Garnish

I was out at one of my local bar and grill awhile ago. I was comfortably watching the game and having good conversation. The time came to order a little food and refreshments, so I made it simple. after a short wait I received an order of chicken quesadillas and cola, however about halfway through my meal I realized something was wrong. I'm sure you all have been at this point one time of another, and if you haven't then perhaps you should get out to more establishments a bit more often and then you'll be able to relate. Half of my plate was surrounded by dark green leaf lettuce. Lettuce I didn't ask for, wasn't in the description of the platter in the menu, and I didn't want. Maybe for you it wasn't lettuce, perhaps parsley, bean sprouts, lemon wedges, or even a glob of jelly. The point is, where did food go so very wrong?

If you eat at a fancy restaurant you expect a little flare. The radishes cut into roses or a creative arrangement of the items on your plate. There's nothing wrong with that, in fact that's why you pay more for the food. But I was at a bar, amongst beer and hockey on a widescreen television. There was no violin music, just loud shouting whenever a goal was scored. I'd keep painting a picture but I think the contrast is clear. Yet I was still looking at garnish on my plate.

I've always found garnish unnecessary even during the fancy times. First of all I was taught to clear my plate of everything that was put on it. Most garnish isn't even edible and the stuff that is, really doesn't taste very good on its own. When I was finished my meal I was left with this looking at this lettuce covering half my plate and feeling rather foolish, like I was that guy in the V8 commercial, I even looked around expecting a whack to my forehead. Yet I wasn't the one that asked for this lettuce but I felt bad for leaving it there. I tried to be humorous about it by suggesting I carry a bunny in my pocket from now on so he can eat the garnish. Then I realized that this whole thing wasn't my fault, it was the restaurant's fault.

Why would they add this garnish to my plate I had to wonder, there could only be a few answers. One, the owner ordered plates far too large and needed to cover up his shame. Two, they believed they were making my meal more enjoyable somehow. Three, the chef couldn't get hired at one of the fancy restaurant and this was his strange way of compensating. I'm sure there are more but I'm certain they can't be reasonable. Because it looks nice is not a good reason, food doesn't have self esteem.

A very important thing I might add is that very few people eat their garnish. While that doesn't seem such a big deal thing about in this way. The owner of that restaurant buys leaf lettuce by the pound. He orders about ten boxes on a busy week. Think about how much waste that is dumped into the trash just for making things look nice. Also since the garnish is factored into the budget for the restaurant that means it affects the price of your meal.

I believe that places should list their garnish. Also they should make it optional and cheaper if you refuse the garnish. Or if you pay full price they should be forced to donate to a food bank or some other charity. If we stopped wasting food to make other food look pretty would there be less starving people? I'm very curious how that would change things, but unfortunately garnish will be around long after I'm dead. It's funny how small things might change the world in a big way.