“What’s a good place to eat at?”
This is a question I hate to answer. Right when I hear this, millions of questions pop in my head. What kind of food do you like to eat? Breakfast, lunch, or dinner? What’s your budget? Is there a specific dish you want to order for the cuisine you want to eat? Are you looking for a quiet or loud environment? How many people are you going with? It’s a nightmare trying to answer what seems like a simple question.
There are a lot of places I could suggest, but what I worry about most is what sort of expectations this person has. I feel like I get this question pretty often because I’m always eating at different places and taking photos of all my food, so it only makes sense for people to assume I know where the “good” places are – but what exactly makes a place a “good place” to eat at? Is the “good” referring to the taste, quality, how authentic the food is, the cost, or the environment? Looks like this simple question is not-so-simple anymore.
I like to eat what I like to eat.
To me, it’s not always about the quality and how authentic the food is, because if I personally don’t like the taste of it, then it doesn’t really matter how great the quality is or how authentic the dish is. Just imagine your very favorite dish…that you wish your mom would cook for you everyday when you get home. Your mom’s cooking might not be the best, but sometimes, it’s just what you like.
If you’ve ever eaten with me, I’m sure you know that I also consider the price before ordering, even if someone else is paying. It’s not so much that I’m trying to be cheap and not spend money, but it’s more about if what I am ordering is even worth the price that’s listed and if it’s something I actually like. I typically look for items that are under $10 for lunch and $15 for dinner, and there is usually something I like at every price range.
When I pick up a menu, the first thing I scan for is any deals they might have – lunch specials, dinner specials, meal combos, happy hour. Sometimes they’re not on the menu, so you have to make sure that as you’re being guided to your seat, you look around for any signs that list the deals. If the menu is listed in order of increasing price, I would start at the lowest price section and slowly make my way to the more expensive dishes. If it’s all randomized, I look for a few dishes I’m interested in, then compare the prices and see which one I want more at the moment.
One thing that surprises me is when some people go for the most worth choice, or even the most expensive choice if someone else is paying, but, they don’t even like that food! At that point, it’s like, why did you even order it? Not only does it seem wrong to splurge when you’re not the one paying, but the fact that you know you don’t like the food and you still order it is so upsetting – you’re not even enjoying the food!
At the end of the day, whether it is something more expensive or something that’s a good deal, I will choose something that I like to eat. Just because something is more expensive doesn’t mean that I will like it! It’s almost like how if I had to choose between eating abalone or BBQ pork, I would choose BBQ pork because I like it more.