Why do I no longer enjoy restaurant food?

[Pegasus]

I used to eat out a lot.  As part of other positive changes I was making, I cut it out almost entirely. I now eat at home and carry my lunch to work.  As I expected, I'm saving money, losing weight, and feeling better. What I did NOT expect is that now on the rare occasions that I eat out, I don't enjoy it.  The food doesn't taste as good to me as it used to. I thought it would be even better since it is now a "treat" instead of routine.

 

What happened?

[marbel]

Maybe it is too salty or otherwise tastes too processed.

 

Maybe you are just a better cook! 

[bettyandbob]

what kinds of restaurants did you frequent? 

 

Some restaurants use ingredients with MSG, preservatives and additives that won't be in your home kitchen. This is true of some inexpensive restaurants and some chains. Also, you may be preparing food with significantly lower fat and lower salt content. As you've become accustomed to how food tastes without these things, you've changes your palate. 

[GoVanGogh]

Probably a combination of things. I find that when I eat healthier, I prefer vegetables raw or steamed while most restaurants way overcook veggies. I also prefer less butter and salt on items. But I also think more places are going to prepared food and they just assemble it. The chicken items at a former favorite restaurant now taste and feel like they were frozen, thawed and reheated. I know this is the case at one cafe I eat at. I ordered a salad with grilled chicken and the chicken was frozen! I sent it back and the manager told me that they had an early lunch rush and didn't get enough precooked chicken thawed in advance. 

[Belacqua]

I'm finding that, too. I figured I was just getting fussy in my old age. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have used so much lemongrass! And get off my lawn, you meddling kids."

 

Once I build my pizza oven/tandoor in the backyard, I'll have no reason to go out to eat until Jose Andres himself offers me a seat at his table.

[Soror]

Well, for me unless I'm eating at a nice place (which I cannot afford often) the food just isn't as good as what I cook. Often I'm just really disappointed to pay so much more for food I could've cooked better.

[6packofun]

Well, for me unless I'm eating at a nice place (which I cannot afford often) the food just isn't as good as what I cook. Often I'm just really disappointed to pay so much more for food I could've cooked better.

 

Exactly.  :)

[DawnM]

We have certain places we do enjoy, but on the whole, I believe restaurants have been cutting more and more corners…..buying cheaper products to keep prices the same, getting lesser quality meats, etc….

 

It just isn't good anymore.

 

I usually walk away from restaurants upset that I didn't enjoy it AND I paid way too much for it.

Dawn

[TracyP]

Well, for me unless I'm eating at a nice place (which I cannot afford often) the food just isn't as good as what I cook. Often I'm just really disappointed to pay so much more for food I could've cooked better.

 

Yep, same here.

[Tullia]

I'm finding that, too. I figured I was just getting fussy in my old age. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have used so much lemongrass! And get off my lawn, you meddling kids."

 

Once I build my pizza oven/tandoor in the backyard, I'll have no reason to go out to eat until Jose Andres himself offers me a seat at his table.

 

If you've not posted about your plans for a backyard oven, I'd love to hear as much as you're willing to share.  :D

 

And, to address the OP and the replies.  This has happened to me as well.  For me the changeover started when my son was little and we seldom ate out because of his food allergies.  At that time (20+ years ago) it was a lot harder to screen for allergens at the supermarket. Restaurants were even more difficult so I learned to go beyond the basics of just rote following of recipes out of necessity.  When dh and I reached a time in our lives when it was easier for us to eat out again we were both disappointed. 

 

What I do like to do now is to occasionally go to a place that does not cut corners and try interesting menu items. I figure that the inspiration gained helps justify the expense. 

[Flowing Brook]

I lost my appetite for resteraunt food when I went to a chinese restaurant. I saw the waiter picking his nose. Then he went to wait on a customer without washing his hands.  Home cooked food is so much better tasting  any day of the week.

[Tullia]

Um..hello, yes me too!  I would freaking love something like that.  Although half the year I wouldn't be able to use it, so maybe it isn't the most practical idea. 

 

 

We live at abut 6500 ft. in New Mexico where we get lots of wind and blowing snow.  I know people who bake bread and pizza in adobe outdoor ovens in the wintertime--and the first path that sees the show shovel is the one from the back door to the oven.  When the weather is bad, an assistant to help manage doors is a must.  I want one for the summer--we don't have AC.   

 

[Audrey]

I used to eat out a lot.  As part of other positive changes I was making, I cut it out almost entirely. I now eat at home and carry my lunch to work.  As I expected, I'm saving money, losing weight, and feeling better. What I did NOT expect is that now on the rare occasions that I eat out, I don't enjoy it.  The food doesn't taste as good to me as it used to. I thought it would be even better since it is now a "treat" instead of routine.

 

What happened?

 

It's most likely because you are a better cook than the restaurants at which you dine, and that you use better ingredients.

 

I know that's true for me, and I'm am honestly not trying to brag here.  I don't cook haute cuisine except when I'm purposely trying something fancy-schmancy so we can "play restaurant" at home. :D

 

I do cook with real food from scratch, though.  Ingredients make a huge difference.  Most chain restaurants use a startling proportion of processed foods.  They have to in order to keep the product consistent across the whole chain.  Even many finer restaurants will still use processed foods to keep cost down and keep the menu offerings consistent.

 

We don't eat out much anymore mostly because my dh is always so disappointed.  For me, the treat is that I get to sit back and didn't have to cook or clean up after it, so I still do enjoy dining out sometimes. 

[Belacqua]

If you've not posted about your plans for a backyard oven, I'd love to hear as much as you're willing to share.  :D

 

Well, did you ever see that episode of I Love Lucy in which she tears apart a barbecue to find something then puts it back together herself? It's kind of like that.

 

We are not do-it-yourself experts, so I fully suspect that our oven is going to be more functional than architecturally and aesthetically pleasing. The preliminary work doesn't seem too hard; just foundation, insulating layers, oven floor. It's the vertical (and, heaven help us, curved) stuff that worries me. Good thing we don't live in a HOA neighborhood, as I suspect they would not approve one little bit.

 

But we do have some good plans (there's a book about brick ovens by somebody named Bacon) and a spot cleared for the foundation. I'm kind of jazzed about the idea of mixing concrete; ask me again next summer when I have concrete in my hair and rebar in my herb garden.

 

There are tons of instructional websites and plans on the internet; just search "backyard brick oven" or something similar. Then come to your senses and either have a professional build your oven or just go out for pizza like a normal person. :)

[Mergath]

I think it probably has something to do with the fact that the quality of restaurant food in many places has plummeted over the years.  I haven't changed my eating habits significantly, but I don't enjoy eating out much anymore because the food is usually horrible.  Especially in family-style restaurants like Perkins.  Their food was never exactly gourmet, but now it's completely inedible.

[Jane in NC]

We buy most of our fruits and vegetables from local farms.  Admittedly we have become seasonal eaters but Boy Are We Spoiled!  I don't eat salads in restaurants anymore.  I cannot bear the lettuce that is shipped from California or Mexico across the continent.

 

I don't think good ingredients need fancy preparation.  Good ingredients become good dishes.

 

 

[Lady Marmalade]

Well, for me unless I'm eating at a nice place (which I cannot afford often) the food just isn't as good as what I cook. Often I'm just really disappointed to pay so much more for food I could've cooked better.

This exactly.

 

Another thing I like to order out is fried fish and fried chicken.  Those are both not as good at home.

 

And that is really what I tend to go for when I eat out: stuff I can't make easily at home.

 

And this.  If we go out, most often it's for ethnic food that I don't make as well at home.   Or it's someplace like IHOP or TGIFridays where I can order a burger and fries and not have high expectations. 

 

Sometimes I can just let it go and appreciate that I don't have to cook and clean for that particular meal.  But 99% of the time as I'm eating my meal I can't help but think about how much better I could have made the dish at home- for far less the cost.

[nmoira]

I don't generally like eating out. For one thing I know how to cook and I can make fancier fare at home for much less money that tastes better.

 

The biggest exception is pizza. Pizza is not something that is easy to make at home. Yes, I could make it, but it does not taste like what you get at a good pizza place.

This and fiddly stuff: dim sum, sushi, good Thai, etc.

[Soror]

I have told dh if we lived in the city where there were more options (ethnic and GF) our eating out budget would be a LOT higher as it is we go out maybe 1x a month and often I will just wait to eat at home.  Even on our dates I usually cook myself as I'd rather spend the extra money buying better ingredients. 

[Lisa R.]

Ok, for those of you that can cook better food than restaurant food, would you mind sharing some recipes that you have that are that good? 

 

I love eating out. Also, part of the pleasure of eating out is not having to clean up the pans used for dinner preparation and the dishes used for eating. 

 

But, I also love the idea of making food at home that is superior to restaurant food. Also, what kind of ingredients are you buying that make for this superior taste?  Do we need to create another thread for this?

[NotSoObvious]

Well, for me unless I'm eating at a nice place (which I cannot afford often) the food just isn't as good as what I cook. Often I'm just really disappointed to pay so much more for food I could've cooked better.

 

 

This, exactly. When we enjoy eating out it's because we are having ethnic food or high quality food we don't usually cook at home (like seafood). 

[NotSoObvious]

Ok, for those of you that can cook better food than restaurant food, would you mind sharing some recipes that you have that are that good? 

 

I love eating out. Also, part of the pleasure of eating out is not having to clean up the pans used for dinner preparation and the dishes used for eating. 

 

But, I also love the idea of making food at home that is superior to restaurant food. Also, what kind of ingredients are you buying that make for this superior taste?  Do we need to create another thread for this?

 

For me it's just cooking..."clean?" I don't know how else to describe it. We buy really good quality meat and produce. We usually cook simple meals with lots of greens. So, when you go to the average restaurant and they fill you up with sugar, carbs, and fat, you walk away feeling awful. 

[Lady Marmalade]

Ok, for those of you that can cook better food than restaurant food, would you mind sharing some recipes that you have that are that good? 

 

I love eating out. Also, part of the pleasure of eating out is not having to clean up the pans used for dinner preparation and the dishes used for eating. 

 

But, I also love the idea of making food at home that is superior to restaurant food. Also, what kind of ingredients are you buying that make for this superior taste?  Do we need to create another thread for this?

 

Anything by Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) is restaurant quality made at home.   If I really want to splurge at home, I'll find a new one of her recipes to try out.  (Though, her recipes tend to be on the salty side, so start with half the salt and add more if needed.)  Our library has multiple copies of all her books.

 

 

[Rachel TX]

When you start going out to eat as a treat instead of as a convenience, you expect better, and most restaurant food does not seem like it's worth the money. Many restaurants serve frozen food that is reheated.

[*lifeoftheparty*]

I had this same problem, years and years ago and I agree with everyone else. When you start eating healthier and with superior ingredients, your body is no longer used to so many chemicals. These chain restaurants specifically formulate their food to have sugar/fat proportions and chemical additives that literally cause you to be addicted to their food. When you stop eating it, you break the addiction and your body flushes all the chemicals out of your system. So the next time you ingest their crap food, it tastes like the poison it is and your body rejects it.

 

I used to love, love, LOVE Olive Garden. *LOVE*

 

Then we got stationed in Hawaii, where there was no Olive Garden. But there were lots and lots of yummy non-chain and Asian restaurants. We also had access to great, local, fresh produce. I use to get these strawberries at a Mililani farmers market that were just out of this world!! But I digress...

 

At the same time, I got gestational diabetes and had to go to a nutrition class, and was shocked about what I learned- and ever since then, we have been eating healthier and better.

 

We can no longer eat at places like Olive Garden, Chilis, Applebees, and the like. Their ingredients are just the bottom of the dung heap- BLECH!

 

They use meat glue formed meats, cover veggies in chemical laden sauces, and just reheat all their premade processed food in the microwave. It looks like real food- but it is NOT real food. Have you ever seen the calorie and carb counts on their food?? At Chilis, I used to eat the Quesadilla explosion salad and the blondie dessert. (I'll edit later to add the calorie counts for them) A normal salad made at home, with real ingredients would never have as many calories/carbs.

 

The last time I ate at Olive Garden, I ordered a shrimp and pasta dish and had salad. I was violently ill for the rest of the day- I was curled up on the bathroom floor- it was horrible, and I will never eat there again.

 

We are very lucky because we live in the suburbs of DC and have all kinds of awesome restaurants that have REAL chefs who cook with REAL food. I love eating at those places. We just ate at Clyde's in Georgetown and it was soooo yummy!

 

For "fast food" and take out- we do things like Chipotle, elevation burger, potbelly, firehouse subs, local sushi spot, etc. because they use better ingredients and it doesn't make us sick.

 

We are food snobs, serious food snobs. And I won't apologize for that. We eat great food, that tastes great and makes us feel great. I get (silently) irate when someone with lower standards picks the restaurant and it's crap, and we spend the rest of the day or evening feeling sick and bloated- having to run to the toilet often- and we have to PAY money to feel so miserable.

 

Luckily, most people we go places with let me pick the restaurants b/c the ones I pick are always so good ;)

 

ETA- the quesadilla explosion salad has 1300 calories and 86 grams of fat!

 

http://www.takepart.com/photos/15-salads-worse-big-mac/chilis-quesadilla-explosion-salad

 

The paradise pie has 1290 calories and 68 grams of fat!!

 

So just with salad and dessert, I was consuming 2500 calories and 154 grams of fat!!!

 

No wonder I ended up with gestational diabetes!! (To be fair, diabetes runs ALL up in my family, but still....)

 

And I loved the blackberry tea and would sometimes share an appetizer with DH- so the count was probably even higher.

 

REAL food doesn't have numbers like that- so it's no wonder that the food makes you/us feel like crap. You are what you eat ;)

[LaxMom]

Maybe it is too salty or otherwise tastes too processed.

 

Maybe you are just a better cook!

I agree. I rarely find restaurant fare that tastes better / is higher quality than what I make at home. When I do, it's something very high end.

[lavender's green]

I think that cooking for yourself makes you recognize good taste.  DH and I used to eat at Applebee's every week with our college friends.  It tasted amazing.  But then we got married, learned how to cook, went GF for my migraines and back again, moved to an expensive area, and had kids, and overall just stopped eating out.  Then we moved to a less expensive area and we can afford to go to really nice restaurants every few months, and their food is amazing.  But a few months ago when I had to do prenatal appointments every week in a city an hour away around meal times, we started eating at Applebees and the like, and it was just...meh.  It got the job done: filling a pregnant lady's and her DH's and toddler's bellies.  It even tasted good in a nasty way.  I think our tastes had become more refined and the restaurant ingredients had gotten worse.  So I much prefer home cooking or nice restaurants.  Now we do date nights at nice places or just stay in and put the kids to bed early and cook something awesome.

[Laurie4b]

I think your taste has likely changed and things taste too salty, sugary, or fatty to you. For instance, when I cook pumpkin pie, I cut back to 1/3 of the sugar and have for years. If I buy a pie either at the grocery or a restaurant, it tastes way too sweet.

 

There are many restaurants where I wouldn't eat, particularly chain restaurants. I don't find the food tasty and I know it is loaded with fat & salt even if I am trying for a healthy meal. (I think I usually know when sugar is in a recipe, but looking up the nutrition in chains is eye-opening. So I don't want to waste all the "calories" on something that isn't even that good.

 

On the other hand, we live in a "foodie" area of the country and there are tons of local, one-of-a-kind restaurants, many of which use local ingredients as much as possible. There are some fabulous meals I've had out in those places. They are typically on the more expensive side, though, so it's a treat, not something I do often.

[JennyD]

I cannot count the number of times i have read an interview with some accomplished chef in which the interviewer asks, "And what kind of advice do you have for home cooks?" and then the chef replies,"Season generously!  Home cooks don't add enough salt."  And then I think, "No. You chefs are oversalting your food."

 

I don't go out to eat often but when I do, it's usually at a pretty decent place, and even so, the food just always seems so excessively heavy and salty to me.  Like others, I much prefer going out for unusual or complicated dishes that I just can't make at home.