Overly Picky Wasteful Eaters

[Boozy]

You missed the end of the paragraph you quoted from; she has let them choose, and it didn't help.

You're right, I did miss that. Thanks.

Bollocks. Everyone likes Italian food. And The Olive Garden's breadsticks are so damn good.

Of course I like Italian food! But I don't like the Olive Garden.

[Peppergirl]

Bollocks. Everyone likes Italian food. And The Olive Garden's breadsticks are so damn good!

I assume you're kidding. I know a few people who don't like italian food. Granted, I find them daft, but still.

[Sleepwalker]

But...But... the Olive Garden has bottomless soup bowl days!

ALL THE BREAD STICKS YOU COULD EVER EAT!

Yeah, as far as italian goes, they aren't great, but they are priced about the same as McDick's and have waaaaay better noms.

[HYHYBT]

People at buffets piss me off the most, when they pile on the food and don't even eat hardly any of it.

I admit, I'm more likely to waste something at a buffet. But that's because I'm more likely to try something I might hate (in which case I don't get much of it the first time), and because occasionally things aren't what they look like. For instance, at Shoney's once I *thought* I was putting a bunch of whipped cream on my dessert. It wasn't whipped cream. It was sour cream. It had been next to the desserts, but also next to the salads, and I hadn't realized. And I wasn't *about* to eat cake and chocolate pudding covered with sour cream, thanks just the same.

As for Olive Garden…. I'd be very surprised if there's *nothing* there someone likes. But if there really isn't, best he speak up during the "where will we eat today" phase

[AdminAssistant]

At least my other picky friend....she's just a food snob in general, and I don't go out to eat with her much because her taste is so expensive and so fancy that fast food treats or Olive Garden or Red Lobster isn't good enough, we have to go downtown to where there's organic and "locally made" sandwiches and soups and whatnot.

I get this...a LOT. I live in a fairly granola college town (for the Plains), so our downtown is covered up with hipster eateries and bars, where you get the privilege of having a $12 cheeseburger thrown at you by a sneering trustafarian surrounded by the smell of BO and patchouli. A few of my friends *love* these places, especially since several have made various food-related resolutions. (One's vegetarian, another is 'local-only', another is 'no processed food', etc.)

I'm sorry, but that's crap. Especially when you toss in the lack of parking and the fact that it's freakin' cold. I'd much rather go...anywhere else. What's maddening is that there's a group that's wanting to bring in an Olive Garden, and possibly a Red Lobster, and the local yokels are throwing a g-ddamned fit. "It'll take away business from our local Italian restaurants." Okay, one has terrible service and tends to forget to heat up the food. (I've been twice, both times a member of the group got a cold or frozen entree.) The other, which is downtown, charges $20 for a freaking plate of spaghetti. UGH.

(I hope I didn't just derail the thread, but I read that sentence and was like, OMG.)

[Android Kaeli]

On the occasion I go out to eat to a sit-down place that isn't a buffet or a fast food place, if I have leftovers I'll take it home with me. The way I figure it, I can get two or three meals out of the price of one so why waste it? Especally since going out to eat is a treat and if I can streatch that meal out a bit, that's even better.

A couple people in my family will throw stuff out, they don't like leftovers. Which is a waste of not only food but money as well.

At buffets, I may or may not like a food but even then I'd only get a little bit. If I don't like it then I won't be wasting a whole lot of food.

[blas87]

Not a problem at all, Admin. I had a hunch you'd love to comment on the local hippie foodster places.

Downtown by the uni here is also quite large. Downtown is a nightmare in general because they haven't updated the streets and parking since the damn 50s or before, and you have to pay to park nearly everywhere. The only place in town you have to pay to park. And of course, all of these "organic", "locally-owned" restaurants with over-priced nasty foods (Some places are really good but I can't justify paying nearly $10 for a hoagie), and being surrounded by tree huggers who don't shower and wreak of cigg and pot smoke. And yes, they've tried to complain many, many times about newer restaurants, but that's why there's no big chain places nearby downtown. It's "historic" downtown. Aka, 100+ year old crap buildings falling apart by the university that are owned by cheapskates who don't update or fix them.

Oh, I could go on and on. I would spend any evening at Buffalo Wild Wings or Olive Garden over smelly old downtown and all the smelly poor hipster college kids and the other creepy desolate people that live on the other side of the river that frequent/loiter around those places. So, sorry, forget "supporting local foods!"....I'll give to a corporate pig if it means paying decent prices for decent food to be around clean people and a nice building. Olive Garden won't allow leaky ceiling pipes or rats.

Forgot to mention before, but the food waster....for some reason, when I cook for this person, or bring them something to try at work to see if they like...they always like my food and eat a lot of it. So if they are lying, they are eating nasty food for fun. They ate double helpings of my different hotdish creations.

[Andara Bledin]

Okay, one has terrible service and tends to forget to heat up the food.

If they have to "heat up" the food, then they're not local in the first place.

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

If they have to "heat up" the food, then they're not local in the first place.

Local in the sense of 'locally-owned', but yes, the place is also notorious for using pre-made meals. Which I actually don't mind if it's priced accordingly and served hot.

[Andara Bledin]

Local in the sense of 'locally-owned', but yes, the place is also notorious for using pre-made meals. Which I actually don't mind if it's priced accordingly and served hot.

If that's all it takes, then there's no excuse for denying an Olive Garden or whatever franchise from moving in; it doesn't matter that it's a chain, the actual owners would be local.

For me, to be legitimately "local," you'd have to not only be local, but also get your ingredients locally.

^-.-^

[blas87]

If my uni town is anything like Admin's, the sandwich and soup type places are probably legit local, everything homemade, but the places with certain pastas or burgers, the foods are probably purchased from somewhere outside the city (or even state), but slapped as "local" because someone who lives in "Historic downtown" owns the place.

[guywithashovel]

I've never really understood the snootiness that some people express towards chains when they say they'd rather buy "local." Many of those chains probably started out as local mom and pop places but grew into what they are today.

It's like, "When you're a little mom and pop place, we'll love you and support you, but if you work hard and build your business into a franchise, you're suddenly "The Man," and we're going to turn our noses up to you as if you're the AntiChrist."

[protege]

Downtown by the uni here is also quite large. Downtown is a nightmare in general because they haven't updated the streets and parking since the damn 50s or before, and you have to pay to park nearly everywhere. The only place in town you have to pay to park. And of course, all of these "organic", "locally-owned" restaurants with over-priced nasty foods (Some places are really good but I can't justify paying nearly $10 for a hoagie), and being surrounded by tree huggers who don't shower and wreak of cigg and pot smoke. And yes, they've tried to complain many, many times about newer restaurants, but that's why there's no big chain places nearby downtown. It's "historic" downtown. Aka, 100+ year old crap buildings falling apart by the university that are owned by cheapskates who don't update or fix them.

Sounds like Pittsburgh's Oakland section of town. With Pitt and CMU (Carnegie Mellon), and Carlow in close proximity, there are quite a few of those people around. They *love* to patronize "local" businesses. In that section of town, nearly all of the restaurants are tiny, overpriced eateries. They survive, because they're not "corporations" or "chains." Never mind that some of them have *multiple* locations. Wouldn't that make something a regional "chain?" But, I've never understood hipster logic, and I don't plan on trying

Then there's the other reason I don't patronize those businesses. I'm not about to get screwed by having to deal with the "parking cartel" downtown, and then pay $10 for a burger and fries. Sorry, not happening. I'll stay out in the 'burbs, and get an entire plateful of food for ~$10 at the local Steak & Shake. Or, even Olive Garden

[Ree]

I have a friend like that, blas.

It's annoying as hell to go out for a meal with her.
There is always something wrong with her meal. I think I have yet to experience one meal where she has eaten everything and said it was good.

I will be sitting there enjoying my meal immensely, and I look across at her and she's whining because something is cold, or too salty, or soggy, or too well done, and on and on...

Sometimes I think it's a control thing with her.
I don't know.

I am a very picky eater, too, although you wouldn't know to look at me, but I know my likes and dislikes and will try to order accordingly.

Sometimes, the food really is crap and I just can't eat it, but seriously, not every single time.

I try not to go out with her for meals if I can help it now.

[blas87]

Oh, I don't fault anyone for being a picky eater. I'm probably the worst of anyone I know. I just started being open to eating Asian food about a year ago, and even then, I only really eat the brown nice and veggies and sweet/sour chicken and those sweet rolls. Same with Mexican, I really only eat taquitos/flautas/nachos/burritos.

But I can't get my head around someone who has been given the choice to pick where to eat, picks where to eat, and still hardly ever eats more than a little bit and finds fault with anything. All foods. Fast foods and sitdown restaurant foods. Even "Safe" foods like burgers and fries, with the occasional trying something new but hating it just because it is what it is.

It must be either control, or that person being way too spoiled. Going out to eat is such a treat for me, I try to not let anything bother me and I always appreciate not having to cook or microwave.