What would happen if a restaurant served excellent meals for very cheap prices, but to cut down on the expenses (which it must do to stay in business) the rule is that the customers must wash their own dishes?
That restaurant would likely be out of business.In a perfect society. That restaurant could be a social gathering place, almost like a community kitchen where people come together and cooked, eat, and chat a little more while washing the dishes together.In reality. It’s would be a legal and financial nightmare. What happens when someone broke a dish? What happens when someone gets food poisoning? Those dishes got passed from person to person and it would be very difficult to isolate the problem.On top of that, not many people consider washing their dishes as part of a relaxing night out. I personally don’t mind washing my own dishes if it means that I get a great deal at a great restaurant. But I suspect I’m in the minority here so don’t take my word for it.But all things aside, with the right condition, I think it would be a very educating experience to have a cheap but good restaurant where you wash your own dishes. Give people more chance to talk to one another.
What do you think about a restaurant without a menu but rather the customers can ask the cook for anything?
I think it would never work on a practical level. How will you order supplies? How much fish and what kind? How many vegetables? Do you order steaks, pork loin or mutton? You would go out of business within a month, even if you could find a chef or chefs who could handle all the different requests. Also, even simple dishes can take a lot of work to perfect. You can’t just do one-offs on the spur of the moment and expect consistent results, because a chef might want to adjust the seasoning, add more herbs, or less garlic, or an entirely different cut of meat. Restaurants work because they have chefs and line cooks who know how to create the same dishes at a high level over and over, in order to produce delicious, satisfying meals. Having to create recipes from scratch for every diner would be a total nightmare.The thing is, a savvy diner can look at a menu, tell by the dishes on it what sort of ingredients are likely to be in the kitchen, and ask for a special order, if the chef is willing to do that. Probably not in the middle of a dinner rush, but if you’re there early, before the crowd, or later, after the rush is over, most kitchens are willing to do this sort of thing. I’ve asked for off-menu items myself, and had excellent results. I always leave a generous tip when I ask for a special, because I know that someone in the kitchen has gone out of his way to accommodate me.
What is the most overrated national or ethnic cuisine?
Italy or France. That’s usually what my American classmates say they cannot live without, when excluding Nutella, Raising Canes or American food. It’s nice to see that you enjoy eating good food, but stop shoving that lasagna or baguette or whatever in my face. It’s good, but not that good. You see heaven and deliciousness, I see diarrhea and way too much cholesterol.A) There are countless other cuisines that have developed things similar to noodles, bread, pasta, burgers, whatever, some of which predated Italian or French cuisine, others that didn’t. But what’s important is that they developed it independently.B) Even if you have tried food from all across the world and still believe Italian food is the only real food, then that doesn’t give you the right to proclaim that everyone that disagrees with you has deformed taste buds and only you know the truth. Other people like other cuisines for their own reasons. Agree to disagree.C) I’m betting you haven’t tried food from around the world, so stop acting like a food expert and refusing to try anything new. If you actually go out and try some dishes, you’ll find that 95% of the time the general stereotype is a misconception. Here’s an example:Personally, I think Chinese food is the, and I mean the, most diverse and also one of the best cuisines in the world. Not the best, however. If you haven’t eaten authentic Chinese food, you should probably add that to your bucket list. No, that small Chinese restaurant you order take-out last Saturday night doesn’t count. Panda Express especially does not count. Neither Orange Chicken (or at least the type they serve in American “Chinese” restaurants) or Fortune Cookies are Chinese. You need to actually go to China or Taiwan to get the real taste.Not Chinese food(Mostly only eaten in small corners in the very northernmost or southernmost edges, and only then usually by starving peasants who cannot find something else. Those who eat it for fun and enjoy them boiled are sick and not someone I associate with)Yes Chinese food(It’s Peking duck, not a roasted dog, in case you thought it was)Definitely not Chinese foodInvented by some Japanese people who spread it to America, and then eventually became associated with Chinese restaurants because the Japanese Americans had to close down their restaurants during WWII, but the American public still wanted it for some stupid reason. You definitely won’t find this in China.Yes Chinese foodetc, etc.