Response to, "Today's Special"

Every single day, many Americans choose to eat meals at restaurants that are considered “fine dining” establishments. In the essay, “Today’s Special”, which can be found on page 419 of The Prentice Hall Guide for College Writers, the author, David Sedaris, recalls his experience at a fine dining establishment in New York City. Though he normally was not a regular “fine diner”, he accompanied his friend to this dinner on account of his birthday. They ordered entrées that the author claimed had names that were “fifteen-words long…” (419), and seemed to be “unrecognizable” once the author brought them to their table. Obviously, the author uses a lot of sarcasm and funny little quips in this writing, but it also tells an interesting tale about something that many Americans can relate to.
    In this essay, the author jokes constantly about the atmosphere and also the menu of the restaurant, that I am assuming the author’s friend chose. He jokingly complains about the snobby waiters, and the hard to pronounce food choices. The essay becomes even more comical when he claims that he couldn’t even tell which entrée was his and which entrée was his friend’s. In the conclusion of the essay, he describes how anxious he got when their meal was over, because he couldn’t wait to go and get something to eat. It seems kind of ironic that he would be worrying about food right after he finished eating a meal, but he obviously didn’t get full off of his long named, but rather small entrée. To me, it seems like the whole dinner was a waste of time, worry, and money.
    Personally, I rarely venture out to restaurants that are considered “fine dining” establishments. More often than not, I eat at Ruby Tuesday, or Applebees, which are truthfully considered to be” casual dining” establishments. I have never eaten at any restaurant that has unrecognizable or overly priced entrées because I simply do not see the need to. When I do decide to eat out, I prefer to get something that I can easily recognize, such as a cheeseburger and french fries. I also want to eat in a place with a casual atmosphere because that is where I feel most comfortable. Eating out shouldn’t be an event where you feel obligated to wear your “Sunday best”, or where you feel like people are judging you. If I am going to spend my time and money to eat somewhere, I don’t want to feel uncomfortable, and I surely don’t want to waste my time trying to figure out what each entrée is made out of. Some people may call it simple-minded to only eat at restaurants where I feel comfortable, but I guess I am just a simple person who enjoys simple things.