Served by the Owner...

[LibraryLady]

...or Vice Versa.

Last evening we visited a new French restaurant in the neighborhood. It's a tiny place that seats a total of 25 people including seating at the bar. It has a limited Bistro menu and feels like the little restaurants I remember from Paris in the 1970s.

When we arrived, the only person working the floor was the owner. As we were reading our menus he was taking orders from a table of 6. Apparently, they were asking for many complicated substitutions or modifications to the dishes. The guy had had enough.

We clearly heard him say, "Look! If you're all going to make up your own dishes, you eat somewhere else. The menu here is MY menu."

His was a very French attitude and a very correct one with regard to food.

The big table did eat there. If their experience was anything like ours they were very happy by the end of the meal. My husband and I agree that the meals we had ranked among the top ten of any meals we've eaten anywhere.

[Arucard]

Reminds me of this scene from Dead Like Me.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Reminds me of Last Holiday with Queen Latifah.

Complete with the French chef.

Why would you go to a snappy French restaurant just to mess with the food? It's made that way for a reason.

[Kiwi]

like the little restaurants I remember from Paris in the 1970s.

Wheres the little jealousy smiley when I need it!!!

[jedimaster91]

Reminds me of this scene from Dead Like Me.

I love that show.

[Becks]

"Look! If you're all going to make up your own dishes, you eat somewhere else. The menu here is MY menu."

I think I feel the darts of love.

[Dreamstalker]

Why would you go to a snappy French restaurant just to mess with the food? It's made that way for a reason.

There's at least one episode of You Are What You Eat where Gillian McKeith is a borderline restaurant SC (per my mom)...and she is basically telling others that it is OK to do this.

It involves ordering off the menu; but this isn't something like allergies where you notify the staff upon seating and it is a reasonable request, it's basically quizzing the server at length about ingredients when ordering and generally being a pain about it.

The one incident we saw, the poor waiter looked very frustrated with the whole deal.

[tropicsgoddess]

Some cultures actually do consider it an insult if you modify it instead of taking it the way it's made.

[smileyeagle1021]

Some cultures actually do consider it an insult if you modify it instead of taking it the way it's made.

as it should be... it's one thing if you need it modified due to a food allergy, or if you have some other serious reason for avoiding an ingredient (religious reasons for example)... but if you just don't like the taste of (insert ingredient) then don't insult the chef's recipe and just order something without that ingredient.

[Dreamstalker]

Yup. I suppose you might be able to call what she does "dietary reasons" (as in you-shouldn't-eat-this)...not once on the show when she does that have I seen a server happy about it. I'd love to find out what the cooks think. A number of dishes have components that are pre-made, and it's just not possible for all waitstaff to know what's in everything.

Just saw an episode where she did this at a greasy-spoon...no way the cook wasn't in on that one (what was on that plate isn't something I've seen at true greasy-spoon diners, ever).

I wouldn't have so much of an issue with it if Gillian tried that tactic well after her "clients" were used to and like the new diet, but before? That's just begging for problems.

[Nyoibo]

Some cultures actually do consider it an insult if you modify it instead of taking it the way it's made.

I'd say any chef would consider it an insult, these are people who devote their life to food and doing wonderous things with it, don't tell them how to make something.

Woe betide anyone who tries to tell me what to do in my own kitchen.

[Dreamstalker]

My mom is one of those people. She will take suggestions (side dishes/seasonings), but ultimately it's her recipe. That's the way I was raised--I had to try everything once and woe betide me if I ever refused something outright without at least tasting it. A refusal had to consist of more detail than "it's yucky".

A little cousin of mine has some food issues--all he wants are hotdogs and ice cream and their mom lets him eat nothing but. He gets unbelievably worked up/anxious about any "new foods"--the mother encourages this (once he actually threw up at the table).

One Christmas my mom made a fantastic lamb roast with the works--homemade mint sauce, roast root veggies, kale, potatoes roasted in duck fat (one of her claims to fame in the family), etc...

The older boy at least tried everything, and he was polite about it so mom made up a plate for him with just meat and potatoes. At least he was eating something she made without complaint...

The younger one...gah. After the second round of my grandfather (and almost everyone else) glaring thunderclouds at them I think the boys' mom ended up getting him hotdogs from the freezer in the shed. The hotdogs were not allowed to disgrace the table so I think the two of them ate in the breezeway.

[Nyoibo]

The younger one...gah. After the second round of my grandfather (and almost everyone else) glaring thunderclouds at them I think the boys' mom ended up getting him hotdogs from the freezer in the shed. The hotdogs were not allowed to disgrace the table so I think the two of them ate in the breezeway.

Good on your mother.

[AriRashkae]

When my oldest tries to refuse trying new things at holiday tables, my father uses the same line he used on us: "Do you like X (peas/lamb/whatever) or do you like X a lot?" In Dad's language: "I don't like it" = "I like it a lot!"

Sadly, B doesn't seem to catch on to translating as quickly as we did, or has yet to learn that some battles aren't worth fighting. Not sure which.