Restaurants that leave condiment bottles on the table (1 Viewer)

[Kirk Gunn]

Ketchup - Vinegar and tomato. Refrigerate after opening to maintain flavor
Mayo - Oil and eggs. Refrigerate after opening to maintain edibility

Not too much commonality there... Unless you like thousand island dressing

 

[Yee-Ming]

I think Andrew means that at a posh restaurant, condiments are served upon request in a dish or small bowl, 'fresh' out of the bottle or whatever it's contained in, and would be disposed of after you leave and not re-used for the next patron, rather than left in the original container on your table for you to help yourself, and left for the next patron to use.

I've always wondered, does the same apply for butter that's been clarified and stuffed into those small little pots? Do they dump it all, or melt it down again and 're-cycle'?

 

[andrew markworthy]

Correct. Even our burger bars generally follow this rule. You'd have to go to a very run-down transport caff (i.e. a greasy spoon for truckers) or similar before you got scum-crusted ketchup bottles on the table (sometimes the ketchup has been decanted into a plastic tomato-shaped squeezy dispenser or - even worse - a red bottle with a plunger dispenser on the top).

Regarding the grey and boiled food, that's history (thankfully), unless you try some of our less good works canteens. Brit food has improved in leaps and bounds over the last few years. There are still some vile places to eat, but they are thankfully getting fewer and fewer.

And yes, we have barbeques in the UK. There are a fair number of 'American diner' type restaurants (road signs and 50s adverts on the walls, that sort of thing) and we also have Greek and Turkish restaurants serving barbequed food of all kinds (i.e. not just kebabs).

Incidentally (a bit off topic, but I feel it worth warning my American chums of such things) if you ever are invited to a domestic BBQ in the UK, be warned that they are hosted by one of two kinds of people: (1) those of us who know how to do it properly and (2) those who don't. The former is pretty much what you'd get in the USA (though we possibly have a stronger preference for spicy marinades). The latter consists of a 'barbeque range' whose size is inversely proportional to the number of guests and the 'meat' consists of budget burgers and sausages. I've honestly been to one event where the hosts were trying to cook a BBQ for thirty people on one of those tiny disposable tray barbeques that are usually reserved for campers.

 

[Jay H]

Speaking of recycled, go to your average Chinese restaurant and you'll find the white rice recycled into what is sold as "fried rice"...ewwwwww... Probably more common than you think. Tea could be recycled in the same way...

Jay

 

[MarkHastings]

Ugh, if they ever did that in America, I'd be even more worried about where that stuff came from than if it was in a bottle.

I used to work in an upscale restaurant/banquet facility and when we'd clear the table of bread and butter, we'd be forced into throwing the rolls into a big bin that they'd reuse. And any butter that wasn't completely destroyed, they'd make us reuse. We'd even have to take the smushed ones and reform them back into sqaure before putting back in the fridge.

So I'd definitely be concerned about an opener bowl of condiments just as much as the bottle.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Often in Indian restaurants in the UK the stuff comes out of vast bottles of lime pickle and similar, or is freshly-prepared chopped onion and similar. It would be simply impractical to bring them in their 'raw form' to the table. Luckily our local Indian restaurant has a glass window into the kitchen so you can see everything that's going on.

Curse this diet - I really want an Indian meal right now.

 

[Jay H]

Old rolls become croutons...

Jay

 

[Radioman970]

Due to ants I keep everything like sugar, etc in the frig. Last time, they were enjoying my bag of raisons so much I hated to break up the party. So naturally, sugary items, condiments and spaghetti sauce, etc stay in the frig.


I almost never eat at restaurants around here since I cook better than most (small town). I get a pizza every now and then or eat chinese since that's one kind of food that takes some skill to really do right.

I don't think anyone should be embarrassed for using a napkin to handle bottles and things at the restaurant. Heck, bring your own bottle from home!

 

[MarkHastings]

LOL - remember the maple syrup scene from Seinfeld?

 

[MarkHastings]

If most American restaurants had glass windows into their kitchens, most people wouldn't eat out anymore.

Just as with relationships, "Ignorance is Bliss".

 

[Chris Lockwood]

> I used to work in an upscale restaurant/banquet facility and when we'd clear the table of bread and butter, we'd be forced into throwing the rolls into a big bin that they'd reuse. And any butter that wasn't completely destroyed, they'd make us reuse. We'd even have to take the smushed ones and reform them back into sqaure before putting back in the fridge.

You know that's all illegal, right?

 

[MarkHastings]

This was back in the late 80's and it was run by the local mafia. Illegal bread and butter practices where the least of my worries.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

(Queue Seinfeld's popping music here)"What is the deal with restaurants leaving condiments out on the table?"



I also don't understand why people would want to refrigerate peanut butter or why people even consider buying hard margarine (that one shouldn't even exist when superior soft margarine is available), I guess they like their bread all tore up when trying to make a sandwich.

 

[PhillJones]

Same reason they put ketchup in the fridge. It separates if you leave it out. People assume that that means it's going off.

Back when I was a cub scout, we ate some 'vintage' ketchup that we found in a cupboard in one of the scout huts. Nobody died.

 

[MarkHastings]

...yet!

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Why would anyone consider buying margarine of any kind? All that trans-fat is much worse than real butter.

I'm craving Indian food as well. There's a great restaurant down the street. I think I'll take a stroll for dinner.

 

[MarkHastings]

Why would anyone want Indian food??

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Indian food is fantastic. In fact, I love most Asian food. My favorite is Korean.

 

[MarkHastings]

and I like margarine.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Well, I'm sure your arteries are thanking you.