# Ever been discouraged from buying a food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2012, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408 "2012-02-01T10:35:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/61 "2012-02-02T00:18:04Z")
My father loves sweetbreads and orders them frequently. I’ve seen him be questioned both in the U.S. and in France as to whether he knows what he’s ordering and really wants it. He always replies that he’s eaten sweetbreads before and then enjoys his meal. ---
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/62 "2012-02-02T16:10:09Z")
The closest I’ve ever come to this is a look of surprise when I asked to be pointed at the [bitter gourd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_melon) at an Indian grocery once. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/63 "2012-02-02T19:17:58Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Of course, when I’m in a new restaurant, my eye always goes to the menu item that I’ve never tried before, better yet, that I’d never even heard of as a food item before. That’s what I try to do too. Hawaii was a veritable food adventure for me coming from the staid and bland northern great plains. It was the same when I traveled to the US gulf coast region. I’d never had seafood that fresh and awesome before. It was a real treat!! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/64 "2012-02-02T21:42:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I get this often in Indian restaurants. I’ve taken to ordering “Tell the chef to make it like he likes it, and don’t tell him I’m white”. In Montana? :dubious:😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/65 "2012-02-02T22:24:07Z")
> [@](#): > > In Montana? Alas, no. The only times you can get Indian food here without cooking it yourself are the annual Indian Students Association Diwali festival, and the annual International Food Bazaar. But whenever I travel anywhere else, I always make sure to get my fix of Indian food. ---
**Author:** ![FrigidLizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@FrigidLizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrigidLizard)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408/66 "2012-02-02T23:58:38Z")
I was once at an italian restaurant with a friend who somehow didn’t understand the (perfectly apt) description of a pasta dish on the menu and then had a complete snit fit when it wasn’t what she expected. I’ve often wondered if that poor waitress adopted a policy of explaining exactly what clam sauce is after that incident. My MIL (a notoriously picky eater) once ordered a beef taco salad and simply could not bring herself to eat more than 3 bites because it had shredded beef instead of the ground beef she was expecting. She kept saying that it tasted fine, she didn’t dislike it, it just wasn’t what she _expected_.:rolleyes: I expect that there are restaurant staff out there who’ve been burned by a bad customer reaction like that and just preemptively warn people to avoid the hassle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-discouraged-from-buying-a-food/611408.md?page=3)