the side. The tomatoes on the side. The noodles on the side. If they're on the side, you do know you still eat them ... right?
I know I order things on the side because sometimes they put too much of a given ingredient so when you request it on the side you can put exactly how much you want. So in short, you don't eat them. You eat SOME of them.
"I understand that money is hard-earned and a sensitive topic, but when you take the tax off the total before calculating the 15 percent tip to the penny, it's a little excessive."
Again, quit judging.
A lot of folks I know do not eat beef or pork (be it for religious reasons or personal choice). One thing that annoys me is when menus do not specify that beef or pork is present in a dish. For example, they will order a salad and get bacon bits in it. Or they order a fish or chicken dish and there is bacon in the mashed potatoes or in a side order of green beans. As a pork-eater myself I do understand bacon adds great flavor to a dish... but it pains me when my friends have to send a dish back or are unable to enjoy a meal because the menu does not specify that the dish includes bacon.
More often than not, the server is helpful and when we tell him/her we want a dish without pork, they point us to the choices available... but quite often they forget the side dishes. We then get an angry stare when the dish is sent back. I think that it's more of the restaurant's fault for not specifying it on the menu.
[incorrectly posted earlier, my apologies for potential double-post]
Many years ago I was out on a date with a self-proclaimed "princess" who proceeded to berate the waiter for being served "2 minutes late" for a drink that wasn't "exactly prepared to MY specifications" (which took 5 minutes to describe to the waiter), food that wasn't "pleasantly presented to MY taste" and literally ordering the waiter for service approximately every few minutes. Longest date of my life. I tipped the waiter generously and dumped Princess back at the castle (of course, I was subsequently "dumped" online because I wouldn't "put out")
Former waitress here (and it will always be in my blood). I haven't read all the comments, but one thing I've always noticed is that so much of being labeled an annoying "picky eater" is in the approach. If you have a food allergy, bring it up (politely, of course) to your server right away and she what he/she suggests. Chances are they've encountered this issue before and they know best which dishes can be best modified in a way that is both efficient for the kitchen and maintains the integrity of the item so you have a good dining experience. If they can list off three or four options right off the bat, one of them is likely to be to your liking. Also, consider where you are – a chef-driven restaurant and a local pub are two different animals.
Also, think ahead to what your desired final meal is. Instead of saying, "I want a burger with no lettuce, no tomato, no onion, no ketchup, no mayonnaise, none of "that sauce" and no bun but WITH cheese and make sure it's dead", say "I'd like a very well done burger with cheese only, no bun, please". And don't be bitchy. Seriously, there's this clipped way a lot of women say, "WITH lemon" or "on the side" (usually accompanied by an I-don't-trust-you-to-get-this-right glare). Just, don't. I understand that people with particular food needs have had many experiences over time where they have not been met (for me, it's mayonnaise – I hate it, and if I get it I will send it back – and I'm mortified to have to do it, but hey, I asked nicely and I tip well. Ditto for an overcooked steak.), but putting your server on the defensive in a manner which "challenges" them to get your order right is just rude power tripping.
i have a friend who won't eat vegetables. VEGETABLES, that's like 50% of a meal!
I am lucky I don't dine with super picky people. Most of the time, they will order their food within acceptable time frame, not look down on others, or complain about everything, etc..My boss is quite picky, due to diet restrictions, yet he's always to the point but polite on his order, not really a problem for me.
Looking at that photo...the older guy looks like he wants the younger guy for desert....What kind of pals are we talking here..and do they have to share the same menu.
This is a great thread becuz it so perfectly illustrates all the picky eater problems ++ . Right off the top, people who can't hold a conversation–right wing politico nuts are the worst! Then the food allergy, vegan, veggie patrol. PLS give up going out to eat FOREVER if you fall into these categories. You're just too special. Speaking of special–ok–now we have all the super-elite taste budders/wine drinkers–if you're spending top dollar than holla. But doing this stuff in Olive Garden–really??? Nothing better than a quiet meal with my computer-best mannered, most selective companion, ever.
I am not a picky eater but I just dont like experimenting with friends. I can do it with family but not with friends and sometimes it does turn people off..
Some of these habits really, REALLY don't affect the rest of the people at the table.
I personally have been a picky eater for my whole life. Often others fault me for this, acting like it detracts from their meal in some way. I don't enjoy being picky. I truly do wish that I could eat more foods, but I've learned to accept my limited tastes for what they are. If I want to spend the meal eating only a side dish because it's the only thing on the menu that I like, then that's my problem and nobody else's. I'm not going to complain about it, and If I don't want to make a big deal out of it then neither should anybody else at the table.
Think of the food you like least, and imagine experiencing the intensity of that dislike on a large range of foods. Comments such as, "The dish is written out that way on the menu for a reason. This isn't like Build-a-Bear workshop" seem incredibly ignorant to me. I don't think anyone enjoys needing to order altered items, but I'll do it if it's the only way I can order a whole meal. It's important to appreciate the subtleties of tastebuds.
What a picky person orders has nothing to do with the other people at the table. It's not right to judge us and make us feel badly about something that we simply can't help. Leave us alone, just enjoy your own food, and everyone can have a good time. That's all we want.
Other people's picky eating habits don't necessarily detract from my meal, but their behavior at the table certainly does. When it takes them 30 min to pick something to eat, it makes me hungry and irritated – that detracts from my dining experience. When they send the food back because it has a little piece of pepper in it and sit there staring at me eat while the kitchen fixes her meal again, that detracts from my dining experience. When they finally get their food and proceed to complain nonstop about it and pick at it like a 2 year old, that detracts from my dining experience. There's a difference between simply being a picky eater, and a royal pain in the ass who has absolutely no idea how to be a pleasant dining companion. I find that most people who fall into one category also fall into the other.
If dining dutch, please be forthcoming with the payment, and don't complain. It creates negative tension, and can ruin a positive dining experience.
There is one lunch guest that is worse than all mentioned.
I particularly cannot stand my friends that never learned basic table manners. Close your mouth while you chew, please. Elbows off the table, if you will. Stop texting people that aren't here. Quit being an ass to the poor waitress– she hasn't done anything to incur your wrath. Yes, I'm a vegetarian, no I do not think it's cute that you're offering me your steak. You ordered a salad, I ordered an entrée, no you may not proceed to "taste" my whole meal.
There are some people I dread going out to eat with. When someone spends about five minutes ordering, picking apart each food item in the meal to order it with some alteration, it can get a little tedious. When that person then demands fresh napkins/silverware/general table items because, confidentially, they want to "make sure it's fresh," it's kind of annoying. When they then get increasingly, vocally impatient while they cook the food, it's uncomfortable. Then when they get their food and inspect it, send it back every time because of a small imperfection ("the asparagus spears are uneven!" I'm not kidding.), and THEN get snippy at the wait staff for not being quicker/better/prettier/etc., it's angering.
I'm rather easily embarrassed, I realize. So anyone who makes me want to crawl under my seat and hide during the meal I avoid. But I'll eat with them at home or in a place where we can get our food to go.
My group of friends does not include "picky eaters", out of all of them I might be considered the pickiest "I'll have the __ salad with no meat please!" but that's the extent. My MIL, however, is one of those who will LOUDLY dispute the amount of tip we leave on the table ("don't give him that much!") or if something isn't cooked to her liking she'll loudly proclaim the shortcoming of the chef. Things happen, lady, just be polite and discrete..
I have a friend who is strictly a 'meat and potatoes' eater.. no fruits, veggies, no Chinese/Thai/Indian, etc. We have tried many times to get her to expand her palate and try new things but she is pretty stubborn. Oh, I take that back.. she does eat CORN as well. That's it. Any suggestions?
Plain tacos?
I had a friend whose wife left him because he was such a picky eater. He refused to go anywhere that didn't serve steak or burgers. He would only eat french fries as a side. Ethnic dining was way beyond his comfort zone. PITA!
Don't you know what they do to your food when get picky about your meals? If someone is a pain and changes the menu around to meet their needs, THEY WILL have their meal altered.....just not in the way you'd expect. And believe me, you'd never know it–except it may taste just a little bit off.
my sister steals my food everytime we eat together. It got so bad that for a while, I'd order the same thing she did just to keep her out of my plate.
I don't think someone with food allergies can be classified as "picky". Neither can someone with dietary restrictions. There are some real health concerns there. I also don't have a problem with people, like myself having certain simple requests ie: dressing on the side or no pickle. I don't torment the wait staff and my dining companions. Everybody has their little quirks. It's the people who take it to extremes that are the problem. I once went out with a someone to a pizza resturant who proceeded to tell the waitress that she does'nt eat dairy, oil or carbohydrates. I was stunned to say the least, and she had the nerve to be annoyed with the waitress' suggestions which she found to be to "limiting". That to me is picky, and obnoxious. Also, kudos to Rebecca's aunt for calling ahead and speaking to the chefs about her allergies. She obvoiusly is in tune with her restrictions, and very considerate of those she will be dining with. And sometimes I do take too long to order, but that's not picky, it's just a brain cramp.
My parents are blacklisted from eating out with me because they will not eat at any restaurant that serves any kind of alcohol. That leaves Bob Evans, Dennys, or fast food. No thanks. If you can't enjoy a good meal at a real restaurant because you're too uppity and judgmental, I will take someone else out to dinner and enjoy a glass of wine while I'm at it. I'm not saying someone has to drink at a restaurant but is it really a huge deal to be in the same room as alcohol?
Who or what is a "Bob Evans"???
I'm totally with you . Smoking was a problem because it drifts to other diners but alcohol does not .
Although , I initially saw your post and thought ' religious issues' But . . .
maybe one of them was an alcoholic and is now avoiding temptation ? in order to stay sober ?
If that's the case I would support them by finding an alcohol free environment .
I have no problem with dining with a picky eater unless...they take 30 minutes to make up their mind, order something so complicated it holds up the rest of the diners' meals, or they complain the entire time about their dish. That's not trying to make you conform to non-pickies, that's just common courtesy...I don't want to wait an extra hour because you're picky.
I've waited tables for about 6 years and just want to know why it's overwhelmingly women who have "allergies" and need things on the side. Can someone explain?
If they can still eat it "on the side" , I suspect it's weight watching but they think 'allergies ' sound better .
As far as true allergies , all of the gluten , shell fish and nut allergy people I know are Male .
They however do Not eat out except in pre-screened restaurants because they do not want to risk a reaction .
I'm female. I order my dressing on the side because I only use about a teaspoon or so for a whole salad; any more than that and I don't taste the greens, so I don't like the quarter cup or more that most restaurants pour.
As far as allergies are concerned, I've had a handful of them all my life and have had several more develop in adulthood. The excrutiating mouth ulcers I get when I accidentally encounter one of my allergens are no joke, though they could result in weight loss if they made it too painful to eat for awhile; it's not something I care to try. I'm just thankful that nothing has progressed to an anaphylactic reaction to-date, though I carry an epi pen just in case.
Dining out, whether at a casual chain, or a formal chef owned hot spot, is first and foremost a "social" occasion. When you share a table with other people you have a social obligation to break bread in peace. Yes you are paying for it, and you are hungry, but BEHAVE like the food is the backdrop, and your table companions are most important.
Yeah, I have had the "not pleasure" of dinner outings with attention seeking/ control freaks who would rather play "challenge the kitchen", than enjoy my company. Ugh. I have also witnessed inconsiderate histrionic behavior from other tables, that so take up the time of the waitstaff, that my party's service suffers. Thanks!
Order when everyone else is ready to order. Be succinct. Be aware the the more changes you make to an item, the more chances the kitchen has of getting it wrong. And holding up the meal for your whole party.
Allergies are pretty common and because of liability issues, restaurants are very accommodating. I agree with the previous poster: Read the menu! Order what you CAN eat, or call ahead. Don't bore the rest of us with the minutiae of your digestive system.
I have a friend I eat with at a bar once every week or two. Unfortunately for me, she's a damn vegan, the worst of the worst, most annoying eating companions a normal person (yes I said normal) can have. It's hard to tune out her excruciating list of can't-have-this', and that even includes some vegetables for crying out loud! Thank God it's at a bar though; after a couple I can at least get to a point where I don't give a crap about her nitpicking dinner choices.
I think you've made a good point. I have no problem eating with vegans, but I have to say I do get very annoyed when they proceed to list to me everything they can't have, won't eat or can't let their food touch. After the first time, I get it. I'll ask questions if I'm curious.
Vegans, I know you're proud of your diet choice, but by constant reminding me you are a vegan and how MANY restrictions you have, it makes me feel like you are bragging and/or critisizing my eating habits.
For the record, if I'm eating with a vegan or vegetarian, I already alter my food choice. I ask if there's anything they would be very offended or sickened by me eating, and then I generally order a more vegetable heavy dish. All I ask in return is that they show me the same respect and don't make me feel judged.
I have a friend who refuses to eat at any sort of "ethnic" restaurants besides italian and mexican. It makes choosing a restaurant a pain in the ass because all of our mutual friends (myself included) LOVE thai, indian, japanese, chinese, greek, etc etc. But no, we always have to eat at Chevy's. She'll come along to the other places, but my god – she fusses about how there's nothing on the menu for her to eat, refuses to try anything new, meticulously removes all the peppers, onions, tomatoes, peanuts, and the 12 other things she hates and/or thinks she's allergic to, then picks miserably at her food the rest of the night. Picky eaters are the worst!
Yeah, I usually get a pro-active stance with those people and not invite them in the first place. :-)
The only thing that bothers me is if the person is rude to the waitstaff. Ordering dressing on the side or specifying what toppings you want on your burger is not picky at all.
Thank-you Thank-you Thank-you
I am in the middle, I hate super picky eaters, especially because I love to try new things and I LOVE ethnic foods. But I am also that person that will ask for some provisions. I am very health conscious and, let's face it, if you don't ask for dressing on the side or the cheese on the side, your salad will be swimming in it and that kicks the calorie count up higher then a cheese burger! I don't mind picking out croutons if there are to many. Also, after ordering "steamed veggies" in place of french fries one time, I received broccoli that must have been soaking in a vat of butter. I now ask for no butter on my veggies. I think asking for some changes to your meal are ok but there is a definate line between a small change and a person who should have just stayed at home and made their own food.
This article should be called "Picky pals of picky diners." Sounds like there are as many complaints about the people as there are about the food. Why not just enjoy your own food and not worry about how unhappy they make themselves fussing about every detail.
Simple: you can't enjoy people like that in the first place.
I eat when I am hungry, I don't have a "dining roster"
One of the reasons people go out to eat (at least at nicer restaurants) is to experience the way food is prepared by the chef(s) of the dining establishment. Extremely picky eaters need to understand that modifying food to suit their preferences is not only insulting to the chef, it often demands changing the cook staff's routine and delays the orders of diners who want to see what the chef can do. If you are indeed that picky, I recommend taking some cooking classes so that you can appreciate what goes into preparing a restaurant-grade meal in a timely manner for large groups. And if your seafood allergies are that severe, please reconsider going to these restaurants at all: no one wants you to have an anaphylactic reaction, there are plenty of non-seafood restaurants, and if your friends insist, then they aren't really your friends.
You have a point at higher level restaurants, but I cannot believe that asking for no mayo (or honey mustard, etc) on a sandwich is that big a deal...your thoughts?
Nailed it. Most of the debate here could be resolved by indicating the type of restaurant in question. Casual dining chains? Customize to your heart's content! But if you're out to a place with a named-chef, you're there to experience that person's vision for the food. Respect it. (of course allergies trump all, I suppose)
I actually find it that at nicer restraunts the cooks are more flexible in what they serve for you. My best friend is siliac and lactose intollerant (no gluten, no milk products) and everytime we go to a nice restraunt the chef will happily make a dish on the fly for him, something he CAN eat.
The last time I ate with this person was at a Mexican restaurant. When the meal was done and just before we got the bill, she asked for more chips for all 12 of us and a refil on the drinks. When the bill came 2 minutes latter she asked for to-go cups for her and her husbands drinks and a bag to take the chips. She then pulled out her calculater and figured their portion of the bill to the penney without a tip, layed it on the table and said "Were leaving" and practicully ran out the door. This b**ch-on-wheels has done this in the past and I only tollerated it because she was family by marrage but no more!
I'm happy for you to get rid of an unsavory person like that. Along with picky eaters, penny-pinchers are another no-no I exclude for dining companions.
Ron – AGREED!
I cannot stand when the bill comes and it is $40 that they break out the calculator. Split it and call it even. If you need to watch every dime, you probably cannot afford to eat out.
The only time I "penny pinch" is when we're splitting the bill, and I had one glass of wine and the $15 chicken, and you had 6 glasses, with an app, and a salad, and the steak & lobster, and dessert. Umm... I'm not paying for your gluttony. However, if we share those things, or if our totals are within about $10 of each other, no probs.
Yeah have to agree there. Sorry but I was vegitarian for about 10 years and would end up eating soup and salad or some other fairly inexpensive item and frequently only drinking water. I don't want to split the cost of a meal if 3/4 of the people there were eating expensive steaks, lobster and/or having mixed drinks. If I feel like we've all shared or my dinner was more or less around the same cost no prob. Even if it was only once in a while I wouldn't have had a problem spliting but not constantly... it's not fair to expect someone to always split a bill and pay 40$ for a 15$ meal.
aside from personal attacks at the dinner table, i don't agree with the article. i can see how these things can bother the wait staff, but that's why they get tipped for their serve. Also, if you don't like your salad smoothered in ranch sauce i think it's diner's right to ask for it "on the side". And is something wrong with expecting consistency?
The "Food Critic"
This person is critical of everything that I ORDER !
"You should watch your fats/calorie intake."
"Do you know how many calories are in that dessert"?
"Red meat is no good for you"
"You use way too much butter on your rolls"
"You can get salmonella from the salad"
Grrrrr ! Never again !
Don't forget the wholesale dismissal of your choice, as in "Oh man, you don't want fish"...
(I'm a grown man, I think I know what I want to order) grrr....
People who make unsolicited comments about my food choices open themselves up to my unsolicited comments about their choice of hair colour/style, clothing choices, current love interest(s), taste in music, etc. It is, after all, in their best interest that I give them the benefit of my years of wisdom and experience, no?
You forgot to include the diner who is never satisfied with the table at which they are seated. "This table is too small. This table has no view. This table is too dark." I have a friend with whom I refuse to dine out, following a restaurant incident in which he insited in sitting at four different tables before finding the one that was worthy of his over-inflated ego.
I am also a picky eater, BUT the problem I have is those I dine with thinking it is appropriate to just reach over and take a bite of my food BEFORE I even have a chance to atste it. THAT pisses me off to no end. I do not mind sharing, BUT PLEASE, May I have the first bite?!
If someone doesn't mind trying to eat my food without asking, I don't mind slapping their hand as they reach over. I've done that too.
I stabbed someone's hand with my fork once for doing that. I didn't mean to, it was just a reaction to the invasion of my plate. That guy never tried to steal a quesadilla again :)
The perfect revenge for people who find it OK to rudely reach over and slobber into your food w/o asking permission: have them do that with Indonesian rendang or Burmese kokang soup and not tell them what it is.. I had that happen once; they learned their lesson the very long, hard and painful (in a brief moment of schadenfreude) kind of way..
I'd order a pizza with my friend, split the cost but he would gulp down 80% of the pizza before I finished my first piece! Lesson learned, never again.
Spending a month in a third world country would probably be helpful for the picky.
The third world countries I've been to do Not have SYSCO so eating is easy .
Lots of fish and local vegetables .
South of the border , corn is common and in Southeast Asia , rice is a staple .
I've found eating there quite easy , it is the American chain restaurants all supplied by SYSCO that are a challenge ( which is why I Never initiate an invite to one of those ) .
My next stint in Southeast Asia will be 6 months and a huge part of that is the great food .
Ok Mary, can you be specific as to what your beef is with SYSCO? (no pun intended)
Re SYSCO : having sampled food in about 40 of the 50 states , been employed by 2 corporates that used SYSCO for the company cafeteria and even had 1 friend that opened a restaurant & used SYSCO .
The experience is thus : except for a few high end options from SYSCO , the food is highly over-processed .and the places that utilize it are clueless about the ingredients .
The places that cook from scratch and know how to make a veal or chicken parmigiana are way better than the bulk soylent green / soylent orange products .
The good places Know the difference between farmed and wild salmon for example but eat in a place that utilizes SYSCO and the server is clueless .
Oddly , the most vocal diners I ever met were German youth in southern Thailand after a day of SCUBA .
I was asked a litany of questions about American positions on various food issues and I had to say ,
That except for some people on the coasts , I doubted that most people from middle America even knew what the issues were , let alone have a position .
( I hereby apologize to middle Americans for suggesting they were clueless as some coastal people are just as ignorant if not more about what they are wolfing down . )
SYSCO is for people who have moved beyond McDs but not gotten any further .
That is OK tho , because if everyone got a clue the price of the good stuff would really escalate .
( something else learned from boy friends altho posting here sort of violates the sharing rule )
Thankfully, I've never had anyone just invade my plate before w/o asking. I hang out w/people who have manners, which is nice. If anyone did that, that'd be the last I went out w/them. All of my friends are pecky types, though. They only get salads and they generally just push them around. Or they order "half-orders", which don't exist, but they get them anyway. The latter can be annoying, but I've grown accustomed to the former and they don't bother me anymore. I will, though, ask for chefs to hold certain ingredients I'm not going to eat (veggies on a burger, pickles, etc). There's no point in wasting the stuff, y'know? And I order my dressing on the side simply b/c restaurants tend to pour on dressing like it's milk on cereal. There's no need for that much dressing. I always, too, apologize to the server for being picky, and they usually tell me something along the lines of, "that's not picky. you should see picky. but thanks for the apology, anyway." When I'm at a higher scale restaurant, though, I don't ask for special orders.
"Menu Paralysis" drives me nuts !
After waving away the waiter, and studying the menu....
"I don't know what I want"
Then, polling the other diners... "What are YOU having"
Then interrogating the waiter; "Is the soup made with real tomatoes?"
...another waiter wave-off, more menu-reading.
By now, I've lost my appetite.
I enjoy dining out with most friends but there is one I try to avoid if at all possible. She will complain about the size of the portions, how it's prepared, send her plate back a couple of times, and then try to skip out of leaving but the most marginal of tips. At the same time she is stuffing her pocketbook with the extra rolls she demanded, the sugar and sugar substitute packets, and just about anything else not pinned down. Twice I caught her going back to pick up some of the tip we had left!! Needless to say, I try to avoid her at all costs.
I was at a luncheon sitting next to the wife of my husband's colleague. I was floored when this stranger ate some of her soup then reached over and stuck her spoon in my soup to get a taste. I had not tasted my soup yet and I didn't because of her spit sharing. I am amazed at the lack of manners in American society today. If I go to a chain restaurant, which isn't often or my preference, I go expecting food to look and taste like it came out of the freezer so there are no complaints.
That's life! Not everyone can live up to your/my standards. I think I have only had one "bad' dinner companion and he was having a really bad day at the time. What annoys one person, won't annoy another. I think the "Sally way" (when Harry met Sally) of ordering food is funny and I would be amused if someone did that, whereas someone else would never eat with that person again. I guess I have been lucky with my dinner companions
Wow, what a relevant bleeping comment, "Truth". Really? Seriously...........really?!?!?
The restaurants that I choose to go to are determined by the friends that are joining me. Some will only go to chain restaurants, where they are comfortable and they know what they like (we don't go out much). Others are more adventurous, and with those friends we try new places, order as much as we can off of the menu and share everything.
I have a friend who once sent back an entree at freakin Applebees because he wanted more vegetables. I have not dined with him again since.
I have a friend that will order food and if it doesn't look right, taste right or anything else she will send it back. Over and over again. She can even order a salad and send it back because she didn't know the dressing would look like that. It is truly annoying. I don't like sending food back because I watch to much Dateline and see what the waitresses and watiers and cooks will do to your food.
I have a colleague at work cam be soooo difficult to dine with because not only does she have to customize her food order, it's never right and what she really wants is to try and get her meal for free or reduced price. At least I already have my food by the time that starts so I don't worry about what will happen to my food.
Yeah, and they are always oblivious to the fact that no one else at the table does this. It's just their food that sucks everytime. They must be extremely self absorbed.
Man, I gotta tell you that I would have no problem telling this person to their face "I don't ever want to eat with you again because of...". Blessed I guess that I've never had to do this but man, eating out should be a 100% stress-free experience for me and repeating stress is something I don't enjoy.
I had a friend who was rude to the waitstaff and asked them a million questions, even when the restaurant was super-busy. I usually ended up tipping heavy to compensate, but once it was so bad I hunted down the server, apologized on behalf of my "friend," and begged the waiter not to spit in my food. At that point I decided I better find someone else to eat with.
I can so relate. Many years ago I was out on a date with a self-proclaimed "princess" who proceeded to berate the waiter for being served "2 minutes late" for a drink that wasn't "exactly prepared to MY specifications" (which took 5 minutes to describe to the waiter), food that wasn't "pleasantly presented to MY taste" and literally ordering the waiter for service approximately every few minutes. Longest date of my life. I tipped the waiter generously and dumped Princess back at the castle (of course, I was subsequently "dumped" online because I wouldn't "put out")
I try to remember that any meal I don't have to cook is a good meal! If you want it done "right" you have to do it yourself.
I have never known my nephew-in-law to be able to make his selection from a menu in less than half an hour. And that's STUDYING the menu. After any conversational interruption, he has to go back and start weighing his options all over again. It's irritating at the best of times, but when you're almost faint with hunger it's like being in hell.
The hard part of a standard menu is that much of the menu is pre-made SYSCO food with combinations already made up .
We resolved the problem by going to a good buffet place so each person easily has a choices .
Our favorite is a sushi place that also has salads you make up yourself and a hibachi station where you choose your ingredients .
This totally eliminates others having to wait on a complicated ordering process and lets each individual select exactly what they want .
We have gone with up to a dozen people and have Zero problems !
A buffet eliminates the ordering process? Thank you Captain Obvious. After reading your posts, I am assuming you annoy everyone you are with regardless of setting. Shutting your mouth eliminates people making choking gestures at you when you look away. Bet you didn't know that!
Wow chris, hate much?
No just strongly dislike rude people like Mary and people who insert Obama into every single conversation about something negative like you. I am surprised you didn't say "Chris is cutting down Mary, must have voted for Obama". FYI, I voted McCain. Still don't like Obama bashers.
Mr Chris , perhaps less caffeine would help ? or did you recently come of a dosing of prozac ?
mary, What do you have against SYSCO??
I hate having to dine out with others because I'm such a pain. I have a long list of food allergies and have to ask a restaurant to customize everything after which I still may have a reaction and be lousy company. I can always see the panic in my co-diners faces when i start rattling off all I cannot eat and negotiate with the server for allergy free food.
Perhaps , rather than the long list of what you cannot have ,
Just order the specific things you can have with no additions .
Some people do make the mistake of giving the server a 1/2 history of their issues but
Really , what the server needs to know is what you Can eat .
Just a recommendation from a former waitress .
So make restaurant night at home with friends. Eat what you want, spend less money and no worries.
My aunt has the same issue with her food allergies. What she does is call ahead to the restaurant and speaks to a chef to figure out a dish ahead of time that can be made to order according to her allergies. That way when she gets to the restaurant there's no trying to figure out what she can or cannot eat or panicking the waitstaff.
You should call ahead for your food to avoid the headache.
As long as I'm Not ordering someone else's food , they should Not have an issue .
I don't care if the other person has particular preferences about their food .
People who get attitude because someone has food issues is just a latent teenager .
Get a life , let the other person order the food the way They want as They are the one going to eat it .
I repectfully disagree. I have a co-worker who orders water with no ice or lemon and whines when a stray piece of ice falls into his glass during a refill. Picky adults are worse than teens. They're children. Chefs don't pour their hearts into dishes so that diners can deconstruct them. I think it's embarassing to watch a grown man pull a tomato off his sandwich like it's a worm or a woman scrutinize each bite of salad as if it's laced with poison. I typically offer these friends a kids menu and point to the grilled cheese...
OK , we might be splitting hairs on the definition of picky .
Most of the posts were sniveling because someone with an allergy was trying to avoid anaphalectic ( sp?) shock .
The ice person was either being funny & flirting with the server or extremely lazy .
But being traumatized because someone else does not like tomatoes is about the same as ice lady if she was Not joking or flirting .
All in all , 1/2 of the posters here are wayyyyyyy stressed over very minor things in someone elses life .
Too many are acting like mini Hitlers .
Well said, Fred.
I am thinking that Mary needs to get laid.
Captain I was thinking just that!
When I travel for work, I actually avoid dinner with co-workers because they are too difficult to dine with. The ones I avoid are those that are just too picky when selecting a place to ear, too critical of food, and those that customize the menu. And yes, that means I dine alone a good bit, but I like it better that way.
Sounds like YOU are the difficult one as You have to dominate what , when and how things are eaten .
Fortunately , we have do have some freedom in this country soooooooo ,
Your unrequited need to be the grand dictator of dining results in you dining alone .
Thank the lord for small favors .
@Mary...
Wow, judgemental much. Preferring your own company at dinner to other who are high maintenance is not some crime against society. Take a crowbar and pull your panties out of the crack of your ass.
Former waitress : Very very judge mental about wanna-be Hitlers and am celebrating You dining by yourself .
Those of us that are chillll are sooooo happy to allow you some private space far far away .
You – "chill"?!?! If you're so 'chill', eat at a SYSCO-supplied restaurant sometime.
Grand Dictator of Dining? Yes please!!! Is there like an application or something I can fill out?
No application, but you do get a really cool hat and uniform to wear!
@ Mary – I think you read to much into my comment. There wasn't nearly the amount venom in my post that you insinuate. I find it interesting that you think I dictate what happens. I actually just say no thanks and take myself out of the process, when the conversation/debate starts, which usually takes an hour on a good day and a lot more when someone is overly choosy.
wow! who peed in your cereal?
I love that you throw out a ridiculously over the top comment to provoke replies which, I'm sure, play into your sense of power. But if anonymous comments in a semi-public forum are a basis for a power trip, then, sister, you've got some serious emotional business to deal with!
I agree, Patrick. I would rather dine alone than with picky eaters. Not being able to order off a menu says a lot to me about a person and none of it is good. Mary, I don't think choosing to dine alone necessarily makes one a grand dictator of dining. I think it is beneficial to all and is a selfless gesture. The picky eaters don't have to spend time with those annoyed by them.
I am noticing that the common thread in these comments is that the people that will shove anything into their face are the complaining ones !
Those that are cognizant of what they eat are Not whining about those wolfing down any & all junk !
It is seriously looking like those that blindly eat "whatever" are hostile , antagonistic and apparently crappy company .
@ Patrick: I couldnt agree more. I travel too much for work and find myself caught in the middle of co-workers and clients acting almost juvenile about where, why and when we are having dinner.
@ Mary: I do not know if what you do for a living involves traveling much, but before you speak on someones idea of a comfortable meal after work on the road, I would try it for a year and see where you find your self. Im willing to bet that you will find your self making every excuse so that you can truly enjoy your meal, by your self.
@whosaidwhat – you nailed it. I really dislike being caught up in 1 hour debate at the end of the day of where the team should eat. I just excuse myself from the process by saying that I'm going to hit the gym, which I acutally do. The madness that occurs at the end of the day to appease all is something that just frustrates me, so I take myself out of the equation.
I am totally for anyone being able to enjoy a quiet meal by themselves .
The issue is not with them , the issue is with people who get hostile about someone else's choice of meals .
There are a lot of harpies on here , whining because someone wants to choose what goes in their own face .
That is a wholly separate issue from someone who is looking to eat alone after a harsh day ( even people coming home often want some quiet time , not just road warriors )
Don't forget about behavior. I have a friend who can be rude to the waitress. It's embarrassing. "I thought you said there was 4 pieces of fish. This only has 3." C'mon!
:) Guilty as charged..i am one of the picky customers and i accept it. Its not fun being picky..but being a vegetarian, I sometimes (almost always) end up changing my requirements for the entree`. I like to make my experience when i am paying worth it by enjoying what i eat. I wont exactly describe myself a "Debbie Downer" but none the less, i am one amongst my friends who takes maximum amount of tmie to order my food.
Do Not label yourself a downer for ordering Your food the way you want it .
Downers are the people who try to force someone else to conform to their way .
But , we should all hear out other's dining suggestions and NOT get so whinny ,
After all , when actually placing the order , each person does have the freedom to order Their preference .
I am occasionally the problem child, but only in seafood restaurants because of a food allergy. If everyone else wants seafood, I can usually find some non-fish item, on the menu, but have to ask the waiter to ask the chef to be careful of cross contanimation.
That is fine, order what you want wherever you go. I just hat people who go places like a STEAK house and ask what good vegetarian things are on the menu...
I am completely guilty of being a picky eater. I am vegan so I rarely eat out. When a friend invites me to go somewhere to eat I really do try to find something on the menu but most of the time I have to ask for something without cheese or without the dressing or the crutons and I know it bothers people. I would rather stay home and cook for myself.
AMEN!
@Veggie – Vegans can't eat crutons?
what do you mean you don't eat meat???!!!!...That's ok...I have lamb
Why don't you just eat at home? if you want something conformed to you, and not what's on the menu, why do you bother to go out to eat? I will never understand that. I had someone order mash potatoes at a restaurant that didn't serve them and then promptly asked the server if they could make some for him. I was flabergasted.
Diana, sometimes staying home isn't really an option. I have food allergies that make it much easier to stay home (eggs, yeast, seafood, several spices, fruits and vegetables), but my large, extended family sometimes has birthday and other celebrations at restaurants. I don't try to be difficult, but I do often have to clarify exactly what's in certain dishes, and I always have to order things without the sauce, etc.
I'm always polite and explain why I have to be "picky", and I always tip very well for the trouble. No one at any establishment has ever seemed annoyed with me, probably because I have no control over my situation.
I'm also a vegetarian. I don't think that choosing a healthier option of eating is being a Debbie Downer, especially when there are very few restaurants that have ready made dishes to accommodate our lifestyle. I'm not going to avoid going out with friends and family... Unfortunately it is not widely popular to eat healthy in restaurants though....
Awesome. Can't wait! ^_^
We had all better get used to dining with others. If Obama has his way, we will all be living in communes before too long.
Obama has GREAT taste in restaurants, though. Blue Hill, Topolobampo, Frontera Grill. I'd be delighted to eat anywhere he told me!
Think a lot for yourself, don't you?
Obozo is a partisan stooge, who could not choose the right way out of a paper bag.
I don't think I've read one post of yours that doesn't mention Obama. Hate will make you die young, my friend. Go smoke a doobie and chill out.
Jdizz, can't agree more.
haha no doubt
Wow that was fast. It's an article about dining pet peeves, but the first political shot was in the first comment!!
WOW , you are soooooooo Lame ! Need a life much ?
Republicans SUCK!
I did not know this. Thanks for the info. I would like to live on a commune near the beach please.
Truth, you need to change your name to Hate. You don't tell the truth about anything but you sure spew a lot of hatred.
Truth! Spare Me! Surely there is a better format for your "Obama Soapbox Routine" other than a "Picker eater" article.
I'm thinking you need a more appropiate outlet for your issues.
Shut up, not relevant.
what an idiot really a food article and your only comment is how our president is a socialist. really... I'm glad i will never have to eat with you.
Thanks for pointing out something the article forgot to mention...dining out pet peeve #5...people who rant on politics during a nice dinner out. Good luck finding friends to dine with...
Amen!
Wow! Hey, I never thought of that. That is some terrific insight. Is it somehow liberating to know that you're a clueless douchebag and not care? I mean seriously, you have to know that you're a douchebag by now, and yet you continue to post your inane observations/thoughts. It must make you feel good. Kind of like masturbating.
You're kind of an idiot, y'know.
I know it's a food blog, folks, but we don't need to feed the trolls....
That is amazing how some people can bring Obama up with every little thing. Seriously, blaming the president because, of picky eaters.
Idiot!!!
Really, why do you have to dis the president. This is not even about politics. This is about eating out.... I would venture you would not be on my roster of people to dine out with...
He and others do it because almost everyone starts talking about his stupid comment and all of a sudden the post is about him. Makes them feel good. That's why we should never take the bait.
You don't have to worry about that – I'm sure you'll drop dead from a stroke when President Obama gets reelected anyway.
Last year I was enjoying a WONDERFUL meal at a restaurant in Boston's Little Italy neighborhood. (Cantina Italia, since 1931! website here: http://www.cantinaitaliana.com/) My grandmother was there, and she was dismayed to find that her pasta was a bit hard. She is from central Ohio and is used to cooking her noodles for twenty minutes until they aren't even noodles anymore...To make a long story short, she almost sent the plate back (even after explaining that her pasta was AL DENTE and what it meant to be al dente) – the only thing that stopped her was me telling her how embarrassed I would be if she did it. (And before you chide me, I did taste them and they were perfect, just as al dente pasta should be). Otherwise, I count this meal as one of the best of my life, and will always remember the experience with my grandmother as a pleasant one.