# Restaurants that don't serve essential dishes/items **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 18, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451 "2025-02-18T13:21:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/221 "2025-02-25T03:24:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It is very reasonable to expect butter- you can get that for $4 a pound It’s not that butter and olive oil is SO expensive but that the cheaper alternatives fill the niches well enough while keeping the shareholders happy. See also cane sugar vs corn syrup or fresh squeezed vs frozen concentrate juice. The real stuff is all available, too, just not at the lowest levels of dining away from home where the worst of the cost cutting occurs. As said, sometimes you get lucky with a place that still has whipped butter or, say, cheap homemade corned beef hash but it’s not realistic to expect. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/222 "2025-02-25T03:59:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > _Real_ wasabi is outrageous The only time I’ve ever seen real fresh wasabi for sale was at a very large Asian specialty supermarket in Seattle. It was $99.99/lb. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/223 "2025-02-25T04:26:21Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > the cheaper alternatives fill the niches well enough while keeping the shareholders happy. As well as the clientele, which is usually working class or post bar hopping people wanting munchies! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/224 "2025-02-25T19:25:24Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > See also cane sugar vs corn syrup I have never seen an eatery with a jar full of corn syrup to pour into coffee. And Beet sugar is the same. Sure, use cheaper when cooking but not when serving. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/225 "2025-02-25T21:02:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I have never seen an eatery with a jar full of corn syrup to pour into coffee. I meant in a wider commercial food sense but, thinking about it, I’ll bet you have, for some definitions of ‘jar full.’ And eatery. Ok, gas station coffee nooks. …which often have jugs of liquid coffee additives briming with corn syrup. Beet sugar does not need to be labeled differently from cane sugar in the US and most Americans have probably eaten some in the past month. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/226 "2025-02-26T01:02:37Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I have never seen an eatery with a jar full of corn syrup to pour into coffee No, but “pancake syrup” is corn syrup with a touch of artificial color and flavor. And jars of pancake syrup are pretty common at breakfast eateries. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/227 "2025-02-26T01:12:25Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > No, but “pancake syrup” is corn syrup with a touch of artificial color and flavor. And jars of pancake syrup are pretty common at breakfast eateries. Yep, true. At the best places they use something with like 10% real maple syrup, or at least they used to. My Dad used to buy Log Cabin, which back then (no longer) had 10 or 15% real maple syrup. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/228 "2025-02-26T01:37:21Z")
I’ve had real maple syrup at restaurants. But they usually give you a little bottle, and charge extra if you want more. I imagine that’s more common in Vermont and Quebec than in most other places. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/229 "2025-02-26T01:47:58Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It is very reasonable to expect butter- you can get that for $4 a pound. > [@](#): > > Not to mention, in pancake houses they give you a LOT of syrup, but only a couple patties of butter. You don’t realize just how much “spread” people use in waffles. The cost difference between butter and spread would be enormous. ---
**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 26, 2025, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/230 "2025-02-26T01:54:18Z")
I’ve also seen “honey spreads”, or some such, that were mostly HFCS. IIRC, that’s what KFC uses. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/231 "2025-02-26T17:05:45Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > liquid coffee additives briming My typo looks like brinning. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/232 "2025-02-27T13:18:46Z")
Plastic chopsticks? I confess I’ve not encountered this before. Granted, with a diabetic in the family we seldom get Chinese food anymore (carbohydrates found in many Chinese dishes are typically quite high) I’ve only ever seen restaurants provide the disposable wooden ones you split apart. When did plastic ones become a thing? Aren’t wooden chopsticks considered an ‘essential item’ anymore? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/233 "2025-02-27T13:36:05Z")
The disposable wooden chopsticks are newer, in my experience. They all used to have plastic (fake ivory) chopsticks when i was a kid. Maybe no place does that any longer. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/234 "2025-02-27T15:00:32Z")
Disposable bamboo chopsticks are something I’d only expect to see at lower end restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/235 "2025-02-27T15:10:57Z")
In California, you will find disposable chopsticks at a $150 a person Omakasi seating. I can’t remember the last time I was given fancy, reusable chopsticks in an Asian restaurant and it’s not like I eat at places like Panda Express. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/236 "2025-02-27T15:12:13Z")
As a Vermont resident, I can report that while ‘bottomless’ quantities of Malpe syrup are rarer than they used to be (as opposed to portioned out amounts per order), you would be hard pressed to find a restaurant or diner here that didn’t include maple syrup as included in the price of pancakes or waffles. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen little jugs or vessels of maple syrup sitting out along with other tableside condiments, but that used to be pretty common. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/237 "2025-02-27T15:40:42Z")
I didn’t think of them as fancy. But i do remember the last time i used them, and it was shortly before the pandemic. The restaurant had a bin holding chopsticks upright, next to the soy sauce and vinegar and hot sauce containers. It was a medium-quality Chinese place. I saw disposable chopsticks at Japanese places well before they moved into the Chinese places, fwiw. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/238 "2025-02-27T20:45:13Z")
I haven’t seen yucky, cheap plastic chopsticks anywhere, but melamine is quite common. Around here, some places have good chopsticks, some have the wooden ones you split apart. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/239 "2025-02-27T21:13:41Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Around here, some places have good chopsticks, some have the wooden ones you split apart. There is a middle ground. [![](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Bg0AAOSwLvVnnemw/s-l650.png) ](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Bg0AAOSwLvVnnemw/s-l650.png) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451/240 "2025-02-27T23:08:13Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > In California, you will find disposable chopsticks at a $150 a person Omakasi seating. I can’t remember the last time I was given fancy, reusable chopsticks in an Asian restaurant and it’s not like I eat at places like Panda Express. Yep, I’ve never been to a $150 a person Japanese restaurant but at all the teppanyaki places I’ve been to, which can get pricey if you order the high end stuff and lots of appetizers and drinks, I’ve also never seen anything but disposable chopsticks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-dont-serve-essential-dishes-items/1014451.md?page=13)