Eating out

Here is an interesting commentary on the difference between Western and Oriental culinary culture.

Apparently, in the US, it is becoming normal for diners to split food when eating out. In essence, the current poor economy means that diners are becoming more frugal and splitting food when they eat out. So instead of eating a full 3 course meal each, they split either the appetiser, dessert or entree. This allows a family to save between USD5-12 per meal.

A couple of points about this article astound me.

First off - the obvious point is that, being Chinese, sharing food is actually something very common. In fact, you would never not share food unless you were in a western restaurant with people who weren't family (and even then, you often find friends sharing). It never occurred to me that splitting food was such a big deal.

The second point which amazes me is that people would actually pay money for the chef to split the food. Considering the context in the article is that of a family meal, my reply to the restaurant would be simple. Don't bother - just bring me an extra plate and fork and I'll split it myself!

The third point is the culture of tipping in the US. The last line in the article says, "In fact, if a waitress doesn't make us feel as if we are doing something wrong, we usually feel more generous with the tip." I know that in the US, waiters and waitresses don't get paid much and rely on tips. Well - here's a tip for you. If you feel, as a waiter, that you don't want to give me good service or want to try and take me on a guilt trip then guess what - I ain't gonna tip ya. At all. As far as I'm concerned, you can starve to death and hopefully, the next waiter that the restaurant hires will actually want to do their job (wow - there's a novel concept - doing your job!!).

One last point. I can't remember the last time I had a full 3 course meal in a US style restaurant. The reality is that the portion sizes are so big in US style restaurants (or at least, they are in HK) that I always share either the starter, entree or dessert with the missus anyway. Quite frankly, there's no way that we could finish the meal otherwise. However, this raises one big question about the eating habits of Americans which the article doesn't answer.

The reason that people are saving money isn't because they are splitting food per se (the article makes it out as if splitting is a huge cost-saver). The reality is that eating less food is what is saving them money. For example, I could also get a cost saving by not eating dessert next time I eat out. Which raises the question - are these people "starving" themselves now due to the poor economy or were they simply wasting food in the past by ordering more than they could eat?