Speed At Which Members Eat

[cabrales]

I eat slightly more slowly than most at restaurants. I'd appreciate hearing about how quickly members see themselves as eating (both in absolute terms and relative to the people with whom they regularly dine).

Here are some ways one might imagine speed of eating to be relevant to a restaurant or home dining experience. Which ones do members have input on?

-- Does the pace of eating affect how carefully/well members experience a dish and/or accompanying wine?

-- Do members sometimes feel a dish is at an inappropriately low temperature by the time it is finished?

-- Has eating too slowly ever "thrown off" cooking times or the pacing of the meal for the restaurant's kitchen, such that it affected the quality of subsequent dishes (esp. dishes sensitive to cooking time)? Have members seen dishes brought into the dining room and waiting for them while they were still working on the prior dish?

-- Do members eat at different paces depending on what the occasion is for the meal (e.g., dating context vs. family; business-oriented meal vs. leisure)?

-- Have "slow-eaters" (or their dining companions) been rushed at the end of a meal when a second service is intended, or the restaurant is intending to close?

-- Do "fast-eaters" get frustrated at having to wait for slow-eaters?

(Note there has been some discussion of the length of time spent at a restaurant in "Asked to Leave a Restaurant!!!" under "General" and "Four Restaurants" under "United Kingdom and Ireland".)

[Beachfan]

I eat quickly, and much faster than my wife (but not as fast as my brother).

Eating with people who eat slower than me is welcomed.  Helps keep the meal pace more reasonable.

[Liza]

Sadly, yes Cabrales, a meal has been ruined by slow-eating dining companions. But I'm talking glacially slow - start to finish, 4 1/2 hours. It was excrutiating, and embarrassing, as I knew the chef and I'm pretty sure they were hoping to turn the table at some point. 7:30 reservation, 3 course meal. By 11:30 when we finished our cheese plate, D. and I could see the finish line. The chef sends out a round of desserts and for the first and only time in my life, I was saddened by free dessert.

[cabrales]

glacially slow - start to finish, 4 1/2 hours. . . . 3 course meal.

Liza -- If you are comfortable, please discuss how 3 courses took 4 1/2 hours due to diners' speed, when the kitchen was prompt? Were the dishes ordered particularly complex to eat (e.g., crab requiring removal of meat)? Was the slow speed due to conversation among your dining companions?   :confused:

A separate point relates to the role of diner speed in Chinese-style banquets. If a diner is interested in second or third helpings of shared dishes, it is usually helpful to be a fast-eater.  Also, one might want to be a fast-eater at such banquets because other diners might not use serving spoons and might dip their own chopsticks into the remaining food. For hygiene reasons, there too, it would be better to eat more quickly.  

If I have no expectation of a gastronomic meal (e.g., typical lunch during the week), I can eat quite quickly.

[Liza]

The slow speed was all due to our dining companion's dining rate. They are self-professed slow eaters, but we had no idea that meant one bite every five minutes, or thereabouts. One half of the couple counts every chew, and chews each bite 50 times, as per mother's instructions.

[cabrales]

chews each bite 50 times

Liza -- I haven't thought about how many chews I take per bite, but while I'm chewing, I might or might not be (1) using utensils to gather the upcoming bite of food, (2) taking in a small additional amount of sauce, or (3) pursuing a quick sip of my wine or water. How can one chew 50 times a bite for all foods, or for any food for that matter?

Also, for other members who might not be in Liza's age range and who are comfortable responding, might the use of dental devices (whether from personal experience or friends' updates) affect the "feel" of food in one's mouth and/or the taste?  Perhaps speed of eating could be affected by such devices as well? I assume teenagers with braces or persons with more life experience might be able to provide input on this.  

[macrosan]

This sounds like a case for a rsearch study. Maybe the UN would fund that  

The fastest eater in the world is my father. Give him boiling soup or ice cream straight from the freezer, and he'll be finished before you're ready to take your first taste. For other foods, his ICR (Instinctive Chew Rate) is so fast that his jaw is just a blur. And he does exactly what Cabrales suggests. As he chews one mouthful, he is cutting/forking/spooning the next so that he is ready to refill his mouth the very instant he takes his last swallow.

The reason for this is simple. He was the youngest of 11 siblings, and was always served last. If he didn't catch up with the others, all the food was gone before he could get second helpings  

[cabrales]

The reason for this is simple. He was the youngest of 11 siblings, and was always served last. If he didn't catch up with the others, all the food was gone before he could get second helpings  

I wonder if the same phenomenon of competition for food (or for the better dishes) might also be seen at certain boarding schools, prisons (the input to be received on this one is likely zero, but would be interesting) or other food-sharing communities.  

I imagine films' depiction of food in prison (e.g., last meal orders by death row inmates, kitchen canteen scenes and how "political" seating arrangements are, the stronger groups seeking to appropriate more food, use of cigarettes as currency, having certain "suppliers" of limited food from outside) might be a good start (given the absence of likely coverage by members).  (Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite films. )  

Have any members worked as prison guards, policemen or INS agents responsible for potentially illegal immigrants? What sort of food do people in custody receive? Are they served with plastic forks and knives?

At some buffets or salad bars that do not replenish with regularity, it's interesting to see how frequently diners "pile on". I wonder if people might eat more rapidly in view of their desire to "get their money's worth".

[Simon Majumdar]

I think the size of ones family and their obsession with food has a direct link to how fast one eats

My family was/is six strong ( two parents, four siblings ) all of us were obsessed on what was on the other's plates. Fights ( and I am talking about the sort of fights only a family can have ) were started over who had taken more of the pork crackling or who had taken the Parson's Nose ( the rarest of treats )  Heaven forfend that you were slow to the table as the oldest ( the other wise estimable Robin ) would have taken it upon himself to redistribute the food according to the Majumdar family hierarchy ( withimself as God - he declared that we all refer to him as " The Great Salami" and worship him on our knees when our parents went out for an evening)  this usually meant a towering plate of whatever for him and a measly scrap for us.  He would assure us that our parents had divided it this way because " they love me more than they love you"

I soon learned to be first at the table, to stand by my father when he carved, to crave "treats" from my mother and to finish my plateful first so I could return for more.

over the years it has become a challeng and Robin and I still argue over things like chicken skin or the number of ribs on a sheet ( he is by the way 43 and I am 38 - so you never grow out of these things )

At home things are still the same and my ex-wife once said that the Majumdar way of saying " I love you" was " Will you be wanting that potato"

I believe that the best way to speed up a slow dining companion is to take food off their plate.  They soon learn the laws of the jungle or perish, as they should

S

[cabrales]

I believe that the best way to speed up a slow dining companion is to take food off their plate.  They soon learn the laws of the jungle or perish, as they should

Simon -- Can taking food from dining companions' plates without their assistance be done at restaurants without drawing too much attention, and, if so, how in your case and how familiar with people would you have to be to make such an attempt? Also, could eating quickly detract from the ability to ponder on flavors and other aspects of food items?  

[Simon Majumdar]

I reckon if one has met the person at least once in a dining situation then they should be prepared for what is to come.  Anyone who is just poking at their food while I am licking the willow pattern off my plate makes their portion fair game.

As for tastes, my receptors, such as are left after years of baiting God's good chillie, work pretty speedily.

S

[cabrales]

My family was/is six strong ( two parents, four siblings ) all of us were obsessed on what was on the other's plates. Fights ( and I am talking about the sort of fights only a family can have ) were started over who had taken more of the pork crackling or who had taken the Parson's Nose ( the rarest of treats )  

Simon -- If you are comfortable responding, can it be inferred that your parents (even though obssessed with food) tended to part with goodies for the benefit of the children, or could there even have been competition between a child and a parent?  

[Simon Majumdar]

There remains competition between us.  Many a time and oft on the rialto I have spurned my father for stealing that extra crispy skin you get at the base of the bird or for denying me the crispy fat off a side of beef.

In our house it was strongest survives and that remains to this day.

That is not to say that we are not extremely close, but family is only family while food endures

S

[Liza]

How can one chew 50 times a bite for all foods, or for any food for that matter?

--I have no idea. But that is what this gentleman (mid-40s, for those interested) does, with all foods that require chewing. And he performs no other activity. I'm telling you, this was the slowest eating performance ever. Bite goes in, hands go to lap, and chew, chew, chew.

[Gavin Jones]

Reminding me of a less than pleasurable non-culinary experience. Bad Chamber music - if you will.

[Jinmyo]

I knew a 50 times chewer. This lad would hold yogurt in his mouth without actually swallowing it. Sensitive type. :wow:

[Wilfrid]

I eat slowly enough, and I find it necessary to do so if I am to really enjoy the food.  Also, I am an only child, and I agree that people from large families have different instincts.

But some of the slow eaters described in this thread are in need of treatment.  I used to dine occasionally with someone who confessed to having "issues" about food.  He used to slice a pea and eat it in several bites.  This is pathological stuff, and would drive anyone crazy.  I find that the time I annoy people is when I order a cheese plate while others take dessert.  Sweet desserts get scoffed in seconds, but I can spend a good half an hour working my way around a plate of cheese.  On one occasion at Artisanal, my Beloved just couldn't sit still any more and waited for me outside the restaurant!  Well, I'm sorry, but cheese is serious business.

[Jinmyo]

He used to slice a pea and eat it in several bites.

You win.  :wow:

[Jinmyo]

Here's an online article on how to speedeat at a Chinese buffet: Clickety click.

[cabrales]

Here's an online article on how to speedeat at a ... buffet

I have wanted to eat more quickly only very rarely.  For example, when I visited a teppanyaki restaurant in Canada that restricted to 1 hour the dining time for "all-you-can-eat" (during the hour) thin (like shabu shabu) slices of reportedly Alberta beef. These slices are extremely thin, and I like my beef medium rare or less. Hence, I was eating my slices more quickly than the chef was preparing them (as he had to serve other diners in our party). The Japanese pickles (oshinko plus 2-3 other varieties) were happily "all-you-can-eat" as well, and the restaurant seemed not be enforcing the 1-hour time limit on the pickles. The restaurant was quite nice about the time limit even with respect to the beef, but we couldn't be sure about that before the expiration of the 1 hour and the beef was tasty.

"Alberta Beef" under "Canada".

("The deal is that you have about an hour to eat as much as you can of paper-thin beef slices wrapped around diced fried garlic and spring onions and cooked in front of you on a steel surface to order.")

[jhlurie]

Without embarassment, I'm a fast eater.  My mom never lectured me on it, as long as the food all went in my mouth.

[Malawry]

I ate fairly quickly as a kid. Then I had orthodontia around age 13, and when my palate expander was installed went from being the first to finish to barely completing a sandwich during my 45 minute middle school lunch break. (And I mean nothing BUT the sandwich.) Since then my speed has picked up and I'm not exactly fast, but I'm not slow either.

One of the people I dine with regularly is a very fast eater. I don't let this affect my own dining speed, although sometimes it gets hard because the fast eater also wants to pay the bill and leave once they finish their meal. (This person is not up for lengthy tasting menus too often.) I acknowledge this desire (and indeed, it is a benefit when there's a movie to make) but will politely refuse to rush my meal or get up until I am good and ready if there's no hurry.

Another person I dine with regularly is a slow eater. Not on the order of the 50-chew folks, but still quite a bit slower than myself. If I'm in a time crunch when eating with this person, I'll simply mention that I have to go a few minutes before I must leave, and my companion will usually finish quickly at that point. (Said dining companion acknowledges their slow speed.) If I'm not in a time crunch, I just sit and enjoy the company and try not to ask my companion any questions that will make them take time out from eating to talk.

I talk and eat at the same time; the slower dining companion I referenced rarely does so. I think this distinction, more than anything else, is what differentiates between faster and slower eaters. Faster eaters don't talk at all, or talk while they eat, while slower eaters seem to do one or the other but not both. Just a theory.

[Jinmyo]

Then there are the fast eaters who cross-talk with their mouths full and make expansive gestures with carelessly held cutlery. :wow:

[cabrales]

I talk and eat at the same time; the slower dining companion I referenced rarely does so. I think this distinction, more than anything else, is what differentiates between faster and slower eaters. Faster eaters don't talk at all, or talk while they eat, while slower eaters seem to do one or the other but not both. Just a theory.

Malawry -- That theory appears to be promising as a partial explanation of discrepancies in diners' eating speed, as is Simon's point regarding familial practices.  In general, I do not talk while I eat. How would you talk while you're eating if you're chewing at the same time?  Do you stop chewing but retain the relevant morsels of food in your mouth while you are talking?

If I am having a conversation with a dining companion, I take significantly smaller bites/forkfuls so that I can be ready to speak as appropriate. I try not to engage people in substantive conversation for too long when a dish arrives, as the temperature changes from slow eating are undesirable. Most of what is said after a dish arrives and before it is removed would be observations about the dish or the wine.   There is usually plenty of time after a dish is removed for other dialogue.

Another theory I have been wondering about relates to differences in how "clean" diners leave the food on their plate. For example, if a diner is eating chicken, getting every bit of the meat (including that adjacent to the bone) involves greater effort as the larger chunks of meat become eaten and one has to go for more interesting areas. Also, with crab, I notice that some dining companions aren't interested in the wonderful material inside the shell or don't even make an effort to crack what are not insubstantial claws. That would save time. As would ignoring (for me, unimaginable) the material inside the head when one is eating lobster or langoustines.

Finally, I have been thinking about how one's "capacity" (in the volume of food sense) affects eating speed. If a diner can't eat that much quantity-wise and leaves significant portions of a dish on the plate, that would speed things up.  

[Malawry]

I'll have to examine my eating and talking at the same time to figure out how I do it. I don't tend to talk during the first couple bites of a dish, as I am too interested in evaluating what's in my mouth to be distracted by continuing a conversation. I also don't talk with a mouth full of food (not that I really stuff my mouth that often). But I do talk after the first couple chews in a small mouthful before I swallow, and I also intersperse conversation between smaller bites like Cabrales does. My slower dining friend does not intersperse in the same way, which took some getting used to for me when we started eating together regularly. And I, too, try not to ask any big questions just as somebody's about to put a big honkin' sub sandwich in their mouth.

Wow, I feel like a pig for admitting I talk and eat at the same time.