Welcome to Eater's Weekend Special, an inside look at what our staff was buzzing about this week
As you've likely seen by now, New York magazine dropped a list of the "new etiquette" rules specifically designed for hate-sharing and bickering. It's what my friend Christian Brown called a "content slot machine," with one out of every six or so entries being so absurd you begin to wonder if you and the author share the same species. This was perhaps best illustrated by the range of advice around tipping, restaurants, dinner parties, and other food-related activities.
Most of the advice seems pretty normal. When ordering from a counter, especially if there's a line behind you, you should have your order ready to go. Do not take your phone out and start scrolling in the middle of dinner, either at a restaurant or at home. And if you can, call in your takeout order instead of using delivery apps, so the restaurant is spared some exorbitant delivery fees. People are also having fun arguing about tipping etiquette, which basically (and correctly) says 20 percent is the norm now across most circumstances, as it has been for some time. If you are angry at this, call your state senator and pester them to eliminate tipped wages and raise the minimum wage. Easy peasy.
But some of the advice was honestly baffling. One blurb says you must not "foist" your allergies onto a dinner party, and just eat when you get home if you find yourself unable to have anything the host offers. First of all, any good host should be checking if anyone is vegetarian or allergic to strawberries before figuring out what they're cooking. But imagine you're a host and you serve your dinner and half the table doesn't touch it and also never says a word about why. I'd throw myself down my trash chute. Please just be chill and remind the host you can't eat shellfish up front.
(There is also the declaration that the "correct" amount of pizza slices to order for a group of X people is "2X + X/3," which may be right, but I started panicking and backing away from my computer the second I saw math so I'll never know for sure. Enjoy the 23.3 slices of pizza leaving at 27 mph from Peoria though.)
Etiquette, at its best, alleviates anxiety by getting everyone on the same page about what is expected and when. But etiquette also ideally exists to remind you that you are not alone in society, and that your actions have consequences, whether that's derailing plans because you showed up late or making someone uncomfortable by, Lord, not wearing shoes at the office. And as with most life tips, it's all very "take what you need, leave what you don't." Except dawdling with your bagel order. Everyone needs to follow that advice.
— Jaya Saxena
Follow Jaya on Twitter at @jayasax
Further reading
- If you're a cool and polite person, you could become a beloved regular at some of the best restaurants, which obviously comes with its own perks.
- It's not a matter of manners, but you probably don't want to eat 20-year-old cans of ravioli like they did in The Last of Us. Though if I lived in a zombie-filled wasteland, I'd be thrilled if botulism is how I went out.
- Okay, one last etiquette tip: You should always have nonalcoholic options at your parties, especially since the options for nonalcoholic cocktails are getting better every day.
If you like this email, please forward it to a friend. If you aren't signed up for this newsletter, you can do so right here.
No comments:
Post a Comment