Dine in or Eat out?

Discussion in Food & Drink started by sarz • Apr 3, 2014.

  1. sarz

    sarzActive Member

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    Personally I think there is nothing better than a home cooked meal, I love to prepare food at home and watch it be enjoyed. I like to make new recipes and try out new dishes. It's also usually a lot cheaper.

    But sometimes it also nice to dine out and let someone else do all the hard work and be waited on. It's nice to go out and enjoy food that you haven't tried before. It gives me ideas to recreate dishes at home. On the hand sometimes you can go out for a meal and it is a real disappoint and you end up wishing you had ate at home. Also I like big portions and dainty portions just leave me feeling unsatisfied.

    Your thoughts?
     
  2. mikelouis

    mikelouisActive Member

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    There is no problem with eating out once in a while. I normally eat out at least once per week just to have the taste of different foods that am not able to cook at home. Either way I also love to eat at home and have some good home cooked meal.
     
  3. yossup

    yossupMember

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    I love eating out at nice restaurants because I love trying new, complex food which I can then try to mimic at home. I see little point in spending money for the usual family-dining joint like red robin or cheesecake because quite frankly, they're too expensive for what you get. Don't underestimate the amount of money that goes into food when you regularly eat out at places like this. It's better to just eat at home most of the time and eat out at a really special place once in a while.
     
  4. mistymi

    mistymiActive Member

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    I like eating out because my food is lousy and end up eating junk food to make up for it. I don't eat out very often so I need to learn how to make more satisfying meals. And I don't remember the last time I enjoyed eating at home more than eating at a restaurant.
     
  5. Gelsemium

    GelsemiumWell-Known Member

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    I think that's pretty much like asking, do you want a house with swimming pool or not? Sure, I'd prefer to go out to dinner or better yet, that dinner was served at my house, but everything has a cost and if we don't have the work someone will and every work has it's pay.
     
  6. nwitt

    nwittActive Member

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    I do think that most people enjoy eating out. It can be nice to try something new and sit back and relax, instead of doing the work. I usually never re-create what I eat out because I am eating sushi or a unique salad that I won't want to buy all of the ingredients for - maybe I am just lazy though :) lol I do think it's important to try to make as many meals as possible and make balanced meals so that you stay on top of your health!
     
  7. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    I don't really enjoy eating out at restaurants much any more - unless it's some place particularly nice and on a special occasion. When I was in my 20's I was going out to eat with friends a lot more often, but now that I am in my late 30's the novelty of it has kind of worn off, plus I have a lot more financial responsibilities than I did when I was younger, so it doesn't really make sense to go out to eat so often. Also, having worked in restaurants for a number of years, I'm more aware of what goes on back in those kitchens and how some of those menu items are rather gross and/or a waste of money.

    Pasta dishes for example, have an incredibly high markup for what they actually cost to make. It's such a waste of money going out to eat and paying like $15-$20 for a bowl of pasta that probably cost like $2-$3 to make. Not to mention, most of your chain restaurants pre-cook the pasta and just microwave it to order. Your pasta might have been cooked a day or two ago and was simply reheated and drowned in sauce to cover that up.

    Unless you are going to an actual steak house that dry ages their steaks and actually have wood fired grills, there is no benefit to ordering a filet or NY Strip or whatever vs. just cooking it at home. How hard is it to grill a steak and bake a potato? I would rather buy a thicker more expensive cut and make it at home instead.

    Same thing goes for seafood. Why pay the markup for the restaurant to cook it, along with a tip and way overpriced drinks when you can go to your local fresh fish vendor and get some really nice cuts of fish to broil yourself at home and enjoy an expensive bottle of wine with?