# Food and drink with rituals attached **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking, liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [November 28, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-and-drink-with-rituals-attached/993826 "2023-11-28T23:29:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-and-drink-with-rituals-attached/993826/82 "2023-12-02T00:56:16Z")
Another one for the “prepared as you watch” category: some Chinese restaurants offer “hand-pulled” noodles made from dough that’s extravagantly stretched out by hand at your table. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2023, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-and-drink-with-rituals-attached/993826/83 "2023-12-02T01:39:24Z")
I’d laugh at such displays, but I’ve had way too many **excellent** Caesar salads, tableside guacs and carved-at-the-table prime ribs to condemn such outright. One of our favorite French restaurants in Vegas (sadly a Covid victim) had a Bloody Mary cart, where the bloodytender would make you a pitcher of customized Bloodies. Most excellent! ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2023, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-and-drink-with-rituals-attached/993826/84 "2023-12-02T02:55:23Z")
When the diner is presented with a screw-on cap, you know the ritual has lost all meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2023, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-and-drink-with-rituals-attached/993826/85 "2023-12-02T03:24:52Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I had no idea this was a thing. Around here (South Texas) guacamole is served either already in a taco or burrito, or served already on the plate next to a serving of things like rice, refried beans, or pico. At home people usually place the molcajete on the table with the guacamole already prepared, and everyone serves themselves. Maybe it’s more of a California style Mexican food thing, or an Americanized version of Mexican food served up north? Here in San Antonio there are a quite a few restaurants that offer this service. I’ve had tableside guacamole at La Paloma Blanca on Broadway and the venerable La Fogata on Vance Jackson, and there are others that offer it as well. Mind you, these are higher end restaurants, the kind of place you go for a celebration dinner or take out-of-town guests. Certainly not going to see it at the many excellent taquerias in town that I typically frequent. My sister & nephew were visiting this summer and we ate at Range, a Tuscan-themed restaurant on the Riverwalk. A tomahawk ribeye was ordered with quite the elaborate presentation - steak was sliced tableside, seasoned with oil, salt & pepper. Then the chef pulled out a torch and applied it to a bunch of thyme directly over the steak. Absolutely delicious! Kinda pricey, but how often do you get to treat and impress your big sis? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-and-drink-with-rituals-attached/993826/86 "2023-12-04T21:47:16Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’d laugh at such displays, but I’ve had way too many **excellent** Caesar salads, tableside guacs Yep, down in Mexico, many moons ago, we stopped for late lunch. Well, the kitchen was closed for siesta. But they fixed us fresh made chips and guac, and it was great. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-and-drink-with-rituals-attached/993826.md?page=4)