# Eating out



## AmishHeart (Jun 10, 2016)

I just read an article on Zero Hedge that said that more Americans eat out rather than eat at home. When eating at home, many still buy convenience foods, and don't actually do much to prepare it. Also stated that Americans lead the way to obesity. I know we don't eat out much. And when we do, I find myself deciding if the food was worth the money, or could I have done a better job preparing it myself. This is worrisome, as many people I know do not know where food comes from, and do not know how to cook. (this is obviously not Hashbrown or RTG). 
So what say you? How often does everyone eat out, and where do you go?


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

AmishHeart said:


> I just read an article on Zero Hedge that said that more Americans eat out rather than eat at home. When eating at home, many still buy convenience foods, and don't actually do much to prepare it. Also stated that Americans lead the way to obesity. I know we don't eat out much. And when we do, I find myself deciding if the food was worth the money, or could I have done a better job preparing it myself. This is worrisome, as many people I know do not know where food comes from, and do not know how to cook. (this is obviously not Hashbrown or RTG).
> So what say you? How often does everyone eat out, and where do you go?


 I was actually talking about this today at lunch time. I have to spend quite a bit of office time these days keeping current jobs rolling and trying to bid new work. I happened to be on one of my larger jobs today at lunchtime which I probably have around 20 guys working on. They all left at noon except for me and one other guy. Now most of these guys make from 10 to 15 dollars an hour and go out for lunch everyday. It absolutely amazes me. I went to my truck grabbed my lunch box and set and ate lunch with the lone guy left on the job. I asked him why he brought his lunch and he said I have kids and a nice home and don't want to lose what Ive worked for. Most of these guys are broke half way between paychecks but are to damn lazy to get up 5 minutes early and make a damn sandwich.


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

We eat out as a family perhaps 4 times a year, and always because we are hosting more people than we want to cook for or because of some kind of special event. For example we always eat out the night before Thanksgiving, usually at a local supper club that has an amazing salad bar and dinner buffet. This is in part because when you have a large family eating out is expensive, time consuming and often chaotic. The wife and I eat out perhaps 4-5 times more per year than that minus the children. And usually those meals are at nicer places that cook the way I would using all fresh ingredients. Even on "vacations" we either stay with family and eat in or we get a suite style hotel with a kitchen. Otherwise we eat at home, off an established menu, cooking meals from scratch, at the dinner table with no electronics. The wife and I use leftovers for lunch, we pack fresh lunches daily for our kids when they go to school and make them fresh lunches when they are at home. We shop at farmers markets, participate in produce coops, buy meat and eggs from local producers and avoid processed foods 99% of the time. My wife makes breakfast foods for the kids, energy bars, ice cream and other snacks and treats all from scratch using whole foods. 

Now to contrast that, my closest buddy who also has a lot of kids, probably eats out 5 lunches a week and at least 5 dinners. He and his wife work full time and they are not big into planning ahead or having to do things for themselves. Their kids eat Hostess fruit pies or Cocoa Puffs for breakfast, school lunches or TV dinners/pizza/Hot Pockets and then snack on things like candy bars and chips after school. Most of their meals are eaten out of paper bags while sitting in front of TV's in different rooms of their house or in cars as they drive from one activity to another. Their kids are all overweight, show symptoms of diabetes and the whole family always seems to be under the weather. Yet they feed their dogs grain-free all natural meat-based dog foods because regular dog food is so chock full of chemicals and junk.


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## phideaux (Nov 7, 2015)

The wife and I have decided , because we can afford it, to eat out one meal everyday . 

Our reasoning is ...we been married 51 years, and my wife has cooked 7 days a week all our married life for the two of us, (3 daughters, and the 3 SIL, then 6 GKs). 

So about 2 years ago we decided that she will not cook another big meal again unless she just plain wants to.

She don't.

Now she gets to have meals cooked for her. We are very picky about where we eat out.
Always good sit down Restraunts , Ma and Pop style, and we know the local owners and get good food, Fish frys, BBQ Ribs, Beef Brisket, homemade breads, Pork tenderloin, Amish home cooked Buffet....NO McDonalds.

We do not eat fast food ever. 

Probably cost a little more than buying 6-7 hudred dollars of groceries , and electric to cook it..but we are ok with that.

I believe my wife deserves a break from the kitchen for the rest of her life. 



Jim


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

We eat out sometimes, sometime more than others. Some fast food when we travel. But 85-90% is cooked at home and usually includes food we raised ourselves. Mostly when we go out it is to a decent sit down place that fixes real food.


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## Flight1630 (Jan 4, 2017)

I do know were good originally comes from, I grew up in a farm, grain and cattle. But as far as today's food how it's been processed right from farm to grocery store. Now that scares me. As I drive truck I try and limit myself to 1 restaurant meal a week, doesn't always work that way (run out of food sometimes) my wife cooks extra food during the week and freezes it for me. I have a microwave in truck and I know how to use it lol. Also have a 5 cup coffee maker in truck. I'm set lol.


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## angie_nrs (Jul 26, 2017)

I was watching Going RV a while ago and there was a couple looking at different RV's. The wife said she wished she could find one without a kitchen because it was just wasted space. She would not use it AT ALL! I'm sure you'll find it hard to believe that the whole family was overweight. I use my oven, stove, and frig in my RV all the time! Plus, hubby grills outdoors all year long. To us, half the fun of camping is grilling and cooking up good summer food.

We eat out probably once per week on the weekends for a treat for dinner and maybe once a week for lunch. I don't necessarily cook from scratch, but even cooking at home vs. spending all kinds of money at restaurants is better than nothing. We are more apt to eat out or call for a pizza during the hot humid summer than in the winter though. I love to make soups, stews, casseroles, and crock pot meals in the winter! Without central air, it's tough for me to crank up the oven during the summer.:surrender: Although when I do decide to make lasagna, I'll make two so that we can have one now and the other goes in the freezer for a quick "oops I forgot to plan for dinner" meal. Plus, I'm doing a lot of intermittent fasting now, so I skip at least 2 lunches and dinners per week. When I do eat at work, I always pack a healthy lunch the night before.

I think people eat out b/c they simply don't plan. All of a sudden they are hungry.....so, since nothing's thawed, they go out. Eating out for me when I was growing up was always at the pizza parlor after church on Saturday. I guess that's why I have to have my pizza fix. We hardly ever ate out at any other time. Today, eating out is not a "treat" for most but simply a meal. I'm sure they then wonder why they can't lose weight, feel tired all the time, and don't have any money.

Oh, and we always brew our coffee at home. The timer on the coffee maker is a beautiful thing....no waiting in line and cheap to boot! I could never understand the coffee craze with everyone going to a specialty shop for their coffee fix. Plus, I want my coffee before I even start getting ready for work! I'm not gonna wait until I'm out the door before I start on my first coffee. Heck no!


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

My family works on Friday.
I work 4 days a week & have Friday off, so I go to a movie & eat lunch at the mall, with a co-worker when he not working overtime.
The whole family can cook,bake & clean the kitchen.
We go out to a sit down dinner, 3-4 times a month as a family, because I can afford it.
I like seeing my family together.


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## RedBeard (May 8, 2017)

Never, one it is a waste of money. Two I don't eat food that i don't know anything about. We even know where the grain we get to make our flour comes from in this house. I say eat what you want its your body. I just know the commercial food supply in this country is dangerous on a few levels. But i type this while puffing on my favorite wood tip black and mild cigar so go figure..... Hypocritical much? I try not to be but i just love B&M cigars. Like i said it's your body so poison how you like, or don't.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

My wife and I go out to eat about 3 times a week. Often it's one breakfast, one lunch, and one supper.

I have errands to run as a part of my job. Three days a week I'm leaving home at 3:00 to 3:30 and getting home between 7:15 and 7:30. I end up swinging by McDonald's between stops to pick up a value meal and a diet drink around 4:30 or 4:45.

I tried eating subs from Subway once a week but after awhile I got to where I just didn't want to eat another one.

I really like buffets. It's nice getting a bunch of different things that you don't have to order separately. And if you don't like one thing very much you can get something else. You just have to make sure you don't eat 3 times as much as you would with a meal at home.


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## DrPrepper (Apr 17, 2016)

I usually eat my lunch in the hospital cafeteria. With the employee discount (and the excellent chefs preparing the food), I can get a healthy meal for less money and effort than it would cost me to pack my own. We rarely eat out, but it is not unusual for us to call for a pizza on days that we are both too tired to cook. I do not see any issue with eating out at a place you trust to provide good food if you can afford it, as long as you have the skills needed to cook if the restaurant wasn't there. We have many cooking options at home, including the kitchen, the barbeque grill, the fireplace, the camp stove, sterno, and even my little rocket stove. We also have the skills to use them. But, when we are too tired to mess with cooking, it's nice to either call out or head to our favorite restaurant for a break.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> I just read an article on Zero Hedge that said that more Americans eat out rather than eat at home.


Also on Zero Hedge were a couple articles about steadily declining sales at restaurants for the last few years.

We seldom eat out. My wife and I both cook so the burden is not just on her. We too live over an hour to town and the once a month trip there usually results in eating a meal in town. I did take her out for supper on her birthday a couple days ago. But I admit I was thinking just how much food we could have bought with that $40 on the one meal. Plus I can not eat gluten and that makes dining out tricky for me.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

hiwall said:


> Also on Zero Hedge were a couple articles about steadily declining sales at restaurants for the last few years.
> 
> We seldom eat out. My wife and I both cook so the burden is not just on her. We too live over an hour to town and the once a month trip there usually results in eating a meal in town. I did take her out for supper on her birthday a couple days ago. But I admit I was thinking just how much food we could have bought with that $40 on the one meal. Plus I can not eat gluten and that makes dining out tricky for me.


I do the same thing when the bill comes to $60.00 to $80.00.
I do not smoke, rarely drink whisky, never beer, not a gun or knife collector.
So I can afford a little change for a family dinner.

hiwall, she worth the $40 dollars then some, for putting up with you.
I know because my DW dose the same for me.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

crabapple said:


> hiwall, she worth the $40 dollars then some, for putting up with you.
> I know because my DW dose the same for me.


But, but when we first got married she was happy with a TV dinner


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## tmttactical (Nov 23, 2015)

hiwall said:


> But, but when we first got married she was happy with a TV dinner


Ah but she expected you to improve. The price of more involvement in your development, is higher dinner cost. Female economics 101. Now I am going to hear about it.


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## ClemKadiddlehopper (Aug 15, 2014)

I eat out most days; either in the garden or downing a bucket load of cherry tomatoes or strawberries in the tractor. Tomorrow we are eating in; going to bbq some steaks.

It is too much like work to do the chores and than get cleaned up, drive to town, order, complain about the crap food, wait for bill,  thats how many nice boards for my new cupboards or tiles for the floor, sheets of plywood, fencing material? I could have just as happily had a nap and skipped dinner all together.

I am a cheap date.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

Different seasons in life bring changes to our eating habits. Right now, we're at Chickfila 2-3 times a week for play dates/planning meetings, we eat out (usually TexMex) after church every Sunday & maybe once for dinner periodically during the weekdays. If we pick something up for dinner, it's usually BBQ/smoked turkey or pizza. That may sound like a lot but considering none of my kids have ever eaten a single meal at a school, we're eating outside the home less than nearly everyone with school age kids. We can afford it, we can cook from scratch, & our kid knows where food comes from because he feeds & helps water it every day. . My boy usually comes in from feeding the chickens with a tomato in one hand & a cucumber in the other. 

I wish more people knew how to prepare food ahead of time. We freeze homemade corn dogs, pb&j, pizzas, & dinner leftovers for lunches. I don't know what I'd do without my crockpot. It takes very little time to menu plan but saves sooo much stress.


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## bbqjoe (Feb 10, 2017)

DrDianaAnderson said:


> I usually eat my lunch in the hospital cafeteria.


What I'd like to know, is how is it you can be in the hospital for a week, do nothing but lie in bed and wait for your next meal, and when they finally send you home, you've lost 10 pounds?

I rarely if ever dine out, basically for a few simple reasons.
First, it's just costs too much, more on that in a minute.....
Second, out of maybe 30 or more restaurants in town 50 miles away, there isn't a single one I'd eat at, except for maybe in and out if I'm stuck in town for some reason. That's it.

Besides that, there isn't one restaurant in the whole town that is fine dining.
Not one place where you would actually plan on going, make a reservation, and dress up for a nice dinner date with the wife.

Third, I can cook circles around just about anyone, and I'd rather cook at home, and have things just the way I like it, instead of begging someone not to overcook a $25 dollar steak.

Here's something you all probably didn't know, until now.
A *well run restaurant*, with good food, and decently paid help, in the end, after all the bills and people are paid, is lucky to make/keep .05 cents on the dollar.
And that's why eating out costs so much.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> A well run restaurant, with good food, and decently paid help, in the end, after all the bills and people are paid, is lucky to make/keep .05 cents on the dollar.


There are many different businesses that dream of a 5% profit.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

My wife and I eat out once a week as a treat/date. Sometimes it is lunch but most often dinner. We only go to good restaurants. My wife has a list of favorites . Mostly we cook at home. We like to turn on music and cook together and sit down to enjoy a nice meal. Its a great way to spend time together and enjoy each others company. A house that smells like good food smells like home to us. Eating out is just a change of scenary for us and I like taking my wife out. Foolish if you cant afford it though. Those restaurant bills add up over the year. Generally $50 a week as we dont drink alcohol at restaurants.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Growing up all of our meals was fresh or grandma's canned, no store bought stuff. Guess it kind of spoiled me when I hit the grade school cafeteria, they called it food, blah. So I just did without eating lunch.

Married at 18 and worked in a factory. One of the wife's way of showing love is by preparing food (plus she gets to taste and lick the spoons). She insisted I take a paper-bag lunch so I did. That meat sandwich sitting in a hot break room for 5 hours before break was on the ripe side. Went back to skipping lunch.

Now that we are empty nesters and have a little disposable income I take her out for lunch on Sunday, Mother's day, her Birthday, our anniversary and Father's Day.

This past weekend she was gone so I had to fend for myself.

Friday lunch: Burger King. Double Cheese burger and fries.
Supper: Store bought sliced ham with cheese between two slices of brown bread.

Saturday lunch: McDonald because they have a fast drive thru. Two Cheese burgers and fries.
Supper: Store bought sliced ham with cheese between two slices of brown bread.

Sunday lunch: Culver's. Double Cheese burger and fries.
Wife got home just before supper time and was busy unpacking so I fixed for my supper (drum roll please): Store bought sliced ham with cheese between two slices of brown bread.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Let’s see... When I was working: breakfast at home, brought my lunch, dinner at home. I know what I like to eat and how I like it cooked, so this just made sense to me. I did go out once a month for a nice sit down, don’t have to cook or do the dishes meal. I figured if I was working I ought to at least be able to afford that or find a different position. This was right from my logging days through carpentry and finishing with the corporate cube farm.

Logging you didn’t have much choice. Not many restaurants on the back of a mountain somewhere and the dozer wasn’t going to make it to town and back in 30 minutes anyway. Construction, we all ate on the job, just the way it was. Someone might go out for coffee or something for breaks though. So I guess that could be counted as eating out. My wood shop section of life, ate at home because that is where the shop was. Cube farming? I was pretty much the only one there that brought my own lunch. Everyone discussed the details of where they might go, what they might have, before hand. Then, discuss what they had, how it was and all, when they got back. Folks did take notice that I always brought the same meal all week. One week a beef type stew thing, next week a tomato based concoction of some sort… I spent Sunday making a big pot of something then ate off it all week. That gave me evenings after work for the garden, puppy and chores without having to do the whole cook a nice meal thing. Slap something in a bowl, chow down, then get on to other things.

You would be surprised at the number of folks who say they will NOT eat leftovers! Honest!!! First time someone told me that I thought they were joshing me. They eat out every single night because that way, they do not have leftover food in the house and can have something different every night. And the looks I would get when I pulled a jar of string beans or something from a desk drawer, unscrew the top and dig in… Where’d you get that? You aren’t going to heat that? You are going to poison yourself… LOL! The best was my jars of herbs, for teas. ‘You know you can buy them at the store already in bags.’

Back OT. Now, retired? I eat out maybe once a month, maybe a bit longer. I go out every day, for the day and bring supplies with me. I have enough to eat and drink and snack on to keep myself happy. I guess once you establish a routine, it sticks with you.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Woody said:


> Let's see... When I was working: breakfast at home, brought my lunch, dinner at home. I know what I like to eat and how I like it cooked, so this just made sense to me. I did go out once a month for a nice sit down, don't have to cook or do the dishes meal. I figured if I was working I ought to at least be able to afford that or find a different position. This was right from my logging days through carpentry and finishing with the corporate cube farm.
> 
> Logging you didn't have much choice. Not many restaurants on the back of a mountain somewhere and the dozer wasn't going to make it to town and back in 30 minutes anyway. Construction, we all ate on the job, just the way it was. Someone might go out for coffee or something for breaks though. So I guess that could be counted as eating out. My wood shop section of life, ate at home because that is where the shop was. Cube farming? I was pretty much the only one there that brought my own lunch. Everyone discussed the details of where they might go, what they might have, before hand. Then, discuss what they had, how it was and all, when they got back. Folks did take notice that I always brought the same meal all week. One week a beef type stew thing, next week a tomato based concoction of some sort&#8230; I spent Sunday making a big pot of something then ate off it all week. That gave me evenings after work for the garden, puppy and chores without having to do the whole cook a nice meal thing. Slap something in a bowl, chow down, then get on to other things.
> 
> ...


Ive had several people tell me they wont eat left overs. Boggles my mind. I love leftovers. Seems spoiled to me to turn up your nose at a perfectly wonderful meal you cooked yesterday but everyones got their thing I guess.


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## angie_nrs (Jul 26, 2017)

CrackbottomLouis said:


> Ive had several people tell me they wont eat left overs. Boggles my mind. I love leftovers. Seems spoiled to me to turn up your nose at a perfectly wonderful meal you cooked yesterday but everyones got their thing I guess.


Kind of depends on how good it was the first time around no?

Seriously though, sometimes, just sometimes it IS better the second time around like bean soup and chili. I like the thicker base. Actually I like lasagna better the second time around too. Go figure.....


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Being a bachelor, no. If I make it, it is what is for dinner.. or lunch and dinner until it is gone. I’ve cooked some things…. All the ingredients in it I love, but in that certain combination, not too good. And then there are the dishes that got a little too ‘Well Done’ on the bottom. Scrape around the really crunchy parts and chow it down. LOL

And yes, I also find a lot of things are MUCH better after they sit for the night.


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## terri9630 (Jun 2, 2016)

I'll hit subway once every couple of weeks. Chick-fil-A if I'm in the city.


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## jimLE (Feb 25, 2015)

i rarely eat out,when it comes to just me,being out n about..even then.i limit my self to where and what i eat..and yes.chances are.it'll be junk food..like burgers n fries from McDonald's,or where ever.but,if mom is with me.it'll be some place better,and at least.some what decent food.i enjoy and love left overs.like my meatloaf.a square meal the evening/night i make it..fold over sandwich untill meatloaf is gone,after that..i made meatloaf patties instead of regular meatloaf the other night.now i can eat meatloaf and a burger at the same time..


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