Nancy Young said...

> Dimitri wrote:
>
>> The "is everything OK" statement stems from old English common law.
>> When the diner or inn guest said the food was all right that was the
>> transfer of liability and agreement to pay for the food.
>
> I don't like it, especially when it's repeated 2 or 3 times.
> It's usually not a problem, I don't mean to say it happens
> every time. But really, if you see I'm eating or in the middle
> of a conversation, don't rudely interrupt me.
>
> Well, you, Dimitri, you can interrupt me anytime. I mean the
> waiter.
>
>> Food quality
>> If the problem is the quality of the food rather than the service and
>> it is so poor as to be a breach of contract, again you are entitled
>> to reduce the bill or refuse to pay. However, if you are going to do
>> this you need to tell the waiter at the time the food is served or if
>> you first taste it.
>
> This just happened this afternoon, what a coincidence. We went
> to a restaurant and sat at the bar. Only 2 seats that were open,
> a woman had her purse on it. Excuse me, could you move your
> purse, thanks? Well, you could see she didn't like it. You can
> imagine I couldn't care less. Heh. I just knew she'd be trouble.
>
> Soon arrives a huge bowl of steamers. Piled high, it was a lot.
> Clatter clatter go the shells, they polish off the whole thing.
Bartender
> comes over, how was everything, she says Well, I ate them all but
> they were dry overcooked blah blah, she went on. He was taken
> aback, in 15 years he never heard a complaint about that dish. A
> specialty. Okay, I'll take it off your bill, would you like to order
> anything else? Yes.
>
> I didn't stick around to see if that food was to her liking. It just
made
> me laugh, she didn't just eat a couple and say I don't like this. She
> and her friend ate the whole pile without a word.
>
> nancy


If something's wrong with the food, I'll flag down the waitstaff. Until
then wait until I ask for the check and then they're free to ask "was
everything alright?"

That's how I wish to be treated, anyway.

Andy