What food you avoid ordering at a restaurant?

I've worked in the restaurant and food industries, so in general I follow certain rules about dining out. Anthony Bourdain covered this in his New Yorker article. It's a good read.

I'm vegan and I won't eat anywhere that doesn't have a vegan option on the menu without alteration because of hidden ingredients and I sincerely don't want to pester the chef (who may hate vegans). I will try anything vegan. Even if I don't particularly enjoy a food, I trust a chef to cook it well and turn it into something enjoyable.

I also won't go out to eat with people who are rude to the staff. Some restaurant workers will tell you nothing happens if the customer is rude. What they mean to say is nothing happens if the customer is rude at their restaurant.

Here is a link to Bourdain's article:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/04/19/dont-eat-before-reading-this
 
JennyDaniella said:
Ay... mi corazon mexicano :cry::laughing: :grin:

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I know. I feel horrible... lololol
 
neko said:
tell me more about the ice, stu. is it dirty?
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Ice machines are notoriously dirty, mold growing, ice accumulations for months, they are often in dish washing areas and their bins left open for flying detritus to land, servers and bartenders routinely leave ice over night in uncovered bins....but people don't really get sick...or don't associated any food borne illness with ice. Me..., unless it is a martini, stirred but not shaken (as the alcohol content will kill most things) ...I will take it neat
 
Stu said:
Ice machines are notoriously dirty, mold growing, ice accumulations for months, they are often in dish washing areas and their bins left open for flying detritus to land, servers and bartenders routinely leave ice over night in uncovered bins....but people don't really get sick...or don't associated any food borne illness with ice. Me..., unless it is a martini, stirred but not shaken (as the alcohol content will kill most things) ...I will take it neat
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I’ve always known ice machines were dirty but not to this extent! I’m appalled. :mask::mask::confounded:
 
Ginny said:
Recently I heard about some seeweed that tastes just like bacon. Forgot the name, so I had to search.
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IMO, it tastes good, but not like bacon. I don't think there is anything vegan that really tastes "like bacon", but there are some good options for a similar vibe that are tasty in their own right, especially in BLTs. The best approach to veganism is to think, "This is it's own food," instead of, "This is a substitute food." There are so many yummy flavors to explore.
I may not truly remember what bacon tastes like, though, and just have a memory of the flavor.

Stu said:
Ice, because I work in a Restaurant.
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Yup. Also, there are places where I won't drink anything that comes from "the lines". Bottles only.
 
I'm an unabashed carnivore but I refuse to eat seafood. Fish sauce, oyster sauce, anything that-lives-under-the-sea sauce or grilled, fried, baked... Just blegh.

Also, brussels sprouts and broccoli because I'm apparently seven-going-on-thirty
 
In general, I do not like to order things that I could prepare better myself without much effort (or buy at a grocery store for less). The vast majority of pasta falls into this category as do most breakfast foods. Most sandwiches and salads do as well. My thought is that, if I am paying for it, it should be something I would find a pain to try and make.

I do not like it when restaurants do not have solid vegan and vegetarian options. Many places where I live have only one token vegetarian option, and it is usually awful. American chain restaurants are usually bad about this too. I usually want veggies with my meal, and many places neglect or fail in this regard. I mostly eat at local (often family owned) restaurants serving non-American food.
 
It depends on the restaurant but I do have a list of which foods I avoid ordering no matter what:

  • bugs
  • human
  • live animal
  • some body parts (eye, testicle, penis, etc.)
  • a meal that contains poisonous animal (if cook make a mistake in preparation, the food still will be poisonous. for example, pufferfish)
  • any animal that lay eggs (when I was a kid, I watched news about a man that was nearly choked to death because some tiny sea animal's eggs hatched when these eggs stuck on his throat therefore I don't eat those animals).

My aim was being a little humorous about it but what I wrote was gross LOL, isn't it? I'm not sorry. Have a nice day!
 
Faye said:
In general, I do not like to order things that I could prepare better myself without much effort (or buy at a grocery store for less). The vast majority of pasta falls into this category as do most breakfast foods. Most sandwiches and salads do as well. My thought is that, if I am paying for it, it should be something I would find a pain to try and make.
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That's an excellent policy.
 
Animal organs and scraps. I know that in many cultures it’s an acquired taste borne generationally out of necessity and hard times, but I just can’t appreciate it. Take tripe for example. I’ve had it in pho, and it was like chewing on a rubber glove. No flavor, and you know that at one point, even though all traces are long gone and there is no risk of infection.....there was poop in it.
 
Sloe Djinn said:
Animal organs and scraps. I know that in many cultures it’s an acquired taste borne generationally out of necessity and hard times, but I just can’t appreciate it. Take tripe for example. I’ve had it in pho, and it was like chewing on a rubber glove. No flavor, and you know that at one point, even though all traces are long gone and there is no risk of infection.....there was poop in it.
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Organ meats are the brussels sprouts and broccoli of animal protein. They're nutritionally dense but rarely palatable. I feel you there.
 
Sloe Djinn said:
Animal organs and scraps. I know that in many cultures it’s an acquired taste borne generationally out of necessity and hard times, but I just can’t appreciate it. Take tripe for example. I’ve had it in pho, and it was like chewing on a rubber glove. No flavor, and you know that at one point, even though all traces are long gone and there is no risk of infection.....there was poop in it.
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Prolly needs more Tabasco sauce :grin::sweatsmile::smile:
 
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