Etiquette: Doggie Bags, Carry Out, and To Go Boxes
Dear Reader,
I hope that you were able to maintain your loveliness lessons this past week despite the fact that I was on vacation in Cuba with my husband. Oh my...Cuba has not changed one bit since I was there 50 years ago. The cars are the same--what a sense of nostalgia when one sees a 1955 Nomad motoring down the boulevard. I had one of those back in my day...red with the white stripe. But, I digress.
To-day we will discuss what to do when one is leaving a restaurant, but wishes to take some food home. The simple answer is: leave the food at the restaurant. My dear, who wants to be seen leaving the finest eateries in Manhattan, all while wearing her mink and pearls, carrying a plastic shopping bag of food! You will simply look like a tramp. I can say that with all of the loveliness training I have to offer, it will all be for naught if one takes this tawdry action. When one takes food home from a restaurant, this is the message she is sending: "I can not afford to eat out at nice restaurants and I have never had food this scrumptious before, so I will take some home with me for later." This is absolutely revolting. Ladies and gentlemen of charm and grace know how to enjoy food at table and then to leave it when the meal has finished. You would not ask your hostess at a dinner party to bring home some of her leftovers for yourself, so why is a restaurant excursion any different? If the edibles you have experienced out are that divine, then go back for another meal at a later date; do not bring the experience home with you. If you have ordered too much food and feel you are being "wasteful", let that be a lesson to you and order less the next time. Do not be seen walking on the street with leftovers. What will you do if you have opera tickets? Bring your leftovers into the theater? My my...
As for canines, they know no different. Buy a box of dog shortbread and he will be just as happy.
Until next time...
HF
posted by Hildegarde Fillmore @ 4:51 PM
2 Comments:
What if you are not leaving a fine restaurant in Manhattan but instead, say, "The Store" in Basking Ridge? Would it be acceptable to take home, for example, two slices of your quesadilla (a modest meal to begin with!) that you chose to save?
Yes, I think it would be quite acceptable. A simple neighborhood dining experience need not be "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous"!
Dear Anonymous (Hi Ken),
Thank you for your delightful post. It is always good to see that my readers are taking my comments to heart and pondering their own choice of habits--and then coming back to me for advice!
Why, dear reader, are you dining at "The Store" to begin with? This indeed shows that your dining choices are not supporting your loveliness enhancement program. My same comment applies--ladies and gentlemen of charm and grace know how to enjoy food at table and then to leave it when the meal has finished, regardless of where one dines. If you are taking your neighborhood children to McDonald's (only in desperation, please) or if you are going to one of those diner type restaurants on a whim, are you going to take leftovers once again? I say not, that is, if you want to maintain your respectability.
Leftovers are simply that--what is left over (and probably of the sort that was not that good to begin with). Don't you want the best for yourself, dear reader? Food that is freshly prepared is for you. I fear that if one is satisfied by left over remnants from a previous meal, she should visit my future post regarding developing a more sophisticated palette.
Until next time...
HF
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