sarah bennett wrote:

> jake wrote:
>
>>
>>>
>>>> No, guests should not order the most expensive menu item,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> And here, you admit there is some line somewhere.
>>>
>>> People who don't pay attention to that wind up being the
>>> ones bitched about who order expensive meals all the time
>>> then just split the bill with the others at the table, apparently
>>> unaware everyone is chipping in for their meal.
>>>
>>> nancy
>>>
>> I have subsidised many nights out because I"ll eat one course rather
>> than 2 or 3 and because I don't drink alcohol most of the time. I have
>> found it difficult to express I thought it was too much to expect from
>> me. Instead, I have resorted to asking people to come and eat at my
>> home (I love to cook and no one needs to spend big money). Or
>> choosing other activities than going eat to bars/restaurants. It works
>> well enough for the situation to be acceptable.
>
>
> am I the only one who has no problem dividing a bill properly? If no one
> is treating me to a dinner, I order whatever I want, and pay for it.
> There is no way that I would split a bill evenly. Why do you guys do it
> that way?
>

Addition deficit disorder.

Seriously, though, people do it because at the end of a group meal
people tend to forget who had how many drinks, how much each course
cost, and so on. It's a lot easier to split it evenly than to go to the
hassle of getting the menu to check prices and so on. Some people pay
more, some less, but in theory it averages out over time. In theory.

Peter