All-You-Can-Eat Buffets: friend or foe?

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from MSNBC

Americans have a love-hate relationship with buffets. At a restaurant or a party, we cheerfully anticipate the different foods available. Afterwards, we gripe about how much we ate ...

* The many choices that buffets pose is one reason they are a challenge to eating a reasonable amount. Studies show that people tend to take more food when more is present.

* The accessibility of buffets makes all the variety even harder to resist. Research shows that when food is within easy reach, people are much more likely to follow their innate biological impulse and grab it.

* The sheer amount of food is another reason buffets are problematic. Studies at Pennsylvania State University, New York University and Cornell University have all shown that people eat more when larger amounts are available.

* A final drawback to buffets is that many Americans have been taught from a young age to clean their plates.

What is your personal gameplan to maximize the benefits of a buffet? or are there any benefits? If so, what??

Or do you simply avoid them because you feel that you are not "in control" in this type of a food setting?

[Jensen]

I avoid them because, generally, the food quality is so poor.

[NulloModo]

I love buffets, but as an occasionaly thing, not an every day way of eating.

I am also now much more pickey about which buffets I will frequent. Hometown Buffet or most Chinese Buffets are straight out, the food quality is overall poor, and everything is laden with starch and sugar to bulk it up and cut costs, blech.

Now, a good Indian lunch buffet (every local Indian restaurant here does one) now that can be great, I go straight for the tandoori, have some chicken curry, some of of that wonderful curried spinach that is always there, and whatever other vegetables look good. You get great variety, and for someone like me who doesn't know what half the things are called in Indian cuisine, it is a great way to learn, to sample lots of different dishesfor one low price in one afternoon.

Also, sushi/sashimi buffets are a great way to go. The local Japanese Hibachi style places do these, and it is just an excellent value, with some hot dishes usually availible on the side as well. A big reason I don't go out for sushi/sashimi more often is because I tend to leave hungry, and with an empty wallet. While the buffet doesn't completely solve the empty wallet problem, it helps it, and I certainly don't leave hungry.

Perhaps the most perfect buffets are those in the hotels in Atlantic City though (well, I hear Vegas is good too). Not the cheapo little ones on the boardwalk, but the nice ones such as at the Borgata or Caesars. Now, of course they aren't cheap, but prime rib, fresh roasted bird of some variety, a huge range of salads and vegetables, cheeses, etc, etc, it is what Hometown Buffet would be if price were no option and the people behind the wall knew something about cooking.

[jgarner53]

Ditto what Jensen said, though I would consider Thanksgiving (the way my family does it) as a buffet, and there I definitely eat too much!

But to eat a buffet restaurant? Gah. No thanks.

[Ovenfrenzy]

Every once in a while I enjoy going to a Chinese food buffet- it's fun to try new dishes or simply indulge my inner glutton. There's no game plan- I just wander around eye-balling the spread, then start to pile the plate. I do this so infrequently that I don't feel guilty about going up for a few refills, and in fact I see it as a chance to just EAT until I'm very full. The only time I've had a "problem" with a buffet is at brunch buffets. I love brunch foods, consequently I want to try everything- and I don't have room for the Belgian waffle and the Denver omelet and the danish pastries and the lox with bagels... Frustrating, but in an enjoyable sort of way!

[melkor]

I avoid them because, generally, the food quality is so poor.

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Me too.

[liamsaunt]

I dislike buffets for many reasons. First, I can't stop myself from worrying whether the food is fresh. I know it is not fair, but I always think of buffets as consisting of leftovers from the previous evening, reimagined. Then there is the issue of hygiene--people breathing on the food, sneezing on the food, touching it, etc. Worries over whether the food is being held at safe temperatures... I also don't like the pacing of a buffet meal. Rather than being able to relax and enjoy conversation, people are constantly going for refills, which interrupts the flow of the evening. Dirty dishes piling up on the table, yuck. Constant foot traffic from people refilling their plates can be annoying too.

Most importantly, at my buffet experiences, the food just hasn't been that good.

Can you tell that I don't like buffets?

[britcook]

I don't do buffet.

Period.

[Della]

I am not a fan of the buffet.

There are times it is ok - such as at a nice restaurant for brunch (which I seem to do about once every 2 years so it isn't really an issue).

I just hate to line up with a bunch of people and pick over the food that is just sitting there under heat lamps or iced down. I worry about germs and it makes me feel like everyone is watching - I know I know - that was fairly revealing! I hate people watching me eat or load up a plate. Maybe too many years waiting tables and watching other eat.

[andiesenji]

The only "buffet" place I like, and try to get there if I am going to be in downtown L.A., is Clifton's Cafeteria.

I have never had a single item that I did not enjoy, and, their bread pudding is as good as mine.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I like it for one reason only: I have an innate desire to taste and experience a considerable number of different dishes .... the buffet makes that possible without my having to order a $100 tasting menu ...

but I don't expect a lot of quality cooking on this either ...

[therese]

I hate restaurant buffets (as opposed to food served buffet-style at home, an entirely different thing).

Crappy food, poor value, encourages eating food that I neither want nor need.

And if I've gone out to dinner I'd really rather not wait on myself.

[Lexica]

I like good buffets for the variety, as Gifted Gourmet mentions. I'm not a very big eater, and with a buffet I can taste as many things as I want and still avoid wasting food. (On a first pass through the buffet line, my plate tends to wind up with about a tablespoon of each item - just enough to sample.)

We used to pass through Reno a couple of times a year and always considered the buffets one of the better parts of the trip. A little research ahead of time is a good idea, of course.

Closer to home, we rarely go to any of the local buffet restaurants. Quality matters, and Hometown Buffet and the like don't appeal to me. There are a number of acceptably good Indian restaurants with lunch buffets that we go to, though, plus the Coriya Hot Pot City in the Pacific East Mall in Richmond. I'm sure Coriya would have an extra strike against it for some folks - not only is it a buffet, so you have to get your own food, but you even have to cook it yourself!

[Luckylies]

buffets in America suck. in other countries they are called banquets, and are delicious.

how's that for a blanket statement.

[wskrz]

Most buffets scare me. Places like Country Buffet especially. It's impossible to guarantee the quality of the food, or how it was prepared. I do wonder how much recycling is involved.

I'm typically a little braver when it comes to Indian or some Chinese buffets, but I need to know the place pretty well before I do that. It is great for giving you a sample of many different foods though. When I'm there, I'll typically try small amounts of everything at the first pass. When my plate is full but not terribly full, I go and eat it. If there's something I missed, I'll take a small scoop of it and maybe another small scoop of something that I really liked on the first pass. My golden rule, however, is never take more than what you will finish. I don't aim to "eat my money's worth" when I'm there. I go to enjoy the quality of the food, not the quantity.

The buffet that I will avoid with a ten foot pole? Seafood buffets. Especially sushi. Ugh. Seems like a case of food poisoning just waiting to happen.

[Yuki]

In Hong Kong, I go to tea buffet for family meetings. We can stay there for 3 hrs undisturbed with decent food and drinks and only pay around $5-8 per person. There is usually a couple chefs out preparing fresh dishes like crepe, stir fried/soup noodles, and sushi. We don't go to buffet to kill ourself by exploding our stomach, but it is a great place for big families with many different likes and dislikes. Also, dessert buffet is my favourite because there are so many tiny desserts around so I can taste more. The average size of the dessert is around 2-3 bites and the cake is around 4-5 bites each.

[rooftop1000]

Just returned from our local chinese buffet.....they serve king crab legs with proper drawn butter need i say more ......

they also have really good veggies ... i pick all the broccoli out of the chicken dishes and they have fresh green beans in garlic sauce and fried zucchini and pea pods and hmm i certainly dont make any of them as good as they do

if it looks funky dont try it... it probably is

T

[Jinmyo]

What is your personal gameplan to maximize the benefits of a buffet?

A flamethrower.

[petite tête de chou]

buffets in America suck. in other countries they are called banquets, and are delicious.

how's that for a blanket statement.

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An excellent blanket statement, Luckylies.

But I like buffets. Its been years since Ive been to one, but just to have the selection, therefore choice, is nice.

Of course, Im not a fan of old, nearly rancid, congealed fat on grey, over-cooked meat but usually there is fresh fruit, passable bread-stuffs and salads.

I would give the tip of my left pinkie to attend an actual smorgasboard a la my scandinavian heritage but alas... that is not to be found in my small town.

[Really Nice!]

I love buffets because I know how to work 'em!

The basic layout is designed to put the cheap carbs at the beginning of the line where the plates are and the expensive proteins at the end. Using this layout, the proprietor knows that by the time the customer gets to the end, there are so many cheap ingredients on the plate that there's little room for the expensive proteins. Banquets/buffets make a lot of money this way.

When I get in line I grab my plate and pass everyone and go straight to the end where the roast and poultry are and work my way back. It pisses a few people off but as a customer this works for me.

Oh, I also do this at Indian restaurants when I go to the buffet. Go straight to the curried lamb, butter and tandorri chicken, etc. and work my way back to the rice.

[Daddy-A]

When I get in line I grab my plate and pass everyone and go straight to the end where the roast and poultry are and work my way back. It pisses a few people off but as a customer this works for me.

We have a winner! This is the ONLY way to buffet. The only time to buffet is, of course, when the other option is starvation.

There is a buffet on the BC Ferries that my kids look forward to every time we visit the in-laws in Victoria. The food is brutal, but it makes the time fly on an otherwise boring trip.

A.

[snowangel]

I will not go to a restaurant to pay for the "privilege" of serving myself. I can do that at home. The Chinese, with dim sum, have it right. Bring you plates of different things. Let you choose, but serve you.

[Gifted Gourmet]

What is your personal gameplan to maximize the benefits of a buffet?

A flamethrower.

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Ah, yes, an economy of words calculated for maximum comprehension!

Thanks.

[Luckylies]

I love buffets because I know how to work 'em! 

The basic layout is designed to put the cheap carbs at the beginning of the line where the plates are and the expensive proteins at the end. Using this layout, the proprietor knows that by the time the customer gets to the end, there are so many cheap ingredients on the plate that there's little room for the expensive proteins. Banquets/buffets make a lot of money this way.

When I get in line I grab my plate and pass everyone and go straight to the end where the roast and poultry are and work my way back. It pisses a few people off but as a customer this works for me.

Oh, I also do this at Indian restaurants when I go to the buffet. Go straight to the curried lamb, butter and tandorri chicken, etc. and work my way back to the rice.

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I feel like I learned this from King Ralph ( a John Goodman movie) was this advice featured in this fine cinematic triumph?

[Bernaise]

"I feel like I learned this from King Ralph ( a John Goodman movie) was this advice featured in this fine cinematic triumph?"

Yes it was familiar to me too...The version I sw featured Martin Krane educating Niles and Frazier about the buffet as a sporting event: 'stay away from your breads and your pastas and your mayonnaised based salads-wait! that last bit might be mine

Although I am not a fan of the buffet at all, I will from time to time, under duress, and held in a headlock approach one.

Since i am not a fan of eggs, mushrooms and have a shellfish allergy, it makes selection easier and or more of a game. I also like to avoid the line but tackle the poor kitchen staff person who is bringing out a fresh pan of whatever and cause a riot!