Dignity in Dining: Eating Out in Restaurants

Dining out is a luxury. It is supposed to be fun. For the person who is normally in charge of meal preparation at home, it is a nice break from cooking and cleaning up. It is a chance to be pampered a bit.

Eating out is a nice way for a harried couple to "get away from it all" and reconnect. Whether they are just chatting about every day life or reinvigorating their romantic life, the quiet atmosphere of a restaurant lends itself nicely.

So many of the great things of life involve restaurants. The classic marriage proposal takes place at a lovely little table adorned with white linens. Perhaps the couple will then take their parents out to that same sweet restaurant to tell them of their impending marriage. Then there is the wedding rehearsal dinner and chances are the honeymoon will involve dining out. Eating establishments play a big role throughout our lives.

Our every day lives have become rather casual. No longer is the dinner table set every evening with expensive china, diverse silver and different glasses for water and wine. It is probably rare that the dinner table is set at all. Going out allows us to get a taste of the formality portrayed in old Cary Grant movies. We get to dress up and show that we do have a sophisticated side. Ladies can fix their hair and break out the jewelry. Gentlemen can don ties that were long ago banished from the office in favor of more casual attire.

The soft murmur of conversation combined with the soothing but not intrusive music playing in the background is conducive to the intimate sharing of ideas and dreams. No one wants to be seated in close proximity to the kitchen where they must be subjected to the crashing of dishes and the talking of the wait staff. We all want a quiet place where we can hear our partner speaking comfortably.

Restaurants work hard at establishing ambience. It is as important as the quality of the food and the competency of the wait staff. People will rarely return to a restaurant in which they could not hear themselves speak or could not quietly enjoy their meal.

It is shocking to be in a lovely restaurant eating exquisite food and enjoying the quiet atmosphere only to be interrupted by someone at the next table shouting into their cell phone. It is unclear how this ever became an acceptable practice. There are few things more annoying than listening to one side of a conversation in which you have no interest. People seem to speak more loudly on the phone than they would were the person across from them at the table. It is extremely rude to accept a call and to continue chatting boisterously is inexcusable.

Dining out should be a stress free event. It is something to which we look forward. We dress nicely, we use the manners we were taught as a child and enjoy a quiet evening eating a well-prepared hot meal and let someone else pick up the dishes and take care of the mess. It is a luxury. We all need to treat ourselves to a dinner out occasionally. We should also remember that the people at the next table deserve a quiet night as well. The manners our parents taught us are all about respecting others. If we do that, every one can have a wonderful time.