I've been away, I went somewhere to do things, and that's meant I've eaten at a few new places...and took some risks in the process.
Maybe not all that risky I guess considering I was in a good and very popular location full of excellent eating establishments...it's just unfamiliar I suppose. The risky part is that one never truly knows what one get unless one goes there first...and then it's too late, money has to change hands.
There's often risk in making choices around where to eat or drink coffee: The quality, cleanliness or service could be sub-standard but not at first apparent, the atmosphere terrible or maybe the place just lacks value for money. How does one know unless one goes there first though? Furthermore, having travelled the world, I have often found myself in places where I don't speak the language, or if I do it's only at a rudimentary level, and that's when things can become a train wreck very fast.
I've been lucky though, I've rarely eaten at a place where I've said, nope, I'll never go back there, and surprisingly it's been very rare that that's happened overseas, just a few times here in Australia. (Maybe I take things for granted here, am less vigilant.)
Everywhere I've eaten or bought coffee has been new to me recently and I can't complain too much. I've listened to recommendations, used my powers of observation and taken calculated risks of course...I've managed to get it mostly right too. For instance, I went to one place and saw a lot of people in there which indicated the place might be popular because it's good; I took the risk and was rewarded. It's been costly though and no matter where I went the value hasn't really been there; representative of the location I guess.
Like most, I tend to be a creature of habit when I'm home; there's cafés and restaurants I keep returning to for various reasons, quality, service, the food, value, personalities and atmosphere and so on. I also like to try new things, which leads me to new places which may turn out to be good or bad. I do a little research, ask friends or look at reviews, but a lot of the time I take a punt on it, a calculated risk, walk in and see for myself. I've been caught out a few times, but not too often.
How have your experiences been in respect of eating out in your own location or when travelling? Are you very cautious or do you take a calculated risk or two like me?
Have you found somewhere amazing, a place that surprised you in a good way, or one that was heinous? How do you judge value when you eat out and does the atmosphere of an establishment matter to the overall experience? Feel free to comment about these things, or anything else around the topic of eating out, down below in the comments.
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I love cooking too much to eat out when I'm home. It happens, of course, but very rarely. In the 5 years we've lived at this location, we still haven't tried all the 5 pizza places within walking distance, the kebab kiosk is on the no-go list since I saw them wipe off tables and then the spout of the water caraffe with the same rag, and the sushi restaurant menu looks boring... We did try the lunch restaurant before it closed, and were surprised. How can they have this many customers when the food is slops? And not even disguised by spices. Bland slops!
Then there is the cost. Why would I pay 5-10 times as much for a dish I can cook better myself? Sure, rent and staff wages and so on. But I know people in the business, and they tell me they pay 20-50% less for the ingredients than I do, next to nothing for the staff, some rent, and the rest goes to the owner. Or the bank. I can do the math. Buy ingredients for $5 and cook a meal for two plus leftovers enough for lunch the next day, or pay $25 per person for something bland, something adjusted to "everyman's tastebuds."
Even so, there are places I come back to. Or would if they still existed.
A café where I and my friends spent whole afternoons buying one cup of tea each, and a salad which we shared. The tea was loose leaf and came in round dip-in strainers, refills of boiling water were free. And there was enough tea in those balls to last for 3 or 4 cups!
A Chinese restaurant where any dish could be had in a vegetarian version, and they didn't mind if you ate slowly, ordered one dish at a time and shared it, and kept bothering them for more chili oil or hot sauces.
A "husmanskost" restaurant with dart boards. Husmanskost roughly translates as "traditional food" and that's what they served. In heaps! I can't claim they plated it prettily, but it was cheap and plentiful, and if you managed to finish it, sure enough there was a matron patting your shoulder and saying "you look hungry today dear, want a refill?" and the refill was included. I'm not usually a fan of traditional Swedish food, since it's bland, fatty, and salty, but this was really well cooked, and there was always something to lift it up - lingonberry jam, pickled beetroots, apple sauce, rhubarb compotte...
Oh, about that refill. Apparently there's an old law saying that when you buy food at an eatery, you don't have to pay unless you feel full. Or something like that. I doubt most restaurant goers or any of the service staff knows about it anymore, but it'd be nice to slap in the face of those people who serve 2 meatballs and half an asparagus as the main course. ;) I'll have to look it up some day!
As for travelling, I haven't done much of it lately. Some 5? 7? years ago I was forced to spend one day a month in another town, since my then boss loved face-to-face meetings. The first few times I went along with his "we all eat lunch here, I have booked tables and ordered the food" but after looking things up and talking to the union I realised he didn't have the right to tell me how to spend my lunch break. So I brought my own lunch instead. He retaliated by locking up the whole office so I'd have to eat outdoors or not at all. I retaliated by saving my lunch and nibbling it once the afternoon session got started... Even a room-temp falafel ball, fried the day before, makes a satisfyingly crunchy noise when eaten in an otherwise silent room. 😈
Sorry, I just realised that didn't really answer your question about caution, if by being cautious you mean trying to avoid food that might make you ill. We have very few instances of food poisoning here, so it's not something we take into account when eating out.
I went to the Canary Islands with my mom when I was 5 though, and someone gave me the advise to "drink some tap water once you get there. It might make you ill for a day or two, but after that you can eat anything." I did, I wasn't ill, I had a great week swimming around in the hotel pool and ordering the staff to give me orange ball ice creams for breakfast, lunch and dinner while my mom who hadn't drunk any water was spending the week on the loo. Same thing happened when she took me to Greece a few years later: I was happily running around everywhere, petting goats, cats, and donkeys, eating food from market stalls without washing my hands in between, bathing in the ocean, buying bread, feta cheese and vegs from the market, chopping them up with a certainly dirty knife and making my own sandwiches... while she got a stomach bug after one evening of pina coladas at some bar. 🤷
And just to try, let's see if this is worthy of a
!CTP
You make a good point about the restaurants and their costs versus revenue,nits the same here. They put the lowest quality food they can get away with on the table for the highest price they can get away with (mostly). It's a business after all.
The cloth thing...I've seen places wipe the table with a cloth they just wiped up a mess/spill on the floor. Needless to say I never went back. I think if we observed what happens in a commercial kitchen we'd never eat out!
I like the sound of those places you mentioned, each with a unique reason to go there. I think it's good to be able to give reasons like that and not just say, it's cheap or I like the croissants. I have a few like you mention, solid reasons to go back, but I'm like you and don't really eat out that much, this has been largely the case since the pandemic.
The boss you had made you eat where he wanted to eat and didn't like you bringing your own lunch? Sounds like a boss I'd
stabnot want to work for.Anyway, do you prefer quality or quantity when you eat out at restaurants and do you think atmosphere is important to your dining experience?
I did quit rather abruptly after about 16 months, when I realised that the only thing I ever looked forward to was for the workday to end so I could go sleep until it started again. I didn't read, I didn't cook, I never left the house except for the monthly meetings at the head office, and I never saw my friends. My hubby had to buy cheeseburgers at McD on his way home from work, since that was the only place open at 3am. All my energy was spent on not screaming at my boss when he gave me tasks that wasn't my job to do, and usually with tools that didn't match the task.
"Make a list of all the students taking this class so we can add them to the online learning platform. In excel. I've added a login for you to the student database."
"Excuse me, I'm IT-support, not student admin, and anyway, the software the list will be imported to only accepts .csv NOT excel junk. And I shouldn't have access to the student database. Security reasons and GDPR. I can show the teacher who needs the list how to do it though, if you tell me who it is."
"DO IT IN EXCEL. I WANT IT IN 45 MINUTES. I CAN FORCE YOU TO WORK AT THE OFFICE INSTEAD OF AT HOME."
Quality! I can always order an extra dish if I need to, right? :) Atmosphere isn't so important since I usually read when I eat, unless I have company, and then we provide the atmosphere ourselves. I care more that a place is clean and comfortable than that the furniture is expensive and trendy. You?
I tend towards a balance of all aspects really.
Atmosphere is important, I'll walk if it's too noisy, not even sit down, and the same if it feels awkward or has an odd vibe. Value is subjective, as is quality, although I'm not a fussy eater and look for a balance there too. I don't tend to lean towards fine dining? You know half a pea, a stake as big as my thumbnail, one or two drops if gravy dotted on the plate and a few blades of grass for decoration...all presented on a plate the size of half a table and for the low low price of $367! That's not my style. I'm a simple man so like simple and quality food.
I like good quality food, genuine food, and am happy to pay for it.
The service needs to be good. I don't need bowing and fawning, just eye contact, a smile and a modicum of interest in a customer who pays their wages. I don't think it's too much to ask.
Anyway, that job you had...seems like a pretty bad place to work, I'd have left too.
I found a lovely little place only a week ago.
I was meeting a girlfriend and she suggested it. There's an arts and crafts, hand-made clothing and trinkets shop there, the cafe is part of it, and it's just lovely to wander about and then have a coffee to discuss what to buy, or what we have bought. It's not big and flashy, just comfortable and welcoming and they have an amazing selection of tea.
Anyway, that's my addition to your post, not long like all the rest. I hope it's ok.
Becca 🌷
It's cool when one finds a new place and, whilst I'm not much of a shopper, those places that combine retail and coffee/tea tend to be popular. It sounds like you'll be back.
Creature of habit. Hmmmm. I must say; when I lived and traveled overseas one of my favourite pastimes was visiting new places to eat and drink their unique flavours. But then I would like it (mostly) so much that I would seldom go elsewhere
I've done the same wh n travelling but considering that I may only ever be in that place once or twice forced myself to go elsewhere, to experience as much as I could. When home I tend towards the same (familiar and safe) options. I actually get really disappointed when something changes and it's not as good. I'm not afraid to move on and try something new though.
When younger and going out regularly one would normally ask friends, check menu at the door, number of clients looking content before entering.
Loud music in any place of dining has been and always will be a big no! If one wished to enjoy loud music and entertainment, go to an Irish night out or similar.
Now a creature of habit, normally buy in locally from trusted restaurants or eateries.
!LUV variety in spicy food we have.
!LOLZ check the kitchens are clean!
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Loud music in restaurants it terrible and I'll simply not go in, or go back if I have been unable to avoid going in, like a work function where I have no choice.
Do you go for a balance of quality and value or less quality and "better value?"
Ha ha I look at quality, if I can make it better, where is the value in paying someone else to create the dish. Don't need fancy plated food, strictly healthy offering new flavours to delight.
I'm with you on this for sure.
It's definitely a risk. You can go to the big name places and know that the food is probably going to be consistent, but then again, finding the new local places is part of the fun of traveling and I would prefer to do that. We had an occasion recently that I blogged about where we tried a local place and it blew up in our faces. It had so much potential, but unfortunately, the poor service ruined it for us. My wife and I tend to find ourselves always going back to the same three places or so on the rare occasion we eat out while we are at home.
You sound like me, happy to find new places when travelling but stick to the good old favourites when home. We don't go out to eat as much as we used to so are reluctant to get surprised with a bad experience. It happens though. I'm off to a pub in the Barossa Valley on Sunday for lunch, a small town called Lyndoch, not far from where I was born and raised...I've actually not been there so fingers crossed that it's legit and not leshit.
Best of luck with that! My wife and I are meeting my sister who recently moved back to the area and her husband at a place tonight for dinner. It's a place we have visited in the past, so I think it should be pretty decent. Next weekend when we are camping we are going to try some new spots. We usually just make our own food at the campground though.
I've heard it's good, food-wise, the atmosphere is a mystery though. I'm sure we'll make it right though, add the right atmosphere if it's not there already. 😉
Camping food...I love it and am pretty good at it to be honest. Good luck with those new sites.
I agree on the atmosphere I hate places that are so loud you have to scream to carry on a conversation. No matter how good the food is.
It is true that when you don't know a place and you go for the first time, you are taking risks, I have done it not once but many times.
In Argentina I didn't go out much, in fact I don't know anything about my country of origin, only the city where I was born and little else. I didn't go out much... economic issues, but there was a time when with hard work I could invite my family to eat in a restaurant, it was very gratifying. My family are my mother and my brother.
In those cases I read reviews, I read comments but I also took risks. For sure not everything is what the reviews say, so I took the risk and it turned out quite well, in terms of quality, price, cleanliness and so on.
When I came to Spain in my job as a salesman, the group went to cafes a lot, not all of them were good, especially in terms of cleanliness.
But when it comes to going out, and that has nothing to do with the job, first I do a little research and the other little I have no choice but to take the risk. I trust my intuition and it has worked out very well. They have been good experiences.
Hugs Galenkp!
Do you tend to go for quality or value, or are you one who tries to find a balance of the two? Also, how important is the atmosphere of an establishment to you?
I try to strike a balance between the two, most of the time.
When the atmosphere and the service are good, so much the better, I try to make sure it is so, so I inform myself, I ask questions and if nobody knows the place I read the comments.
That seems a very good way to do it.
I hope you've had a nice day and heading into the weekend your Friday goes well when it arrives.
A family day at the home of some foster aunts and uncles. Since I have no other family than my mother and brother, I adopted a married couple as uncles, also Argentinian and whom I have known for a long time... a long story. I spent the day with them.
Now to rest and tomorrow I expect a beautiful day, I'm sure it will be, topics to choose, maybe a little bit of beach.
Good night!
That sounds like a good day out, I hope you had a good time. Have a nice sleep, the weekend is almost here.
Yes, the weekend is coming and there are bound to be some very interesting topics, I have no doubt about that. I hope you had a good week!😀
I too, like you, am in some ways habitual; there are places that I usually go to for various reasons... the main one is because I like it.
As a coffee lover then when I find someone who knows how to make it really well I hardly abandon it, it is not easy to find a good coffee even if, coming from an Italian in Italy it may seem like a heresy eh eh!
Recently with Reny we discovered a new pizzeria in Reggio where they serve excellent products, the place is clean and welcoming and the staff is knowledgeable and kind... a rare hidden gem!
I say rare because lately it is happening more and more often to go to places where the quality is really very low and we are disappointed, it also happens in places we already know and which in the past were excellent; it seems that by now there is a tendency to decrease quality by focusing on quantity.
For me it's not a great move, quality always pays off!
I tend not to go out as much these days as the quality is below par and the prices higher than they should be. I'm not all about gourmet food, although I value quality, a balance between quality of food and service and vale for money I guess. I like finding new pizzeria's...I love pizza!
I have always wondered why food vendors reduce the quality of their services after winning the heart of people.
It is certain that they will lose many of the people that came for the quality.
Yeah, this happens a lot. I guess many just run a business model: Open up, win a following to build revenue then sell off when the business's P & L (profit and loss) statement looks the best. A friend just did this with her place and made a good sum of money. I stopped going there as the service and quality declined as she began to make the books look more solid for the prospective buyer, and I'll never go back.
For me quality of company, quality of food, value for money, atmosphere and attentive and friendly staff in that order is what I'm after.
I don't mind if it's expensive if the other boxes are ticked. Inattentive or rude staff a big red flag for me and I won't return even if the food is good, at least not for a long time..
The quality of the food is paramount though, otherwise what's the point? I'm usually disappointed if I figure that I could have done a better job at home myself.
I do you remember one time staying in a hotel in Ireland and the food was deplorable in the bar, I couldn't believe that they were actually serving it to us.. I didn't Eat it, paid the bill and never returned..
It's a terrible moment when one realises that the food is inedible, and one still has to pay. Disappointing, wasteful and costly.
I like going out from time to time but it's amazing how many places let me down for one reason or another and so I tend to eat at home more often these days. Back a few years I was eating at a restaurant three or four times a week, now it's not even that over a fortnight. Sometimes I miss it but with quality declining I'd rather opt to make it myself and know what I'm getting.
Ya I know what ya mean alright, also with restaurants you don't know how much salt and sugar everything is getting loaded with.
Hope the new places on your trip are all good!
Generally speaking, I'm not too picky about my food, so as long as it's not terrible I can usually enjoy it. In the states I've had bad service more times than I can count that almost ruined the meal, but I can't recall ever having bad food. Maybe I was just always lucky.
In Japan I've never not had great food. My wife is vegan, so we don't go out to eat too much these days. Japanese restaurants are not usually vegan friendly. It's one of those things where you order no meat and the waiter brings you meat, then you explain that that is meat and you can't eat mean, they nod understanding and go away, and then bring something with a different kind of meat. I'm sure you've seen similar jokes. Wife has been dealing with this since she was a little girl, so she can usually explain things in a way they can finally understand, but it's usually not worth it.
But when I go out myself and am not as strict as she, I am almost always happy with whatever I try. I do try to pick new places, but yeah, I also am a creature of habit and usually fall into going to the same places.
It must be difficult for Vegans, and I think the same (or similar) goes here as well.
I have a mate who is (was) as chef and it is common practice for them to use non-vegan products in their vegan meals for whatever reason (cheaper usually) and the consumer is no the wiser. This wouldn't work with people with nut allergies of course, they'd react, but I guess it's not something some vegans would recognise I suppose. I wonder how widespread that is. I mean, animal-sourced products are so widely used and it's amazing what products they appear in or are used to produce.
Is vegan food produced in an environment where bugs or vermin may have been killed still vegan? I don't know the answer.
Yeah, in Japan it is the same. They usually add meat stock to everything and other meat sourced ingredients. My wife has been following the diet long enough that she knows all about it and often will ask the waiter in detail.
But you get at exactly what I always bring up. Farming itself is hardly bloodless. There are usually at least a few critters that get caught in the tractor. There is no ill intent of the farmer there, it's just how it is. Even back in the day before machines, I imagine there was plenty of death that went along with farming. I know around rice paddies, for instance, poisonous flowers were traditionally planted in Japan as a way of attempting to prevent field mice from eating the rice. And when cooking, how many insects make their way into the food? Should we be like the Jainists and attempt to not even harm a mosquito or ant?
I think to some degree, we have to accept death comes with our food, even if we hate the idea of it. I don't like causing harm to things, so I'm definitely sympathetic to that feeling in vegans, but I am also pragmatic. I have always favored the traditional Buddhist way, at least the Japanese Buddhist way. When they are offered meat, they will accept it and eat it, for it would be wasteful not to, but they will say a silent prayer of thanks to the animal.
You say it well.
I don't care why a person eats the way they eat, it's low on my list of life-priorities, however I respect that people have the right to choose how to eat and if that's vegan or anything else that's ok by me. However...yes, we need to accept that food production, any food production almost (probably) always comes at the loss of life in some way as you have intelligently mentioned. It's naïve to think otherwise I believe. I mean...a vegan driving to the vegan restaurant in their car...They didn't run over any ants? A silly example, but a point nonetheless.
I think people should believe it what they do though, and whilst being realistic (pragmatic) is also my thing, I understand that people need to hold onto their beliefs if they are to have passion and conviction in their lives. Unfortunately, there are those who believe in such things that cause others great harm, terrorists for instance, but it is belief all the same, right or wrong. Humans are weird, amazing, smart and stupid...
It is no different to when I shoot something. It's not in my nature to enjoy killing and I've never enjoyed it...if I did I would know it was time to stop. Respect is always given in the same way as you mention above. It's the least I can do.
Food allergies make dining out a bit dangerous. I'm not risking anaphylactic shock, but I don't ant to be dealing with gastrointestinal distress. Most places are more than willing to accommodate my needs though, and I try not to be a jerk when making special requests for ingredient lists and so forth. But the risk is always there that someone else who doesn't have to live with the consequences will be less vigilant than I am, and will forget that butter or whey is dairy.
Oh yeah, I can imagine.
I have a mate I shoot with who is lactose intolerant and he is ultra-careful when he eats out, even when he comes here, I always make sure I've got the right milk for his coffee. I suggested he might want to drink it black like I do, but nope, no can do. It must be difficult for those with allergies, I'm lucky in that being diabetic isn't as bad as all that and I can usually find something without any fuss.
I'm not much of a risk taker when it comes to food, 8 out of 10 times I'll visit my favorite restaurants, even if they're far away.
But, when my wife is with me, then we'll surely be "risking it" every now and then. She likes to try out new places and new types of food, and that is why sometimes the experience can be unpleasant. Either the food isn't cooked right, or the restaurant is absolutely packed, for which we'll probably have to wait in the waiting zone for 10 to 20 minutes. And I sure as hell don't like waiting, and to think that people say that I'm really patient haha. Maybe I'm just impatient when it comes to food lol.
In the past few months I've visited 4 to 5 restaurants I guess, and every DAMN time they were packed. That is why nowadays I mostly order at home, then I can do my thing while I wait for my food, and then eat the food as I "do my thing" again. 😂
Yeah, I get that...but if you happened to be in another country that wouldn't be possible. It can be problematic.
Do you prefer quality over value or the other way around? Also, how long would you wait for better food, or would you just rather it comes quickly with slightly less quality?
A bit of both is nice, unless it's something like a "once in a lifetime experience".
Anything like the usual, fast food let's say, it should be fast. But, if it's something fancy, then a highest of 40 minutes for the main course I guess.
Yeah, that's about the right sort of time...not that I'm into fast food though, it's terrible stuff.
I get fast food like once in every 2 or 3 months or so, 80% of my meals are homemade.
Yep, that's about the right frequency for sure.
When I was doing the 8-5 job, I always go to work with a small lunch pack because I rarely eat out. My brought up was responsible for that and my demand for hygienic food made it a permanent thing for me. There are days I just stay on fluid when I am outside more than the usual time.
Great building, hygienic environment is good but what matters most is the food preparation process which as customers we don't have access to.
Whenever I turn down the idea of eating out with my friends, they think I am always too serious about things. It's as bad as me not even trusting reviews online because I know people pay to get awesome reviews.
On days when I don't have options than to eat out, I do basically snacks in a good environment. At least, if I can't trust thier preparation, I can bank on the environment and if their stuff don't meet my standard, I definitely won't be visiting there again.
It's smart to bring lunch to work, cost-effective also.
It's certainly good to take some care in selecting where we eat and there's a few ways to verify it, or at least minimise risks. And, the good thing about a bad experience is that we can choose not to go back.
When I first read about "Calculated Risks" I thought about how much time would I need to spend to carefully assess all the risks and consequences that are bound to happen because of my decision.
That's one meaning of calculated risks for sure. It basically mean considering all the factors prior to doing something that carries an element of risk.
Very true, going to different places to eat is risky. Even though we are sure that it's clean based on our observation. What if our judgment was wrong? But you know, it's not easy to predict so trust our instinct. Well, I think as long as we go to a trusted place and popular there is nothing wrong with it.
Instinct helps for sure. I guess we tend to get a bit of an understanding of what's good or not, what may be dodgy, based on experiences over our lives. That's how we learn I suppose right?
You have to take risks when travelling in other countries otherwise you miss out on the culture. That's not to say throw caution to the wind or you could end up dead. But small restaurants are always interesting, some good and some not so much. Nothing ventured nothing gained as they say. I spent most of the 90's living in places that they only speak Spanish, and not I'm not talking about Spain. Some of the best food and culture I've found in tiny towns and out of the way places.
!DHEDGE
I agree, life is there to be experienced, but some caution should be applied. I've been all over the world and tried a lot of food, I've not had too many bad experiences, probably because some caution and calculated risk was applied.
At some point, it's hard to be sure about anything. We can just guess about it. In your example, you said about coffee, and after receiving good reviews from others you decide to take the risk. Your taste can be different from others and you may feel that coffee is not as good as others said. But this risk was a calculated one because most of the time the result remains positive. It was necessary also because if you don't taste it then how do you understand the taste of it?
Indeed, being sure about anything can be problematic.
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