"Spider" <
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> "Westie" <
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> > "Mr. E. Mann" <
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> > > "nibbles" <
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news:[email protected]:
> > >
> > > > hi all. this is ot. but i thought it may amuse you.. my missus reckons that its rude to ask
> > > > for ketchup with my steak in
a
> > > > restaurant. i reckon thats bull****
> > > >
> > > > if you reckon she`s wrong just reply "w" if you reckon she`s right, reply "r"
> > > >
> > > > AFAIC if i pay restaurant prices for a steak, then i should be
allowed
> > to
> > > > put shredded rubber on it if i were inclined that way....
> > > >
> > > > nibbles
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > > I would have asked for a hamburger instead. I don't care for steak.
> >
> > I make my living feeding people. If you go to a _really_good_
restaurant
> > (and I don't mean Denny's) and pay the big bucks for a feed then it's
kinda
> > implied that you are prepared to pay for the flavour and taste as that
one
> > particular chef does it. After all, a prime piece of beef is a prime
piece
> > of beef. It's only how each restaurant cooks it that separates establishments.
>
> And my decision to put something on my steak effects them how? Who is paying who to cook the meal?
Obviously your money would be wasted if you spent it at the kind of restaurant that I am talking
about. I'm not saying that you can't do it or shouldn't do it, I'm just trying to explain why it
might be considered rude. Chefs in very highly regarded establishments WOULD be offended. I have
worked with some top-level chefs and not only would most of them be insulted but a couple would
actually have you removed from the premises if you got them on a bad day. <laugh>
>
> When the chef pays me to eat his "creation," then we'll talk about who gets to decide who puts
> what where. BTW, I used to work in the food service industry myself. In a nice place, where the
> customer was always right, and if I wanted a tip, I'd get the damn ketchup if the guy wanted it.
> If he's laying down $40 for a plate of food, who am *I* to tell him what he can put on it?
Having worked in the industry I'm surprised that you don't know this already. Believe it or not,
such places do exist. Of course being insanely wealthy, as with most things, allows you to get away
with a lot. So even if the chef finds your ketchup request rude, he'll probably squirt it right on
the plate for you if it's worth it to him. But that's no surprise, is it?
> > So,.......... if you add ketchup, you are not only adding a blob of bad tasting
generic
> > reddish gunge on your tasty steak, you are destroying the carefully
crafted
> > flavours and taste sensation that has been prepared for you by a chef
that
> > has spent years perfecting his craft and technique and abilities.
>
> LOL! What does he care if I am a cretin? He gets paid the same whether I eat it with or without
> ketchup.
Maybe not. Allowing cretins to eat at his establishment may taint the reputation and offend other
more distingushed customers. So he may well NOT get paid the same in the longrun if he has
ketchup-swilling cretins in his restaurant that effect the goodwill of his business. Image can be
everything. Especially if Michelin stars are involved.
> That's why it's called the
> food *service* industry.
You confuse "service" with "servility". While many people treat it as just a job there are those
that take pride in what they do. You imply that a chef takes no personal pride or satisfaction in
cooking something that receives praise and compliments from his customers. And if he can feel
satisfaction and pride then he can feel insulted too. Just as you might feel insulted if someone
criticised your handiwork or job performance. And ketchup says a big, fat, hairy "I don't like how
this meal tastes".
>
> > So,..... It's rude, even highly insulting, to ask for ketchup at a classy
restaurant.
>
> And so what?
That's the whole point of this discussion, isn't it?
>If the waiter wants his tip, he'll bring the damn cholate sauce if I want it on there. And he wants
>his tip, LOL!
>
> > It's perfectly excusable and possibly even essential at PizzaHut where a spotty 17 year old
> > fast-cooked your steak by dropping it into the deep
fryer
> > for a minute or two....
>
> And acceptable anywhere money changes hands for food. That's the reality. If the chef doesn't like
> it, he can kiss my butt. Really - where do these prima donnas get off - they are working in a
> service industry. If they don't like those terms, they can go get a real job somewhere.
Why be so hateful towards somone that cares about their job? I'm not defending the primadonnas that
are out there, but they are there in _any_ business. I suppose you must insult the new girl behind
the counter at McDonalds that gives a genuine cheerful and friendly "Hello" because you're not
paying for that?
Westie
