#MicroblogMondays 75: Restaurant Ordering

by Mel

41 comments

1 Persnickety { 02.01.16 at 5:46 am }

No, I couldn’t do it! And yet, I happily go to degustation dinners which do exactly that.
And when I was in high school I was so consistent in my sandwich order, the lunch ladies made mine in advance! But I might one day, want something different.

2 Mali { 02.01.16 at 6:03 am }

I like trying new things, and would be intrigued at what my friends might order for me. There would have to be one or two ground rules though. I always like going out with Asians – they order for everyone, and we just eat it, as it is all shared. Takes away all the stress and there’s no decision envy. One of the reasons I like tapas too.

3 Middle Girl { 02.01.16 at 7:13 am }

Flat out no? No, I think under a certain set of circumstances I may be convinced to let someone else to order for me.

4 Catwoman73 { 02.01.16 at 7:46 am }

Not a chance! I’m very particular about what I eat, and knowing my friends, they would make a game out of finding some item on the menu that I would never, in a million years, choose to ingest. And I would certainly suffer for it.

Though, I suppose I would do the same to them. 😉

5 a { 02.01.16 at 8:18 am }

If they’re paying, they can pick! I don’t know – to me it’s no different than being invited to dinner at someone’s house. Also, I would definitely be happy to order for my friends who dither. I don’t generally have a problem with decision fatigue or anxiety, though.

6 Sharon { 02.01.16 at 8:37 am }

I would let my friend order for me. In a way it would be no different than having dinner at a friend’s house, just less work for them.

But then again, I am neither a picky eater or someone with a lot of dietary restrictions

7 Lavonne @ *Our Wish* { 02.01.16 at 8:43 am }

My best friend and I kind of do this. We will order our own meals but we usually try each other’s. Our palletes are very different so it has opened up our options. She is extremely picky so she usually doesn’t like what I have but a lot of times I like what she has. She knows my allergies so outside of that I’m always willing to try new things.

8 Vaibhav Gupta { 02.01.16 at 8:52 am }

Of course I would! If I’m in a situation where I can’t decide what to eat, and someone is nice enough to make a recommendation, why not try it? Of course, this is given that they know what they’re talking about, and not talking out of their behind.

9 Raven { 02.01.16 at 9:09 am }

NO way! I am way too picky for that. My #microblogmonday post is along these lines…

10 One and Done? { 02.01.16 at 9:15 am }

Nope nope nope! I will say I am a pretty indecisive person so I often throw out two choices to my husband and make him pick. He often chooses better from those two choices than I do.

11 Lori Shandle-Fox { 02.01.16 at 9:29 am }

For what reason? One of the true joys of being an “adult” is that you can go into a restaurant and pick whatever you want. Even though I don’t eat that much meat anymore, I still remember that whenever we used to order any type of meat in a restaurant, my mother would always tell them to cook it: “well done”. When I was older and I had a burger medium rare for the first time, I felt like I had just been born.

12 Katherine A { 02.01.16 at 9:48 am }

Depends on who is picking, but I definitely have some more adventurous friends who, as long as they avoided something that I actively dislike, I would enjoy letting them pick for me. Try something I probably wouldn’t try otherwise – I tend to be one of those people who gets stuck in a rut/safe zone on any given menu.

13 Katherine { 02.01.16 at 9:55 am }

Well, when you’re invited at a friend’s house and they have cooked dinner for you, it’s like they have ordered for you, right? At her home, your friend cooks something which she thinks is yummy and you would like. At the restaurant, your friend also orders something which she thinks is yummy and you would like. Ok, so you don’t pay to go to her dinner party, but I’m not sure whether that should make a difference. And in any case, you probably brought your friend a nice bottle of wine or a pie or something. Plus you will probably invest more time in her home than in a restaurant — you are more likely to eat and leave at a restaurant, while at a home that would be terrible manners.
I guess that might be the main difference? What you expect to get out of each outing? You go to a friend’s house for social reasons, but consider a restaurant to have a more utilitarian function — to eat?
I don’t go out to eat often. When I do, it’s purely for social reasons — it’s certainly nice to have good food, but it’s secondary to the company.
Unless I have a very very specific craving, (or very specific food aversions) I wouldn’t mind someone ordering for me. As a matter of fact, in my culture, it’s very common that when lots of people are invited to a restaurant, the person who invited (and pays) does the ordering for everyone (though that usually involves a variety of tapas-like dishes, so everyone will find something they enjoy.)

14 Working mom of 2 { 02.01.16 at 10:03 am }

No way. Unless maybe if we were at a vegan restaurant and I knew I could eat anything n the menu. But even then…what if they ordered something with mushrooms on it? Ick…

Even aside from that, I’ve always been picky, and we very rarely eat out, so when we do I want it to be something I really like.

15 Isabelle { 02.01.16 at 10:31 am }

Yup. I will let others order for me. I like to try new things and other people’s dishes are always interesting to me. If I don’t like it this time, then I won’t order it the next time.

16 loribeth { 02.01.16 at 10:51 am }

Doubtful. It’s one thing for a friend to make a recommendation (“The pasta al forno here is amazing!”) but I would prefer to make my own choices. Particularly since I have some allergy concerns that not all my friends might be aware of or remember. :p I’ve been at sushi & Chinese restaurants where we all ordered & shared, but there’s usually enough variety to satisfy everyone’s palates and preferences/concerns.

17 Traci York { 02.01.16 at 11:26 am }

Maybe, possibly, my husband, but only because we’ve been together almost 30 years. Otherwise, I don’t know that I could relinquish control over my order.

18 Chris { 02.01.16 at 12:56 pm }

I’d let my BFF order for me- she and I have many similar tastes and she’s just as likely to remember my allergies as I am. We’re in a group together where we eat at other’s houses once a month and she always taste tests and discovers whether or not I can eat something because of her worries over my allergies (one of the worst is I’m HIGHLY allergic to peppers and they are in EVERYTHING it seems!) But, I can’t think of many others I’d let order for me. She and I often spit an entree when we eat out anyway so that would work fine for me. 🙂

19 Turia { 02.01.16 at 1:02 pm }

If we were going out in a group and we were planning on sharing the dishes, I would expect everyone would get a say in the order, so I would end up eating things I wouldn’t have necessarily chosen. If we go out with our friends who are Chinese, and we go to a Chinese restaurant, I am often happy to defer to them. But that’s a very specific situation.

If it was just the two of us out somewhere, and I would be eating my own meal, there’s no way I would ever let someone else order. Although Q. and I often order and share and we will discuss what we think looks like and then compromise. (I will admit that a lot of the time he is more willing to compromise than I am.)

I have never had a man do this on a date, but honestly, it would end the date right there and then.

20 Turia { 02.01.16 at 1:03 pm }

looks *good*, not looks like. Sigh.

21 nonsequiturchica { 02.01.16 at 1:49 pm }

I would probably let my husband order for me. We used to joke that he always ordered the better meal, but that doesn’t always happen anymore. Now that I have some strong pregnancy cravings though….not for the next couple of months!

22 Cristy { 02.01.16 at 1:56 pm }

We just watched Intolerable Cruelty last weekend and I marveled at the scene where George Clooney’s character orders for Catherine Zeta-Jones. And she doesn’t bat an eye. That completely left an impression because as awesome as that would seem, I KNOW I would likely be freaking out.

Grey does order for me, but only for routine things like coffee where he knows exactly what to get. Otherwise he won’t chance it. Because the “surprise” rarely ends well.

23 Jenn { 02.01.16 at 2:55 pm }

Nope. I have celiac disease. If the whole restaurant were safe for me to eat, then i’d be down for doing something each of us pick and Sharon in order to be able to try more things. Otherwise, if I get to eat out then I probably know exactly what I want. I don’t think I would want to order for a friend either.

24 JustHeather { 02.01.16 at 3:15 pm }

With a few ground rules (no frog, snail, blood…) sure, I’d like to see what others might pick for me. I’d like to have last say though. My sister has often said that she should let others pick for her, as she is often times disappointed in what she has ordered and other people’s food looks better.

25 illustr8d { 02.01.16 at 3:37 pm }

They would have to know me very, very well. I dislike many things most people think I should like (mushrooms, for example) and I’m a really strict vegetarian which throws people off all. the. time. (Fish sauce is not vegetarian. Neither is chicken. Neither is spaghetti and meatballs with the meatballs picked out. But there are people who believe otherwise.)

So they’d have to be really respectful of my dietary requirements. That said, I could see doing this if they knew a cuisine well that I didn’t. For instance, if I’d never had Thai or Indian. (Perish the thought.)

26 illustr8d { 02.01.16 at 3:38 pm }

Also, sort of random thought, but dinner parties are sort of like letting your friend order for you.

27 Amber { 02.01.16 at 4:22 pm }

I guess it depends on how well that friend knows me. My husband would be able to order for me pretty well. Someone that doesn’t eat with me very often though, I’d have a hard time giving them that leeway. Mostly, I’m a cheapskate and would hate it if I ended up paying for something I didn’t remotely like!

28 deathstar { 02.01.16 at 4:48 pm }

What if my friend ordered me a salad with dressing on the side? They wouldn’t be my friend for very much longer. My closest friend still hasn’t figured out I can’t eat a lot of cheese, dislike onions and green peppers.

29 Stephanie (Travelcraft Journal) { 02.01.16 at 5:12 pm }

I probably would. I mean, maybe not for some fancy meal, but for just regular food at a place I like with a friend that knows my preferences, sure. I can envision a scenario where i say something like “I’m running late, just order me something” or “just get me whatever you’re having.”

30 Jess { 02.01.16 at 6:41 pm }

Hmmm. I am kind of a one-trick-pony at restaurants… we have our favorites, and then I have my favorite items at those favorite places. So, it’s possible that someone could order for me if they know what I normally order. But even so, there’s some variation. I think I’d like to make my own ordering decisions, even if my decisions are the same go-tos every time. 🙂

31 Stacy (Texzonagal) { 02.01.16 at 6:50 pm }

Sure, why not. Sometimes the element of surprise can be exciting! 🙂

ETA: First time sharing. Super excited!

32 md { 02.01.16 at 10:45 pm }

hmm, it depends on the situation. if i cannot decide what to order, and if they know me well, plus they know their recommendations, then they can order for me 😛

33 Beat About the Book { 02.02.16 at 1:19 am }

Not sure this would work for me since I’m an unpredictable eater. Some days I want the ‘same old stuff’ while on other days I would like to be experimental. Somedays I’m on a diet, somedays I want to pamper myself. Nope, no friends should order for me.

34 StacieT { 02.02.16 at 1:20 am }

I’m not sure it would bug me all that much. I wouldn’t really have a problem trying it and getting something else if I didn’t like it. I am a fairly picky eater and a cheapskate, but I will not suffer through food I don’t like. That is the one place where I draw the line. lol

35 Miranda { 02.02.16 at 2:26 am }

Loved thinking about this one. But it was pretty quick! Ha!! I am way too picky!

36 Rachel { 02.02.16 at 4:24 am }

I would absolutely let my sister order for me. She has the best taste in food. She helps me expand my horizons every time she cooks for me.

37 Kasey { 02.02.16 at 8:40 am }

Absolutely. Unless I go somewhere for a specific food – our local pub for a cheeseburger – I find most menus overwhelming. Sometimes, to my husbands great irritation, I will do something along the lines of “I need to run to the bathroom order for me ok” but this is more childish than I wish I was and usually has to do with ordering drinks.
I love going to new ethnic restaurants with friends who know – Korean BBQ with my friend who speaks Korean, sign me up. Indian with my friend who’s parents immigrated, awesome. Growing up with a limited palette this helps narrow down what is good and removes the stress of butchering pronunciation of new and unfamiliar words.

38 Geochick { 02.02.16 at 10:00 am }

At first, I thought Yeah! After all I’m a somewhat adventurous eater. And then I started to think about foods I don’t eat or that make me squeamish and I realized that I’d have to know the menu first. Like, at a sushi restaurant, no way could someone else order for me. At a pub-like restaurant, sure why not?

39 Lindz { 02.02.16 at 10:36 am }

There’s a local Indian place that’s family run. Some of our best meals have been to call over the owner or his son and have them surprise us. It also lets them try out new dishes and get feedback before it goes on the menu. That’s how I actually discovered my favorite Indian dish.

40 Vinitha { 02.02.16 at 11:57 am }

I am okay if my husband orders for me. He knows my likes and dislikes. A random friend? No thank you!

41 Lori Lavender Luz { 02.02.16 at 6:10 pm }

Nope. One of the easiest questions I’ll answer all day.