I don't like going out for dinner.

[Efour]

I'm with you op.

A restaurant meal here and a couple of drinks you are not going to get much change from 1000kr. About 80 quid.

When a starter of garlic bread or onion rings, very mundane stuff is about 7 quid. I literally die inside.

I work in the food industry now and I've always enjoyed cooking and my new Swedish family enjoy eating my English takes on food too.
Paying 3 or 4 times the price for naff food annoys me. Especially as I know we all share the same wholesalers for our raw produce.

Sure it's nice once in a while for convenience and trying something completely new but resturanger here are just way too expensive for my tastes

 

[something daft already!!]

It is expensive but I use it as a treat, maybe once a month or less. It's nice to feel pampered for a while. I usually cook as my partner's skills are not in that direction, so I see it as a nice rest for me.

 

[iron_monkey]

We had food delivered last night and it was awful, at least if you go out you can send it back.

 

[Scam]

I get the sentiment op, but I try and force myself to not be a food or service critic and instead to embrace the experience of using the time being waited on to talk to my family / wife / friends.

It's so easy to complain about every little thing when going out and spending money on something you yourself could have done better, but I ask myself why I ate out in the first place, which is to enjoy an occasion and have other people do stuff for me...I generally then settle in and enjoy it.

This is true. You can live a very frugal life by staying at home, doing everything on your own etc. But it won’t be much life.

 

[Andrew_McP]

You can live a very frugal life by staying at home, doing everything on your own etc. But it won’t be much life.

I confess to being such a person all my adult life. I am completely baffled by the number of places to eat (and even drink coffee) on the otherwise shrinking High Street, and by the amount spent on takeaways. I'm 60 though, so grew up in an era when such things were far more of a very occasional treat, not part of everyday life.

As long as hobbies -- be it eating out or trainspotting -- don't harm others, who can complain? But I do worry that the vastly expanded hospitality sector is another indicator of decadent, late stage, non-productive civilisation. A bit like all the nail bars and barbers that I also don't understand.

Some might say I think too much and relax too little. They may be right, and part of getting older is becoming increasingly confused by the changes we see around us. So I'm probably just settling in for my increasingly grumpy twilight years.

It was all fields round here you know?! (Actually, it was).

 

[jpaul]

You can live a very frugal life by staying at home,

as well - parents/people used to host dinner parties at home, when people could still cook, and going out to eat was expensive;
they had a lot fewer picky diets/allergies which probably helped.

 

[Ad_Augendae]

We had food delivered last night and it was awful, at least if you go out you can send it back.

Oofta may.... Rule No1 Never-Never send food back lol, just walk away and never return.

 

[iron_monkey]

Oofta may.... Rule No1 Never-Never send food back lol, just walk away and never return.

Send back for a refund then leave haha

 

[Ninco!]

Enjoy eating out, but there are times in the year I avoid as there is a higher chance of disappointment - Christmas Day is one.

 

[montymint]

I don't regularly eat out because I enjoy cooking.

However for really specialty stuff (especially Asian cooking), or things that are a chew on / would stink my house up I'll go out for it as a treat (once a quarter-ish).

I'm paying for the convenience of not buying, prepping, cooking or cleaning - as well as being able to spend time with friends and family, without the stress of hosting.

 

[Rai200]

Oofta may.... Rule No1 Never-Never send food back lol, just walk away and never return.

Why wouldn't you send food back? We aren't going to do anything to it, we might call you a few choice words but nothing bad will happen to your food.

We're generally too busy to mess with you

 

[Haggisman]

This is true. You can live a very frugal life by staying at home, doing everything on your own etc. But it won’t be much life.

An interesting viewpoint.

It's not really about being frugal though, it's more about spending your money on something worthwhile instead of wasting it on the inevitable disappointment of someone doing a worse job than you could do yourself for 1/4 of the money

 

[tobiasthedog]

The main market, Smithfields. It opens at 2AM, as Budforce says you can order them online but the market will be a lot cheaper and straight from the source.

A trip there to stock up your freezer once in a blue moon is a good idea if you're close.

thanks

 

[BUDFORCE]

However for really specialty stuff (especially Asian cooking)

Yup I did mention this in my first post and agree here.

As an example, probably going back 10 years now but I worked in Cambridge for a short spell and in the market in the centre of Cambridge was a Thai Food Van "Birds" Thai Food Van I think, last time I checked it was still there.

Anyway, they did the usual pad thai etc on the menu, but after going a few times I noticed these Asian people eating bowls of various things.

So I asked them, turns out they do a "special" menu, which is one different thing each day, get what you're given, and they don't openly advertise it.

When I asked if I could have it, they even asked me if I was sure lol.

But it was a £5 and some of the things were really good, various broths, or sometimes fried fish, nothing like youd get at most places, sometimes it did have offal etc which I imagine is why they don't advertise it as most western people I guess would turn their noses up or complain. But these guys were just a family there cooking and the food was excellent, I went there pretty much every day.

 

[cheesefest]

I rarely eat out for meals now. If I do, its independent local Italian restaurants or chains which specialise in Asian cuisines such as Wagamama, Pho, Giggling Squid - which are fiddly and time consuming to make. Plus some ingredients are difficult to buy, or buy large quantities.

I don't do Wetherspoons, Hungry Horse, Bella Italia etc as they are microwave meals. As a friend's son is a deputy manager for the local 'Spoons and on break, he has to have something from the freezer- normally something which is short dated. Friends worked in the others and they just pop in the meal in the microwave for a few mins. Hence why sometimes they run out of a pasta dish when other dishes with the same pasta are available. "You have no spaghetti with meatballs yet have spaghetti carbonara".

I also love my vegetables, which many restaurants presume that we don't. If the veg on the menu is just peas and chips - forget it.

There's a few pubs I go to - free houses, and have their homemade pies or liver and onion.

 

[ddoubleep]

I rarely eat out for meals now. If I do, its independent local Italian restaurants or chains which specialise in Asian cuisines such as Wagamama, Pho, Giggling Squid - which are fiddly and time consuming to make. Plus some ingredients are difficult to buy, or buy large quantities.

I don't do Wetherspoons, Hungry Horse, Bella Italia etc as they are microwave meals. As a friend's son is a deputy manager for the local 'Spoons and on break, he has to have something from the freezer- normally something which is short dated. Friends worked in the others and they just pop in the meal in the microwave for a few mins. Hence why sometimes they run out of a pasta dish when other dishes with the same pasta are available. "You have no spaghetti with meatballs yet have spaghetti carbonara".

I also love my vegetables, which many restaurants presume that we don't. If the veg on the menu is just peas and chips - forget it.

There's a few pubs I go to - free houses, and have their homemade pies or liver and onion.

Similar approach. I do like a good local independent Italian or Giggling Squid as not inclined to do to the same levels at home.

The so called 'frozen' brigade have also ramped up prices which irks me more but with fussy kids you are sometimes stuck with chicken and chips at these places!

 

[cheesefest]

I hate it when I go out for a meal and there are kids running about. I think the concept of them sitting at a table is alien to them as never do that at home. Plus may not have a dining table to sit at at home. They probably eat off trays/laps.

Unless your child can sit up at a table for an hour or so, then don't go out to restaurants. The only times kids should leave the table is 1. to the buffet area (if there's one) or 2. visiting the toilet.

Many times I have had meals ruined due to kids running around. This thing never happens abroad (unless the family is British) as children are brought up properly to respect the dinner table and food.

 

[cheesefest]

Similar approach. I do like a good local independent Italian or Giggling Squid as not inclined to do to the same levels at home.

The so called 'frozen' brigade have also ramped up prices which irks me more but with fussy kids you are sometimes stuck with chicken and chips at these places!

Again, restaurant chains presume kids are picky eaters. I remember as a kid going to Berni Inn and they had main dishes where you could order a smaller portion. Some restaurants I had two starters - one as a main if the children's menu is chicken nuggets and chips.

Only times I had something and chips as a kid was when my parents had liver or kidneys, which I didn't like at the time or when I went round to a friend's after school and was given sausages and chips as friends were (and some still are) fussy eaters.

 

[BUDFORCE]

Went out for lunch today on our anniversary, gastro pub or whatever.

Had Korean Chicken at £17.

Turns out, 2 dry half chicken breast with a bit of sauce slapped over, uncle Ben's rice, some chicken shop style deep fried chicken strips, again sauce slapped on and some kimchi.

I mean wtf?

The Mrs has 2 courses off their Christmas menu and tried to charge us a few quid over what it should be.

I don't go out for meals often and this is exactly why.

Would have rather had a curry and a drink included at Wetherspoons for £9.

 

[Kelt]

I'm the same, don't line going out to restaurants.

Must have for it from my dad, who was a great cook, along with my mum.

He always said you don't know what you're getting half the time, and I think he was right.

I remember taking mum and dad out for an anniversary meal, to a (so called) top gaffe, recommended by my GF at the time, what a disappointment.

Microwaved pre-cooked •••• served all around, never again.

When I was a temp for a job bureau when I left school to get some quick dosh, I worked in a works canteen for two weeks, talk about an eye opener to how food was handled!