Going Out to Eat
When going out to eat, do you bring your own tea? What is your server’s reaction?
Hmmm, never brought my own tea to a restaurant. Never brought my own anything to a restaurant. I guess I’m just lazy like that. If I do get tea while I’m out, I guess I like to use the opportunity to try something I haven’t before. Which reminds me, I forgot to log that tea I had with breakfast yesterday…
No, I think that would be a little pretentious. (although I once carried my own putter to putt putt golf.) I usually drink water if I go out to eat…or wine…or beer.
Okay, I have to ask because it made me laugh… why’d you take your own putter to putt putt?
I enjoy a glass of wine too… the bilini’s at Olive Garden are AMAZING! I ask the bar tender to combine the strawberry and the peach:) And an adult coffee drink always hits the spot. But I save those for after my meal and drink tea w/ my meal.
I was on the golf team in college. A group of us went out after a drink or two. My golf bag was in the trunk of my car. I guess I was in a highly competitive mood. hehehe…I’m a professional!
@LENA F. That is eleven different shades of awesome. I had a friend who used to carry a retractable pool cue around in his pants pocket. Oh, the jokes we make about that cue stick. Mainly of the “Is that a pool cue or are you just happy to see me?” variety.
Actually, just that one joke. We were young and not terribly creative.
My husband used to carry two bowling balls (and shoes, towel and gloves) around in his trunk. On our wedding night, the hotel staff parked the car and unpacked… and brought the bowling balls to our room.
Yeah, we really won’t be needing those, thanks.
I could see myself saying “I could tell you where to put your balls- all 4 of them” LOL
Male anatomy plus 2 bowling balls= 4. It was a bad, raunchy joke that I’ll probably get in trouble for but I couldn’t resist. I’m self admonishing myself Jason, but feel free to delete that comment, although it’s really not unlike the jokes made about black dragon pearls.
Ah. Well, since I actually like my husband, it never occurred to me to say something like that to him.
I normally wouldn’t but bringing the bowling balls in on your honeymoon is just a little crazy to me personally- and I enjoy a good pun.
He didn’t bring them. He always kept them in his trunk which is also where our suitcase for the night so after the hotel employee parked his car, they brought up our bags up to the room, including the bowling balls.
I brought my own tea bags when I was on a homeless adventure in San Francisco (looong story), but I didn’t try using them in restaurants, just Starbucks. The nice thing is, though, you can get hot water from them for free, so I saved money on buying drinks.
As for restaurants, I’m Lena – beer and wine, please. And sake. College – and, moreso, having a 25 year old roommate – has worn me down a bit on the alcohol excitement, though, so I might resort back to water and tea. I do take the tea at this sushi bar I go to a lot back home, though. They don’t charge for it, or at least, they don’t charge me. A weak genmaicha, but it gets the job of washing down an oshinko roll done. Plus it brings the pretty waitresses by my table to refill :)
I wouldn’t bring the bottle lol, but I have brought my own dressing or dried cranberries for my salad. I’d bring tea, but not my own brewing vessel… that’s overbaord.
I’ve brought tea to a restaurant, I think once. Many times I wish I could, though, because they’ll often just have “plain tea” (the waitresses give me blank looks when I mention green…). It’s sad that they have all these varieties of alcoholic drinks, but for tea-lovers, there’s rarely any decent selection. I think I’ll start carrying my own with me. If a whole bunch of tea-lovers did that at the same restaurant on the same day, I wonder if they’d get the hint for once.
Okay, clearly I am the odd man out here. I do carry tea bags in my purse-I am prepared in any situation. I love trying new teas but mostly restaurants have the same old options. I order a tea and use my own bag. I honestly don’t think they would notice-until they bus the table I guess and find the unused tea bag. But I figure it shouldn’t matter to them, I paid the price for the tea and didn’t use it.
I carry tea bags, but don’t use them often…mainly because I don’t eat out often. cry At the dining hall, though, heck yes. At real restaurants I drink water, or sometimes seltzer. I’m really not a fan of soda or juice, and I don’t like alcohol. I’m pretty boring.
Maybe it’s because I’m used to being obnoxious and having the server check if 16 different items on the menu are vegetarian or not…asking for some hot water isn’t a problem.
It’s interesting. It is because I’m vegan and put the servers through hell asking about each possible menu item that I don’t bring my own tea bags and ask for hot water. I figure I’m torturing them enough. (Carolyn at a restaurant: “Are you sure the rice is vegan?” “Yes Ma’am” “Is it made with chicken stock?” “I can check.” “Great and while you’re checking, please see if the pasta is oiled with butter or olive oil.” Repeat, repeat, repeat). I would hate to have to serve me in a restaurant. I make sure I tip fairly big though if I’ve tortured them or if they spontaneously come across with warnings about foods that are not vegan.
I have never brought my own tea with me probably because when I go out it is usually spur of the moment (at work hey lets go to the diner etc.). But even if I could I would not. I think it’s like bringing part or your meal. Restaurants are not in the business to supply hot water. I want to be treated well.
I pretty much agree with your thinking, though I always carry a Might Leaf bag of tea with me, just in case I end up in a meeting and need the sustenance only tea can provide.
Some restaurants charge an arm and a leg though! A place here in town (diner/cafe type) charges $2.39. I can get a cappuccino w/ a refil at the same place for $1.49. Tea has the highest mark up. Restaurants are in business to sell food. I’d NEVER order hot water and nothing else. I was ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED one day when I guy brought a McDonald’s coffee into Starbucks and bought nothing. He was just there to study! That’s wrong on so many levels…
Restaurant economics are fairly delicate and complex. Some food items really don’t pay the way for the restaurant when you include cost of staff, non-food items like toothpicks and tablecloths, rent, and everything else. They make that up by selling drinks at prices well beyond what they’re worth. This is most famously done with soft drinks which typically cost the restaurant pennies but they sell for quite a bit more. Coffee drinks are also one of the main sources of revenue for most restaurants since coffee is fairly cheap to make. It sounds like tea is one of the items that your diner sells as a way to make up for selling the eggs too cheap.
Have you considered getting their coffee instead since they sell it for a better price?
I have only ever felt the need to bring my own tea when going out for sushi. So far, every sushi place that I’ve been to serves green tea infused at a very high temperature so the resulting does not smell or taste just right. I once brought my own tea to a sushi restaurant (David’s Tea High Mountain Oolong- I feel that Oolongs go very well with sushi!) and I simply asked for an empty tea cup. No one said anything but I did receive a strange look from the server when I asked for an empty cup. Since then, I’ve devised a plan that if any server wanted to question my need for bringing my own tea I would simply state that it was a medicinal tea and I was told to drink it with my meal by a Naturopathic doctor! I doubt that anyone would want to argue the issue further.
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