I had to take her. We had managed to avoid going to her 50th birthday
party last summer... joint party for her and her husband whose birthday
is a few days after hers. However.... my wife had offered to take them
out for a meal. I had hoped to avoid that, leaving it to to her to do
when she was in the city. This week they contacted us to let us know
that they were going to be in the area and wanted to take us up on the
offer for brunch.

We made reservations at a restaurant in a nearby town that was supposed
to be good, but was not terribly expensive. Lucky for me, both of them
have become diabetic, so they don't eat anywhere near as much as they
used to.


The meals they ordered all came with a side order of soup or salad.
Bother ordered a Caesar salad in addition to their meals that came with
sides. BN ordered the cheese platter instead dessert, even though they
were on their way to a cheese tasting. So lunch for 4... $142. ouch.

We went with them to the cheese shop. Holy cow, I wish I had been the
proprietor. They stocked right up on cheese. Her husband told me I
should get some of the popcorn. No way I was going to pay $5.95 for a
bag of popcorn. They got two. I commented to my wife on the way home
about the price of the popcorn and wondered why they wouldn't just pop
10 cents worth of popcorn. She giggled and said it was probably for the
ride home.

Dave Smith wrote:
> I had to take her. We had managed to avoid going to her 50th birthday
> party last summer... joint party for her and her husband whose birthday
> is a few days after hers. However.... my wife had offered to take them
> out for a meal. I had hoped to avoid that, leaving it to to her to do
> when she was in the city. This week they contacted us to let us know
> that they were going to be in the area and wanted to take us up on the
> offer for brunch.
>
> We made reservations at a restaurant in a nearby town that was supposed
> to be good, but was not terribly expensive. Lucky for me, both of them
> have become diabetic, so they don't eat anywhere near as much as they
> used to.
>
>
> The meals they ordered all came with a side order of soup or salad.
> Bother ordered a Caesar salad in addition to their meals that came with
> sides. BN ordered the cheese platter instead dessert, even though they
> were on their way to a cheese tasting. So lunch for 4... $142. ouch.
>
> We went with them to the cheese shop. Holy cow, I wish I had been the
> proprietor. They stocked right up on cheese. Her husband told me I
> should get some of the popcorn. No way I was going to pay $5.95 for a
> bag of popcorn. They got two. I commented to my wife on the way home
> about the price of the popcorn and wondered why they wouldn't just pop
> 10 cents worth of popcorn. She giggled and said it was probably for the
> ride home.

Oh! I didn't realize BN was that old. That makes her general
behavior even more inexcusable.

--
Jean B.

On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:27:38 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

> Oh! I didn't realize BN was that old. That makes her general
> behavior even more inexcusable.

Ditto. I didn't realize she was married either.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:
>
> On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:27:38 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
>
> > Oh! I didn't realize BN was that old. That makes her general
> > behavior even more inexcusable.
>
> Ditto. I didn't realize she was married either.


Ditto & ditto! Thankfully the lunch wasn't at your house, eh Dave?!!
But dang, that definitely was a pricey lunch - OUCH.

Sky

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

On Mar 13, 7:19*pm, Dave Smith > wrote:
* So lunch for 4... $142. ouch.

How much of that was for booze, tax and tip?

In article >,
Sky > wrote:

> sf wrote:
> >
> > On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:27:38 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
> >
> > > Oh! I didn't realize BN was that old. That makes her general
> > > behavior even more inexcusable.
> >
> > Ditto. I didn't realize she was married either.
>
>
> Ditto & ditto! Thankfully the lunch wasn't at your house, eh Dave?!!
> But dang, that definitely was a pricey lunch - OUCH.
>
> Sky

It sure was. When I take relatives out, it's more often to lunch than
dinner as lunch is generally a LOT more reasonable. Sometimes I just
eat appetizers as that is more than enough food any more...
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

Omelet wrote:
>
> In article >,
> Sky > wrote:
>
> > sf wrote:
> > >
> > > On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:27:38 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:
> > >
> > > > Oh! I didn't realize BN was that old. That makes her general
> > > > behavior even more inexcusable.
> > >
> > > Ditto. I didn't realize she was married either.
> >
> >
> > Ditto & ditto! Thankfully the lunch wasn't at your house, eh Dave?!!
> > But dang, that definitely was a pricey lunch - OUCH.
> >
> > Sky
>
> It sure was. When I take relatives out, it's more often to lunch than
> dinner as lunch is generally a LOT more reasonable. Sometimes I just
> eat appetizers as that is more than enough food any more...

VBG! Try doing breakfast instead - it's even more inexpensive (usually)
than going out for lunch with the relatives There are often many
unique eateries that serve fantastic breakfast for a surprisingly
reasonable cost, especially when one considers what the diner gets for
the price.

Sky

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

In article >,
Sky > wrote:

> > > Ditto & ditto! Thankfully the lunch wasn't at your house, eh Dave?!!
> > > But dang, that definitely was a pricey lunch - OUCH.
> > >
> > > Sky
> >
> > It sure was. When I take relatives out, it's more often to lunch than
> > dinner as lunch is generally a LOT more reasonable. Sometimes I just
> > eat appetizers as that is more than enough food any more...
>
> VBG! Try doing breakfast instead - it's even more inexpensive (usually)
> than going out for lunch with the relatives There are often many
> unique eateries that serve fantastic breakfast for a surprisingly
> reasonable cost, especially when one considers what the diner gets for
> the price.
>
> Sky

True, but so many places are not open for breakfast! :-)
That would certainly work tho' for relatives that were inconsiderate.

Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
'specially chinese buffet!
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

Dave Smith wrote:
> We made reservations at a restaurant in a nearby town that was
> supposed to be good, but was not terribly expensive. Lucky for me,
> both of them have become diabetic, so they don't eat anywhere near as
> much as they used to.

Dave, I hope your niece and her husband are making some permanent
changes in their lives.


Becca

In article >,
Omelet > wrote:


> Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
> 'specially chinese buffet!

I understand that at some point, people get kicked out. Can you imagine
the embarrassment when BN gets told to leave and never come back, after
her sixth time through the line?

My wife had a roommate when she lived in the dorm at college. It was
all you could eat, but everything was pre-served in small portions.
After the third time through, the roommate would ask my wife to go
through for her and get some more food, as she was too embarrassed to go
through again.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

Kalmia wrote:
> On Mar 13, 7:19 pm, Dave Smith > wrote:
> So lunch for 4... $142. ouch.
>
> How much of that was for booze, tax and tip?

The tip was extra. Who has more than one drink at lunch?

At any rate, we found a nice place to go for meals. The food was
excelletn and quite reasonable. The beer and wine prices are outrageous.

Becca wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
>> We made reservations at a restaurant in a nearby town that was
>> supposed to be good, but was not terribly expensive. Lucky for me,
>> both of them have become diabetic, so they don't eat anywhere near as
>> much as they used to.
>
> Dave, I hope your niece and her husband are making some permanent
> changes in their lives.


I hope so for their sakes. Now she only eats about twice as much as
normal people. She used to eat as much as 5 or 6. I hate to imagine how
much they spend on groceries.

On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:32:30 -0600, Omelet >
wrote:

> Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
> 'specially chinese buffet!

Ugh to all buffets! Beyond nasty and that includes the expensive ones
too. Hate them.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:53:05 -0800, Dan Abel > wrote:

> In article >,
> Omelet > wrote:
>
>
> > Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
> > 'specially chinese buffet!
>
> I understand that at some point, people get kicked out. Can you imagine
> the embarrassment when BN gets told to leave and never come back, after
> her sixth time through the line?
>
> My wife had a roommate when she lived in the dorm at college. It was
> all you could eat, but everything was pre-served in small portions.
> After the third time through, the roommate would ask my wife to go
> through for her and get some more food, as she was too embarrassed to go
> through again.

Oh, come on. I don't believe she did that to avoid being asked to
leave only because she was embarrassed anyone would know how much she
was eating. When still in college, my friends used to do a Christmas
Day get together in the Crown Room at the Fairmount hotel. We were a
group of 14-20 depending on the year. We stayed there literally for
hours and went back for food many, many times. We were *never* told
to leave or even given "the bum's rush". Life was good back in those
days.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf > wrote in news:1ftop5lc02ktv3iq9fob5ibe86ra2jagrt@
4ax.com:

> On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:32:30 -0600, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
>> Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
>> 'specially chinese buffet!
>
> Ugh to all buffets! Beyond nasty and that includes the expensive ones
> too. Hate them.
>


HUH????


"When still in college, my friends used to do a Christmas
Day get together in the Crown Room at the Fairmount hotel. We were a
group of 14-20 depending on the year. We stayed there literally for
hours and went back for food many, many times. We were *never* told
to leave or even given "the bum's rush". Life was good back in those
days."


You're contradicting yourself, as well as being quite forgetful, and are
being just a *tad* aggressive.


Wassup??



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Edmund Burke.

In article
>,
Dan Abel > wrote:

> In article >,
> Omelet > wrote:
>
>
> > Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
> > 'specially chinese buffet!
>
> I understand that at some point, people get kicked out. Can you imagine
> the embarrassment when BN gets told to leave and never come back, after
> her sixth time through the line?
>
> My wife had a roommate when she lived in the dorm at college. It was
> all you could eat, but everything was pre-served in small portions.
> After the third time through, the roommate would ask my wife to go
> through for her and get some more food, as she was too embarrassed to go
> through again.

<lol> I never go thru more than twice... Not because of embarrassment,
but because I'm full!

I honest to gods don't understand how some people can eat so much!
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:32:30 -0600, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> > Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
> > 'specially chinese buffet!
>
> Ugh to all buffets! Beyond nasty and that includes the expensive ones
> too. Hate them.

I'm sorry you don't have any good ones near you. :-( We have an
_excellent_ and reasonably priced Chinese buffet near us. They also have
a Sushi bar in a separate part of the restaurant. It's closed off with
paper screens.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:24:18 -0600, Omelet >
wrote:

> I'm sorry you don't have any good ones near you. :-( We have an
> _excellent_ and reasonably priced Chinese buffet near us. They also have
> a Sushi bar in a separate part of the restaurant. It's closed off with
> paper screens.

There are plenty that other people consider "good". I think they are
a way to separate an idiot from their money. Way too expensive for
what's offered. There is no way you can eat your money's worth of
food. Buffet sushi? No thanks. That's as bad as buying it from the
grocery store.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:32:30 -0600, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
>> Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
>> 'specially chinese buffet!
>
> Ugh to all buffets! Beyond nasty and that includes the expensive ones
> too. Hate them.
>
> --


Anything with a "sneeze guard" is a no-no, IMHO. Anything "all you can eat"
is a "no thanks". They don't put out good food for a song.

Jill

PLucas1 > wrote in
:

> sf > wrote in news:1ftop5lc02ktv3iq9fob5ibe86ra2jagrt@
> 4ax.com:
>
>> On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:32:30 -0600, Omelet >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
>>> 'specially chinese buffet!
>>
>> Ugh to all buffets! Beyond nasty and that includes the expensive ones
>> too. Hate them.
>>
>
>
> HUH????
>
>
> "When still in college, my friends used to do a Christmas
> Day get together in the Crown Room at the Fairmount hotel. We were a
> group of 14-20 depending on the year. We stayed there literally for
> hours and went back for food many, many times. We were *never* told
> to leave or even given "the bum's rush". Life was good back in those
> days."
>
>
> You're contradicting yourself, as well as being quite forgetful, and
are
> being just a *tad* aggressive.
>
>
> Wassup??
>
>
>

Troll! Forgery!

--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


Killfile all Google Groups posters.........

http://improve-usenet.org/

http://improve-usenet.org/filters_bg.html

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 07:58:10 -0400, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

>"sf" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:32:30 -0600, Omelet >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Breakfast buffets (or lunch buffets) are always a good bet...
>>> 'specially chinese buffet!
>>
>> Ugh to all buffets! Beyond nasty and that includes the expensive ones
>> too. Hate them.
>>
>> --
>
>
>Anything with a "sneeze guard" is a no-no, IMHO. Anything "all you can eat"
>is a "no thanks". They don't put out good food for a song.
>
>Jill

Some are better than others but I never found a bad one in NV...
there's one I ate at in Carson City that was so good I always regret
is so far away... I got more than my money's worth in whole fresh
pickled button 'shrooms alone. There's a "Chinese" (not really
Chinese restaurant food) buffet near here that's pretty good
considering it's all you can eat for lunch for $5...if you have a
sweet tooth their dessert bar alone is well worth the $5. But I have
to admit I've seen some nasty salad bars too. Like any eatery it's a
crap shoot.

On 3/14/2010 6:47 AM, sf wrote:
> On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:24:18 -0600, >
> wrote:
>
>> I'm sorry you don't have any good ones near you. :-( We have an
>> _excellent_ and reasonably priced Chinese buffet near us. They also have
>> a Sushi bar in a separate part of the restaurant. It's closed off with
>> paper screens.
>
> There are plenty that other people consider "good". I think they are
> a way to separate an idiot from their money. Way too expensive for
> what's offered. There is no way you can eat your money's worth of
> food. Buffet sushi? No thanks. That's as bad as buying it from the
> grocery store.

I don't think that the 8 bucks or so that the local buffet charges for
lunch could be classified as "way too expensive for what's offered" when
you can easily spend the same amount at McDonalds or Taco Bell.

sf wrote:
> On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:24:18 -0600, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
>> I'm sorry you don't have any good ones near you. :-( We have an
>> _excellent_ and reasonably priced Chinese buffet near us. They also have
>> a Sushi bar in a separate part of the restaurant. It's closed off with
>> paper screens.
>
> There are plenty that other people consider "good". I think they are
> a way to separate an idiot from their money. Way too expensive for
> what's offered. There is no way you can eat your money's worth of
> food. Buffet sushi? No thanks. That's as bad as buying it from the
> grocery store.
>

Like anything else, there are good ones and bad ones. We go to the
buffets at the casinos here in Shreveport because we get coupons for
"buy one, get one" or just half price. One of the casinos has really
excellent prime rib... another has a good seafood buffet. That said, we
usually go only once a month or so and it usually costs us about $15 total.

As for sushi, there is a restaurant in Houston that has excellent sushi
on their buffet.... made fresh right in front of you.
http://www.kirin-2.com/ It is pricey for the area, but there is a lot
of competition in Houston. To me, it is a great value and I wish we had
a trip to Houston planned for this Spring but we don't.

George L

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:24:18 -0600, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> > I'm sorry you don't have any good ones near you. :-( We have an
> > _excellent_ and reasonably priced Chinese buffet near us. They also have
> > a Sushi bar in a separate part of the restaurant. It's closed off with
> > paper screens.
>
> There are plenty that other people consider "good". I think they are
> a way to separate an idiot from their money. Way too expensive for
> what's offered. There is no way you can eat your money's worth of
> food. Buffet sushi? No thanks. That's as bad as buying it from the
> grocery store.

Oh I never eat buffet sushi! Bleah!
The sushi bar is not a buffet. It's all prepared fresh. :-)
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

In article >,
"J. Clarke" > wrote:

> On 3/14/2010 6:47 AM, sf wrote:
> > On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 02:24:18 -0600, >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> I'm sorry you don't have any good ones near you. :-( We have an
> >> _excellent_ and reasonably priced Chinese buffet near us. They also have
> >> a Sushi bar in a separate part of the restaurant. It's closed off with
> >> paper screens.
> >
> > There are plenty that other people consider "good". I think they are
> > a way to separate an idiot from their money. Way too expensive for
> > what's offered. There is no way you can eat your money's worth of
> > food. Buffet sushi? No thanks. That's as bad as buying it from the
> > grocery store.
>
> I don't think that the 8 bucks or so that the local buffet charges for
> lunch could be classified as "way too expensive for what's offered" when
> you can easily spend the same amount at McDonalds or Taco Bell.

I agree! Average lunch buffet prices around here are $7.00 or so. I was
shocked at what I ended up spending for breakfast at McD's last time. (I
was on the road and there were no diners in the area) and how little
food I actually got.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

Dave Smith > wrote in news:4b9c2bb4$0$3976
:

> So lunch for 4... $142. ouch.

That's 35,50$ per person. Pretty standard around here if you want to go to
a decent place. My father groused about paying that much at Inigo Jones in
London in 1973, but times have changed.

The children bought us a dinner at the local trattoria down the street. It
was for 100$ and we ended up paying 6$ more. And I had no alcohol, never
do, and we stuck to the table d'hôte which is excellent anyway.

--

"The officer corps will forgive anything they can
understand, which makes intelligence the only sin."

Carnell, Blakes 7 episode 16

Michel Boucher wrote:
> Dave Smith > wrote in news:4b9c2bb4$0$3976
> :
>
>> So lunch for 4... $142. ouch.
>
> That's 35,50$ per person. Pretty standard around here if you want to go to
> a decent place. My father groused about paying that much at Inigo Jones in
> London in 1973, but times have changed.
>
> The children bought us a dinner at the local trattoria down the street. It
> was for 100$ and we ended up paying 6$ more. And I had no alcohol, never
> do, and we stuck to the table d'hôte which is excellent anyway.

This was lunch, not dinner. I knew that these two had appetites. As I
pointed out, meals included a side order... soup or (garden salad, but I
was wrong, the niece's meal did. His did not. She ordered the soup, but
also ordered, not the garden salad but the much more expensive Caesar
salad. He ordered two sides, the Caesar salad and the soup.

It was not my idea to take these two to a restaurant, because I know
that they will take advantage when someone else is buying, and I think
that ordering extra side dishes is taking advantage. I would not do it.
However, I have to admit that it was not as bad as I expected. Thank
goodness they are both on diets now. It could have been a lot worse.

Dave Smith wrote:

>
> We went with them to the cheese shop. Holy cow, I wish I had been the
> proprietor. They stocked right up on cheese. Her husband told me I
> should get some of the popcorn. No way I was going to pay $5.95 for a
> bag of popcorn. They got two. I commented to my wife on the way home
> about the price of the popcorn and wondered why they wouldn't just pop
> 10 cents worth of popcorn. She giggled and said it was probably for the
> ride home.


I had a very large neighbor years ago who would go grocery shopping and
buy 2-3 16oz. bags of Oreo cookies "for the family" and an additional
bag "for the ride home". When she went to the donut shop she would buy
an extra dozen, also "for the ride".

gloria p

gloria.p wrote:

> I had a very large neighbor years ago who would go grocery shopping and
> buy 2-3 16oz. bags of Oreo cookies "for the family" and an additional
> bag "for the ride home". When she went to the donut shop she would buy
> an extra dozen, also "for the ride".

Yep. That sounds like Big Niece. One time my wife left our son with her
when she was visiting friends in the city. She had given BN some money
to buy groceries for the two of them for dinner. He said that when they
walked to the store to buy dinner she stopped at a corner store to get a
large bag of potato chips that she add on the way to the grocery store.
Then she stopped on the way home and bought another large bag that she
ate on the way home.

Dave Smith wrote:
> Michel Boucher wrote:
>> Dave Smith > wrote in news:4b9c2bb4$0$3976
>> :
>>
>>> So lunch for 4... $142. ouch.
>>
>> That's 35,50$ per person. Pretty standard around here if you want to
>> go to a decent place. My father groused about paying that much at
>> Inigo Jones in London in 1973, but times have changed.
>>
>> The children bought us a dinner at the local trattoria down the
>> street. It was for 100$ and we ended up paying 6$ more. And I had no
>> alcohol, never do, and we stuck to the table d'hôte which is excellent
>> anyway.
>
> This was lunch, not dinner. I knew that these two had appetites. As I
> pointed out, meals included a side order... soup or (garden salad, but I
> was wrong, the niece's meal did. His did not. She ordered the soup, but
> also ordered, not the garden salad but the much more expensive Caesar
> salad. He ordered two sides, the Caesar salad and the soup.
>
> It was not my idea to take these two to a restaurant, because I know
> that they will take advantage when someone else is buying, and I think
> that ordering extra side dishes is taking advantage. I would not do it.
> However, I have to admit that it was not as bad as I expected. Thank
> goodness they are both on diets now. It could have been a lot worse.

OK... so you are uncomfortable with the way your niece and her husband
eat. That leads me to ask.... why invite them out for dinner or lunch
if you disapprove of their dining habits? To celebrate a birthday or
whatever, you could have just bought them a present and been done with
it. Probably would have saved some money. "Sorry we couldn't be there
and our schedule is too busy to make lunch plans, so instead we are
sending you this gift in celebration... yadda, yadda, yadda." The
present could have even been a gift certificate to one of their favorite
restaurants. Then you would have paid exactly what you wanted to spend
without having to watch them order while you ran a running total in your
head.

And why did you choose THAT restaurant? If you knew they were going to
"take advantage" of you. it would have been easier to choose a cheaper
place. Obviously the price of the meal is important to you (she chose
the "much more expensive" salad). If your relationship with her has a
price tag, then take her to a place that fits the amount you are willing
to spend.

I'm thinking you went into this with a bad attitude and it became a
self-fulfilling prophesy.

George L

George Leppla wrote:

> And why did you choose THAT restaurant? If you knew they were going to
> "take advantage" of you. it would have been easier to choose a cheaper
> place. Obviously the price of the meal is important to you (she chose
> the "much more expensive" salad). If your relationship with her has a
> price tag, then take her to a place that fits the amount you are willing
> to spend.
>
> I'm thinking you went into this with a bad attitude and it became a
> self-fulfilling prophesy.

I'll piggy-back on my own reply.....

When I am invited out to a restaurant, I usually ask the host what
he/she is going to have as we all look over the menu. (What looks good
to you? What are you having? What is good here?)

Then... I make sure not to order anything more expensive then they do.

George L

In article >,
George Leppla > wrote:

> Dave Smith wrote:

> > It was not my idea to take these two to a restaurant


> I'm thinking you went into this with a bad attitude and it became a
> self-fulfilling prophesy.

Oh cmon, George, don't destroy our fun! BN (Big Niece) is an
institution on this group. I'll never forget the story about the five
dozen cookies. It was the holidays, and he needed to bake them in
advance, but BN was coming, so he put them in an anonymous box and hid
them where nobody could *ever* find them. After she left, he dug out
the box. It was empty!

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

"Dan Abel" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> George Leppla > wrote:
>
>> Dave Smith wrote:
>
>> > It was not my idea to take these two to a restaurant
>
>
>> I'm thinking you went into this with a bad attitude and it became a
>> self-fulfilling prophesy.
>
> Oh cmon, George, don't destroy our fun! BN (Big Niece) is an
> institution on this group. I'll never forget the story about the five
> dozen cookies.

Same here.

There are times we all do things we'd rather not for the sake of family
harmony on different levels. ""That may well be the case here for reasons
not obvious or none of our business. I think Dave has been able to step
aside and look at this as almost a form of entertainment just to see what is
going to happen. He writes about it very well.

George Leppla wrote:

> OK... so you are uncomfortable with the way your niece and her husband
> eat. That leads me to ask.... why invite them out for dinner or lunch
> if you disapprove of their dining habits? To celebrate a birthday or
> whatever, you could have just bought them a present and been done with
> it. Probably would have saved some money.

It sure as hell wasn't my idea. I don't expect you to read or remember
all my posts, but back in the summer we were invited to a birthday party
for a sister in law who lives in the same city as BN, which is about an
hour and a half drive for us, except that she was having it at her
cottage, which is almost four hours drive from here. She is hard to say
no to, but we explained..... 8 hours driving, putting the dogs in a
kennel, hotel...... two much expense to go to a party, and suggested
that we would have been happy to go to one in the city. A few days
later, BN called to invite us to their joint 50th birthday party.... to
be held the week after SiL's party, and at her father's cottage.... also
4 hours drive from here. No way we could swing both, or go to one and
not the other.

My wife made the offer to take them out for a meal because we couldn't
make it to the party. Personally, I felt no obligation to take them out
for a meal, at which I knew they would pig out, because he declined an
invitation that would have involved far too much time and money for a
few hours of party. It didn't help matters that the added incentive to
the invitation was that, in addition to all the expense to get to the
party and have to spring for a hotel (and kennel for the dogs) it was
BYOB.



> "Sorry we couldn't be there
> and our schedule is too busy to make lunch plans, so instead we are
> sending you this gift in celebration... yadda, yadda, yadda." The
> present could have even been a gift certificate to one of their favorite
> restaurants. Then you would have paid exactly what you wanted to spend
> without having to watch them order while you ran a running total in your
> head.

Good idea..... but a gift certificate for a decent restaurant for two
people with hollow legs?



> And why did you choose THAT restaurant? If you knew they were going to
> "take advantage" of you. it would have been easier to choose a cheaper
> place. Obviously the price of the meal is important to you (she chose
> the "much more expensive" salad). If your relationship with her has a
> price tag, then take her to a place that fits the amount you are willing
> to spend.

My suggestion was a greasy spoon about a half mile from where they were
going that day that brought them down this way. My wife vetoed that,
partly because the name of the place was Butterballs :-) We opted for
this particular restaurant because my wife had heard good things about
it and I checked their menu online and meal prices were reasonable.
Unfortunately, drinks and desserts were not listed on the online menu,
and drink prices were very high.... $9 for a pint of beer, $9 plus for a
glass of wine.


> I'm thinking you went into this with a bad attitude and it became a
> self-fulfilling prophesy.

Quite right. After all the years of knowing her and not liking her, I
was not thrilled about taking them to a restaurant, knowing that a human
sized meal would not be enough and that they would order extra side
dishes,extra drinks etc. Perhaps I should add that this is the one who
won a million bucks in a lottery and her version of spreading the joy of
her windfall was to buy my wife a china coffee mug. She also told her
brother to go out and pick out a car and she would help him with it, and
when she finally gave him a check it was for $400.


However, I have to admit that it was not quite as bad as I had expected,
and I know that it is not likely to happen again.

George Leppla wrote:

>
> I'll piggy-back on my own reply.....
>
> When I am invited out to a restaurant, I usually ask the host what
> he/she is going to have as we all look over the menu. (What looks good
> to you? What are you having? What is good here?)
>
> Then... I make sure not to order anything more expensive then they do.


That is the proper thing to do. When people take me out for meals I
certainly would not be looking at the most expensive items or ordering
extra courses and side dishes.

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:29:14 -0500, George Leppla
> wrote:

> Like anything else, there are good ones and bad ones. We go to the
> buffets at the casinos here in Shreveport because we get coupons for
> "buy one, get one" or just half price. One of the casinos has really
> excellent prime rib... another has a good seafood buffet. That said, we
> usually go only once a month or so and it usually costs us about $15 total.

Casino food? Hate it. Maybe the cost is a little less, but that's
only so they can keep my afore mentioned fools there long enough to
separate them from their money.
>
> As for sushi, there is a restaurant in Houston that has excellent sushi
> on their buffet.... made fresh right in front of you.
> http://www.kirin-2.com/ It is pricey for the area, but there is a lot
> of competition in Houston. To me, it is a great value and I wish we had
> a trip to Houston planned for this Spring but we don't.

One restaurant does not a genre make. We have a good sushi buffet
locally called Todai (prices on the web site do not reflect reality).
You can have a generous sit down sushi meal for two somewhere else for
the price of one person's buffet ticket there. People who love the
idea of "all you can eat" might think it's good, but IMO it's way too
expensive and you'll never eat your money's worth of food there.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 08:30:47 -0600, Omelet >
wrote:

> Oh I never eat buffet sushi! Bleah!
> The sushi bar is not a buffet. It's all prepared fresh. :-)

OK, sorry. I misunderstood.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Dave Smith wrote:

>> I'm thinking you went into this with a bad attitude and it became a
>> self-fulfilling prophesy.
>
> Quite right. After all the years of knowing her and not liking her, I
> was not thrilled about taking them to a restaurant, knowing that a human
> sized meal would not be enough and that they would order extra side
> dishes,extra drinks etc. Perhaps I should add that this is the one who
> won a million bucks in a lottery and her version of spreading the joy of
> her windfall was to buy my wife a china coffee mug. She also told her
> brother to go out and pick out a car and she would help him with it, and
> when she finally gave him a check it was for $400.
>
>
> However, I have to admit that it was not quite as bad as I had expected,
> and I know that it is not likely to happen again.


OK... I get it. You did it to keep peace in the family. Sometimes
observing the social graces can be a pain in the ass but we all go
through it sooner or later.

All in all, if your wife is happy and you have done your family
obligations, then $150 wasn't too bad a price to pay.... and you got
another story out of it to add to the "Legend of BN".

George L

Dan Abel wrote:

> Oh cmon, George, don't destroy our fun! BN (Big Niece) is an
> institution on this group. I'll never forget the story about the five
> dozen cookies. It was the holidays, and he needed to bake them in
> advance, but BN was coming, so he put them in an anonymous box and hid
> them where nobody could *ever* find them. After she left, he dug out
> the box. It was empty!

Slight correction. It was not a holiday. It was just an ordinary
weekend, and I bake cookies cookies every week or two. Because she was
coming, and because she was coming, I made a double batch. My wife was
upset about that because BN , about 16 at the time, was supposed to be
on a diet, I had to hide them. I put the cookie tins in the back corner
of the bottom shelf of a kitchen cupboard so that she would not be
tempted. And indeed, when I went for a cookie after she left, they were
all gone, an entire double batch of chocolate chip cookies, about 5 dozen.

To make matters worse, I had baked an apple pie for dessert because my
brother and his wife were coming for dinner. When I got the pie out for
dessert I was stunned to find that she had sampled it. Not just a little
slice or even a serving..... she had eaten a hole in the middle of it,
about 6 inches across.... in a 9 inch pie pan. She left a ring around
the outside about an inch and a half wide.

sf wrote on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:20:02 -0700:

>> Oh I never eat buffet sushi! Bleah!
>> The sushi bar is not a buffet. It's all prepared fresh. :-)

> OK, sorry. I misunderstood.

There is a perfectly decent AYCE sushi buffet at the Hinode in
Rockville, MD. Certainly, there isn't much of the more expensive and
unusual varieties but the place is popular enough for the sushi to be
fresh.

I have also eaten at a Kaiten (conveyor belt) bar and the dishes had
barcodes for automatic removal after a fairly short time.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not