I’ve eaten at a Cheesecake Factory twice in my life. Both times I was there because I’d received a gift card for the place. If I had to pay for my meal I would never go there. I’m not saying it was awful, just not very good. And crowded. And a long drive from home.
That’s fair enough, but it sounds like the potential presence of cured meats might not turn you off to a sight-unseen tasting menu (what I got). In fact, there wasn’t actually any cured meat on the whole thing. A few smoked meat items, one used in the pot-pie, and one that was actually a garnish of sorts on a beet dish. Nothing charcuterie-ish though.
And yeah… I agree that if my wife had taken me in good faith to a place that I really didn’t like, I’d probably just make the best of it and find something I’d be willing to eat, even if it’s not something I would normally choose or enjoy.
If nothing else, it’s an opportunity to potentially reevaluate/recalibrate my feelings about some of those ingredients, as tastes do change over time, and it’s entirely possible that I might like it when prepared by a real professional chef, or my tastes may have shifted over time.
Many (most?) restaurants including Cheesecake Factory, a lot of red sauce joints, Taco Bell, and most American-Chinese type places have that sort of menu approach- five or six basic sauces, five or so proteins/meats, between five and ten vegetables, and a similar number of garnishes/accents. Mix and match to come up with the various dishes.
A guy I know was doing field research involving an animal (monkey IIRC) in Vietnam. He lived with a family in a village for a month or so while doing his work. When he left, the village threw a big party for him. They went all out, serving dog in a stew, which he forced himself to eat rather than insult his hosts…
It actually caused a sorta PTSD for him. When he told me the story he had dry heaves talking about it and eventually ran to the bathroom and puked.
Not really an issue for me since I’m not that fond of peanut butter either… 
I like quite a few types of nuts: almonds, walnuts etc… but not particularly peanuts. I mean, I can eat them, they aren’t repulsive, but not something I reach for. Botanically they aren’t actually nuts, it seems…
And someone who turns up their nose at a place because they have too many things on the menu is a different kind of picky eater.
Is it rude (or AITA) if I’m at a fancy restaurant and want the pork loin without the braised monkey brain & eel fart sauce to just order it with no sauce?
I have to wonder if this is an emotional rather than physical reaction? Maybe if they hadn’t told him it was dog meat, would he have noticed, or had the same response?
For instance, in France it is not uncommon to eat horse meat. I have had some while working there, and to be honest it was OK, just some kind of slightly unfamiliar meat. Whereas my American wife goes into hysterics at the concept…
Very likely. During her trip to Iceland, my gf had pony, whale, puffin, etc. She told me about it but I haven’t mentioned it since, knowing she is uncomfortable even thinking about it.
i always thought the bigger problem is the price yet they still expect you to pony up.
Depends on the restaurant.
I guess some places, you eat the food the way the chef prepared it or you don’t eat at all. There isn’t even salt or pepper at the table.
You don’t paint a smiley face on the Mona Lisa, and you don’t tamper with Chef Maurice’s masterpiece.
Yes, I’m a snob because I like my food freshly made.
Groan. Actually it was in the company cafeteria and not expensive at all. Probably subsidised?
And being France, it was cooked very nicely, with a good sauce.
It was freshly made…
…at some point.
There are two kinds of restaurant like that, and it’s hard to tell before you actually try them.
One, where the chef really does know what he is doing and the food is amazing; something you would never achieve at home, and
Two: the wannabes trying to imitate the first kind, where they make up bizarre combinations or, as someone said earlier, an ‘artfully’ arranged blob of foam on the plate.
Oh, and to head off any pointless digressions: yes, I typed ‘he’ out of habit.
Great chefs can obviously be of any gender.
Did she know what was being served? Why wasn’t she uncomfortable at the time, if so?
The correct answer is apple slices.
I’ve never thought of celery as bitter in any way, but it does have a kind of unpleasant aftertaste eaten raw. I mainly use it to add depth to broths and soups, and I don’t leave big chunks of it in the finished product.
I ate a small amount of dog (I’m remembering it as a kind of patè on a cracker, but that could be wrong) at an Indonesian wedding when I was five years old or so. The bride handed it to me, and my dad patted my shoulder in a way I knew meant “just shut up and eat it” when I asked him what it was. That didn’t emotionally scar me, but I was really indignant when I found out what it was. I’m really glad my parents taught me to be a gracious guest, though.
I’ve been a vegetarian (another kind of food issue) for about 40 years now, and I have a very long experience of finding something without meat at a restaurant without making too much fuss. If someone knows me well enough to treat me to a special meal, they usually know to find a restaurant with vegetarian options. I always volunteer to bring food to gatherings; that way I know there will be at least one non-meat dish.
The stepmother of one of my daughter’s kindergarten classmates once asked her over for a play date, and when I got there, she’d made lunch for all of us (she was apparently not accustomed to the norm of moms dropping their kids off and getting an hour or two to themselves). She served a gigantic, dry boneless chicken breast on a white bun with a dollop of mayonnaise, and I choked that sucker down. But if I’d been at a restaurant, I’d have felt free to reject the choice.
She knew what she was eating. I think there is an effect from being in an exotic location and trying what they consider normal.
I’ve eaten iguana on the beach in the Caribbean. No way I’d order it at a local pub.
We’ll try anything once. We’ve had conch and even rattlesnake as an experiment.
Conch was just like chewing a rubber erasor, and rattlesnake like a tough fishy chicken.
Rather suspect iguana might be similar?
Maybe we need to start a new thread about foods you have tried that actually turned out to be BETTER than you expected? 
Lucky me, I love just about everything edible. When I’m at a restaurant and others at the table are asking endless questions about the menu, I just pick something I don’t recognize and look forward to the surprise.
I understand that taste is highly variable, both between individuals and over time in the same person - I also remember my first experience with cilantro was off-putting, but like many of my favorite things that’s a promising start. Coffee, beer, cumin, etc.
I’m also very inclined to try unconventional combinations, especially when dealing with leftovers. I put a spoonful of pesto and a dash of soy sauce on my morning groats, what my partner considers an inappropriate “mixed metaphor.”
Decades ago at a construction camp in the desert of Saudi Arabia, the Filipino cooks threw food scraps out the back of the dining hall to the wild salukis. One day after a delicious stew for lunch we noticed that the dogs had vanished. Didn’t bother me then, doesn’t now, especially compared to the way most of our meat and poultry is raised today.
But I know perfectly well that few people are as omnivorous as I am, and I think most people are well aware of how distinct everyone’s tastes are, so I can’t fathom the OP’s hypothetical situation.