I've done that quite a few times:) I'm not a big steak lover, so when I'm taken to a steak house (yes even the insanely expensive ones) Ill almost always order seafood. And you know what? Seafood at steak houses is delicious.

I understand that every family has their own quirks, but I'm having difficulty processing this situation.. You can say to your relative prior to the next meal that you think ordering the same thing as everyone else is a wonderful tradition, but you would rather order what you want than to pick at your food and waste it. As long as you do this prior to the meal, I just cannot fathom why this should be an issue. Look; I get that you want to go with the flow and keep the peace, and yes this is a relatively minor issue in the scheme of life, but if you do not draw a line and set a precedent for this, what about more important issues that may come up in the future? The reason I say this as that while I do not have the exact same situation in my family, my family is chock full of control freaks. Sometimes you just need to put your foot down or you will get walked all over.

I had never heard of Shopsins before and I've lived in NYC my whole life! My friend suggested it for lunch last week, telling me that she heard it was one of the best breakfast places in NY. We ended up waiting in line for 2 hours. The server was extremely surly and the antithesis of hospitable. Instead of helping direct me to something Id like to eat (when he told me he couldnt take cheese off of my first and second choices), he just walked away. The owner himself was friendly (he told the cook to make my first choice sans cheese), albeit plopped in a chair while staring into space during the duration if our meal:) The food was tasty and fresh, but by the time we ate, my friend and I were starving. My food also came out 10 mins before hers. I assume it was due to the small kitchen, but a friendlier establishment would have warned us. While Shopsins is very creative and unique, I would not recommend this place to anyone unless they like to be made to feel uncomfortable.

That sounds yummy to me! I've served coleslaw at Thanksgiving as an homage to my grandparents, who ordered in every holiday from Bens Deli.

We have all known at least one person in our lives who is dismissive of foods based purely on ignorance or a fear of the unknown. However, that does not mean that everyone who makes a general statement that they do not like a specific cuisine has no clue what they are talking about. I hate cheese. Now, that is a very general statement. Have I tried every type of cheese known to man? Of course not. But I have tried a large enough variety overuse lifetime to know that my taste buds are not going to suddenly have a "cheese revelation". Automatically assuming that someone does not have a right to make general statements about a cuisine may be coming from good intentions, but it can also be downright arrogant. If you happen to know the person who makes such a statement, and you know for a fact that this person is dismissive, judgemental and ignorant about food , then you most likely have a point. However, if you do not know the person, who are you to play the grand inquisitor? Obviously we all love food, or we wouldn't be posting on this site. However, we should all remember that being a friend almost always trumps the forced pushing of our superior food knowledge:)

No one said so implicitly, but obviously many on this thread have expressed the view that restaurants should not voice strong political opinions. My point is that every American, and thereby every American business, has the right to do so. Likewise, any American has the right to boycott any business of their choosing. As a history teacher, I cannot help but think of the Civil Rights era boycotts, which mostly worked.

I fully support a restaurants right to voice their beliefs or opinions, even if I or anyone else finds those views abhorant. The day that the government says no they can't will be a sad day for this country.

"If there is zero demand, even a restaurant that charges $1000 per meal will never survive." That was my point exactly. Obviously our economic situation today is far more complicated, but that is beyond the scope of this thread. My point was that the customers are largely to blame for keeping "trendy" places going... If we vote with our wallets, policies of discrimination based on appearances that cannot be helped will be stopped. (I personally have no issue with a restaurant not allowing a customer to come in with pants falling off their butt, however:) )
To pollymerase, please reread my post; I absolutely was not advocating plastic surgery,
. Rather, I was pointing out how plastic surgery often does not fix the larger problem, in this case a lack of self esteem and confidence.

Thankfully there is such a thing as supply and demand. If we refuse to eat at any establishment snobby enough to discriminate against people who don't adhere to some obtuse standard of beauty, then they will either have to change or go out of business. As long as you are not trying to eat at a five star restaurant in dirty sweats and flip flops, you need to hold your head up high and demand not to be sat in the back. As for your acne scars, please keep in mind that many people have them (my dad included). You can always get them lasered off, but keep in mind that many people who get plastic surgery become addicted, because the surgery does not guarantee confidence or inner beauty.

I am so sorry that no one in your family has seemed to begin to address what could be a far more serious problem than the issue of thanksgiving. As another poster mentioned, this woman may have some form of autism or other mental disability. Has your brother attempted to help her? From what you wrote, I'm assuming that he hasn't, which means that he may be in denial about the extent his wife's behavior has been affecting you and others. You also mention that their house is messy; do they have children? Regardless, the health issues that you have brought up need to be addressed. However, it is your brothers responsibility to do that, and not yours. At the same time, maybe you can use the issue of thanksgiving as a catalyst to having a conversation with your brother about getting serious about his wife's health issues. Good luck and let us know what happens.

I have a friend who would never spend more than 50$ pp on a meal, but he's a closet socialist:) Seriously, why not feel guilty for buying organic, designer jeans or an iPhone? We live in a capitalist country, and if you've earned your money, you should be able to spend it however you want to. Rather than feeling guilty, how about we simply take a moment to be thankful, and try to help others who cannot afford such an experience? However, simply feeling guilty about being able to afford a fine dining experience just ruins the point of having the experience in the first place, and does nothing to help anyone else.

I absolutely agree. Not wanting to get involved is not a sufficient excuse, if you have the ability to prevent a possible tragedy. Obviously you need to use common sense (do not go over to a strangers table and begin yelling at them nose to nose), but if you see someone drinking excessively, say something to a manager to at least make sure that the drunk does not get behind a wheel. If everyone assumes that someone else will say something, no one will.

I would absolutely be offended by an obvious lack of appreciation. However, once a gift has been accepted, it would be entirely selfish of myself to criticize how the gift is used or enjoyed. If you are someone who would literally cringe seeing the expensive alcohol you purchased be used in a cocktail, then simply never give it as a gift. Sure, you can "educate" the recipient on the "proper" way to enjoy it, but that does not mean that the recipient will or even should enjoy the gift in that specific way. We need to all remember that tastes are very subjective, and gifts are supposed to be about making the recipient happy, not the giver.

I am very sorry about your loss, but your example simply makes no sense. I understand not wanting to make a fuss about food during such a sad time, but tainted meat is beyond "making a fuss"; you could end up deathly ill. You could give your cousin emotional support without contracting food poisoning. If you really did not want to take the sandwich back, in the very least you simply should not have eaten it.

Agreed! When people find out for the first time that I hate cheese, almost automatically they run through a litany of different types of cheeses that I must not have tried. Oh, really? I usually am good humored about it, but if someone keeps pushing, it can easily become condescending. I am 32 years old and I know my taste buds. My best friend finally gave up when we were in France and I tried "real" Brie. I almost threw up. Shudder.

You're right that I was describing a place that I get deliveries from. Also, they are pretty busy, which is why I have been generally forgiving. It's still annoying though, especially since even a simple meal is not that cheap; I usually end up spending 15-20 just for myself. And considering that my entire family gives them a lot of business, it adds up. For the record, I love to eat in before work for breakfast once a week when possible, and the service is fantastic.

What do you do when your favorite takeout place gets your order wrong? I'm not talking about major mistakes such as the wrong entree, but rather smaller ones that make your meal somewhat less enjoyable but not to the point where you can't eat it. For example, from my favorite diner II always ask for a specific home-made dressing when I order a salad, yet about 25% of the time, I get some horrible bottled dressing. I do not always order from this restaurant for this reason, but sometimes I get a craving and usually (according to my own statistics :) ), the odds are in my favor. Is this simply the risk you take when ordering takeout? Just to be clear, i do call them right away if they made a major mistake, but if it's just the salad dressing, I make sure to mention their mistake the next time I place an order.

As I do not like to take food for granted, I can understand where you are coming from. However, I simply do not see the point of forcing myself to eat something I despise (such as cheese) until I vomit. As long as someone tries to genuinely be as open minded as they can, they should be allowed some quirks... Afterall, that's what makes us all different and interesting.

This is an impossible question to ask as the cuisines are so vastly different. While I adored Rome's gelato, I had a far better food experience in Istanbul... but that is only because I HATE cheese and much prefer Middle Eastern anything to Italian. If you go to Istanbul, seek out the pides (Turkish pizza) and the elusive pistachio kebab (a friend had it but alas I could not find it.) Do go to a turkish hammam- it's worth the torture:}

How do you know that these people have not had the "real food"?

Not necessarily- in fact I'm sure that many Americans would resent these posts for insinuating that all midwesterners are ignorant of "good" ethnic food. Is it harder to find "authentic" Italian in Kentucky than in NYC? Of course- but I'm not going to assume that the majority of people in Kentucky are so ignorant that they do not realize OG is not authentic Italian.

I hope that you wrote a letter to the paper that published the review of your restaurant.

Good for you.

I'm just curious as to why if there were plenty of empty seats available.

I understand that in the moment you felt intimidated, but as this was obviously in a public establishment, if you had said no- what is the worst that could have happened? You make it seem as if you only had two options- to do as you did or to move and then steam inwardly. However, you really had three options- you also could have said "No" while pointing to the obviously empty spaces elsewhere. It is entirely unnecessary that you let these people ruin your lunch. I learned this lesson the hard way- I used to be intimidated far too easily, which is why I do understand your actions. However, I realized as an adult that this was only because I cared way too much what other people thought of me. Once I realized that people (outside of those who truly care about you) are extremely fickle. In this instance, yes, the group who approached you may have been angry for the moment, but they most likely would have sat elsewhere and then have forgotten about it faster than you would imagine. For that reason, in the future, I hope that you stick to your guns and not overly react.

When I am truly craving a specific cuisine or dish, I have been known to travel over an hour on a subway or walk for several miles to obtain my craving. However, lately I've noticed that I would rather eat my 2nd or even 3rd or 4th food choice if I could eat in comfort. Case in point: I have wanted to eat brunch solo this past weekend. I was craving a particular diner but the last thing in the world I wanted was to have to sit at the counter or in a tiny booth- especially when I know that during the week I could get a comfy full booth and linger over coffee and my newspaper. I walked past the diner, saw the line and just kept walking until I found another place to eat where I would not feel pressure to leave in a hurry, and where I also wouldn't feel squashed by other diners. Do you do the same?

I agree that these guys are beyond annoying but unless they're being overly pushy and won't go away when you politely refuse, why be a jerk?

Not if your parents are "temporarily" staying with you, you don't! :}

I hate cheese and I dislike mayo. I'm not an attention whore. I just won't be eating your sub sandwich at work.

You made an excellent point; interest is one thing but obsession is something else. I have a very close friend who is literally obsessed with politics. I actually am quite politically active myself but I am very much able to have conversations with friends about other topics without always coming back to politics. Or, if we do talk about politics, I don't need to discuss it for hours at length. Whereas my friend, no matter what you may be talking about will manage to steer the conversation back to politics. He's my best friend and yet sometimes talking with him is pure torture:} Obsession about anything is not healthy and it's a huge turn off when socializing with others.