Schneider: Food not about speed

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

A few weeks ago a major dining chain dashed my hopes for a pleasant dinner conversation.

We had just sat down and begun to talk when suddenly our waitress was beside us asking if we were ready to order. We picked items from the menu, but almost before we had remembered what we came to discuss, the food was coming off a tray and being dropped on the table.

nutgraf

In the United States, we seem to expect food served to us minutes after we order, and we force today’s restaurants to respond to this pressure.

A friend who has worked at this restaurant told me that they have 10 to 14 minutes to get food out to the table. Anything beyond that, and the manager has to come out and talk to the waiting customers.

This night, our dinner focused on the process of ordering, eating and paying, not on enjoying the experience itself.

True, some people want to eat fast. Drive by Taco Bell at midnight and you’ll see a line of cars wrapped around its drive-through.

While there are times to eat quickly, I’m against the entire concept of eating only to check off the next thing on a to-do list.

Even fast food doesn’t have to be about speed. Consider McDonald’s at 7 on a weekday morning. You’ll find a crowd of retirees with cups of coffee steaming silently on the tables. They laugh slowly and talk of Chevy truck engines and their days in Korea. You couldn’t hurry these people out of the building if it were on fire.

In the United States, we seem to expect food served to us minutes after we order, and we force today’s restaurants to respond to this pressure. They succeed in getting food out quickly, but in the attempt, they make it possible to eat an entire dinner without having a real conversation.

People will always need a place that allows them to eat and exit, but I urge all of you who enjoy talking to your friends to seek out and support those restaurants which pride themselves in the experience of eating rather than the speed of service

I’ve found this atmosphere most often in local places like Mad Greek, WheatFields Bakery and Cafe and A.B.’s Coffee and Crepes. The next time you go out to eat, look for the most leisurely service you can find. When you find a place that lets you stay and talk for hours without a single dirty look, you’ve found a place to frequent.

Schneider is a Topeka junior in English.

Frugal Food Finds

/news/2005/may/12/jayplay_bite_shopping/

Food for thought

Our famished feelings frequently influence the way we feed our faces

/news/2008/nov/20/food_thought/

Food Revolution

From the farmers to the restaurant to the consumer, learn how local ...

/news/2012/apr/11/food-revolution/

Underground construction update: Food options vary

Dining Services is changing what it offers slightly as Underground construction continues.

/news/2011/jun/15/underground-construction-update-food-options-vary/

Game play interferes with romantic date

Sports lovers find restaurant TVs tear them away from their dates. Romantic ...

/news/2006/aug/30/bauer/

Lawrence offers unique, original restaurants

Some of Lawrence’s best restaurants might be ones off the beaten path.

/news/2009/jul/28/restaurants/

Scene and Heard: Bird Dog

New places, new faces.

/news/2011/dec/08/scene-and-heard-bird-dog/

Greening it

Your guide to greener living

/news/2008/feb/21/greening_it/

KU Dining serves up a night of ...

The three dining halls will serve food that comes from within a ...

/news/2010/apr/22/ku-dining-serves-night-local-eating/

Student coalitions examine on-campus dining options

The new campus dining platforms aims to increase student involvement in dining ...

/news/2011/apr/10/kunited-creates-campus-dining-platform/

Durbin: Fast food is only convenient in ...

It’s easy to go on a burger, pizza or taco run, but ...

/news/2007/nov/12/durbin_fast_food_only_convenient_short_run/

On-campus diners go “trayless”

Hoping to reduce food waste, KU Dining Services conducts an experiment to ...

/news/2008/sep/29/trayless/

Blind Date

/news/2005/aug/17/blind_date/

McNaughton: Service deserves tips, especially in a ...

Don’t skip the tip; waitressing is harder than it looks

/news/2007/oct/17/mcnaughton_service_deserves_tips_especially_colleg/

Viva Vegetarian!

Campus offers a variety of options for vegetarians and vegans

/news/2011/feb/24/feature-vegetarian/

Turkey day review

All you need to know this Thanksgiving

/news/2007/nov/15/turkey_day_review/

Man hopes to brew up success for ...

Profits from the sales go to villagers in South American to ensure ...

/news/2007/apr/19/coffee/

Eat This: Cafe Beautiful Sushi

A beautiful dining experience with some great sushi.

/news/2012/feb/08/eat-cafe-beautiful-sushi/

New restaurant opens on Massachusetts Street

The casual dining experience includes flat screen televisions and a karaoke room, ...

/news/2007/oct/19/encore/

Overworked students' dangerous race against time

Is too much work and too little time putting students' health at ...

/news/2011/apr/28/time-not-our-side/

Dining trays may cause students to waste ...

The Dining Services director would like to try the a tray theory ...

/news/2008/apr/25/food/

Group uses extra food from dining centers

Program donates unused food from KU Dining Services to area homeless shelters ...

/news/2009/mar/25/dining_centers/

Restaurant review: Dempsey's

The taste of the town. One meal at a time.

/news/2009/dec/03/restaurant-review-dempseys/

KU Grad starts online business

The food service Web site, foodpatio.com, services restaurants and food delivery orders ...

/news/2008/jul/11/patio/

Editorial: Students need to question value of ...

The word "unlimited" can deceive students who are intrigued by the new ...

/news/2011/oct/25/students-need-question-value-meal-plans/

Slow Down and Chew

Eating slowly and healthy helps you during finals and the holidays.

/news/2011/dec/08/slow-down-and-chew/

McCoy: Calorie postings may not be best ...

The days of blissful ignorance of what exactly it means to "supersize" ...

/news/2009/oct/23/mccoy/

Hawk Food Stop hot spots

Hectice schedules leave no time for students to take a long lunch ...

/news/2007/sep/13/Hawk/

Restaurant review: Mad Greek

The taste of town. One meal at a time.

/news/2010/apr/01/restaurant-review/

Trans fat statistics not available for Dining ...

/news/2006/apr/10/fats/

Students with food allergies exercise caution on ...

When eating at dining halls, it can be difficult to tell what ...

/news/2008/nov/14/food_allergies/

Dining halls add televisions

Campus dining halls added $8,000 worth of televisions to entertain students during ...

/news/2011/oct/31/dining-halls-televisions/

Grab a slice

When in doubt for dinner, pick up a pizza. With delivery, carry-out ...

/news/2010/dec/09/grab-slice/

Students open snack shop

/news/2005/feb/11/news_campus_snack/

KU Dining Services supports local foods

University’s effort to save money, support sustainability includes rooftop garden and local ...

/news/2009/sep/17/ku_dining_local_foods/

Miss Clean

/news/2005/apr/21/jayplay_speak_hendrix/

Kansan Departments

Your guide to surviving the week.

/news/2008/jul/11/kansan_departments/

The first step to love

Try these tips for a first-rate first date

/news/2008/apr/17/first_step_love/

Love Bites

Restaurants to impress the love of your life or your fellow singles

/news/2006/feb/08/sp_restaurant/

Orthorexia: When good diets go bad

Healthy eating can become an unhealthy obsession

/news/2007/nov/08/orthorexia_when_good_diets_go_bad/

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Sign in to comment

Or login with:

OpenID