Operation: Dinner Out

So last Saturday (3/7), my wife and I went out to eat with her Father, Step-mother, and 3-year old adoptive sister. Since these are my Father-in-law, Step-mother-in-law, and mini Sister-in-law; I shall refer to them as FIL, SMIL, and MSIL respectively. So, since this coming weekend of PI day (3/14) is my wife's birthday, FIL wanted to take her out to dinner. We did this last weekend cause he has an interview this weekend.

Anyway, the issue with going out to dinner with my FIL is that our restaurant tastes do not mesh at all. By "our" tastes, I mean mainly my FIL and myself. While I prefer the chain restaurants like Applebees's and T.G.I.Friday's, he likes the little restaurants that if you past them on the road you might not know they were restaurants. Granted, some of the places that he's taken us to have had very good food (most have NOT!), but it's the atmosphere and the type of food that I usually have reservations about. I think this mainly stems from how I grew up, and the food I'm use to eating.

What I'm referring to about the atmosphere are the following:

Valet parking: First off, I'm very protective of my possessions since I've been stolen from in my past. I don't like giving the only key to my car to an attendant who will keep it in a drawer that while he is parking other cars is mainly unattended. Also, not knowing where my car is if I need something out of it. I also am a child of the debit and credit card era, and therefore rarely ever carry cash to tip these people. I know you should tip these people as is custom, but they are performing a service which I do not ask for, nor enjoy, so tipping them feels wrong to me, ya know? So this just starts the night off with me in a bad mood.

White Tablecloths: I HATE this. It just screams no elbows on the table, sit up straight stuff my mother drilled into me. Since I lean my head on my hand alot, this just makes me uncomfortable. Also, I now have to be Uber-careful with my food cause I don't want to stain the tablecloth. (Little tidbit of info: They changed the tablecloth of the table next to me. Underneath the fine linen tablecloth was the most decrepid flimsy wooden table I'd ever seen. goes to show, not all is as it appears sometimes)

NO FREE REFILLS: These are the types of place where not only is wine charged by the glass, but so is SODA! Now, having worked in retail and the food industry for a long time before my current profession I know that the soda costs them pennies. Cause either they buy the cans of the actual soda in bulk and get them for an insane discount, OR they have syrup and a separate supply of carbonation. If they have this system set up, soda becomes exetremely profitable. For 75 dollars for the syrup and the carbonation to make it, you get the ability to make like 50 of the LARGE cups at movie theatres and that is a conservative estimate. These restaurants charge 2 dollars for what is essentially a half a can of diet coke. I drink alot of soda while I'm out at restaurants, heck I drink alot at home (along with water and tea). But since there are no free refills, it automatically shoves me into either rationing my teesy tiny soda, or having my FIL pay for like 5 of them, which I can't stomach doing to someone. My FIL takes me out to dinner at this nice place, and I cost him 12 dollars worth of soda?! I just can't do that, even if he could pay for it, I just don't feel right about it.

MENUS: Half the time they are in another language, or at least seem like that ot me. It really makes me feel stupid having to have my wife explain the dishes to me and then trying to decide if I'll like something that's 22 dollars. I feel like the whole place is staring at me, the uncultured bafoon who doesn't know the food here. I come from stubborn cultures, Italian, German, Irish. These might be stereotypes, but from my exposure to these cultures, they aren't big on trying new things, and neither am I. I just like what I like.

PRICES!?!: Granted, my FIL is paying for these places when we go, but geez louise, I have never seen prices this high since I went to lunch in NYC. I feel bad ordering a 20 dollar meal that have the time I don't even know if I'll like.


So the end all be all if that I feel exetremely uncomfortable. I know I shouldn't complain being taken out to nice restaurants by someone. It's my issue, and I'm aware of it, but I don't see it changing anytime soon. Anyone else have this problem?





P.S.:For bonus points, can anyone tell me which movie I got the title of my post from?