Do you still go out to eat much?
Yesterday I thought: I'd actually kind of like to go out to eat again. Because it's been a good while since I last did that.
And I have my reasons.
And there are more reasons why I haven't been out to eat in ages. In fact, I don't even go for a drink on a terrace anymore. I think hospitality has gotten too expensive. Too expensive, at least, for what you actually get. Especially in Amsterdam. And I keep hearing that complaint more and more from people around me — including people who have (much) more to spend than I do.
A market vendor I often buy from at the Dappermarkt recently told me that for his birthday he took his family of four out to eat at a well-known steakhouse in Amsterdam. "I had to fork over 200 euros, and my daughter turns to me and says, 'Dad, I actually like the steak you make better.'" I had to laugh when I heard that, because my own daughter has told me the exact same thing more than once after a meal out at an Amsterdam restaurant. And honestly — it might sound arrogant — but I agreed with her!
The food is often not even that good, it's crazy expensive, and the service usually isn't great either. Something that really bothers a lot of locals in Amsterdam these days is being forced to speak English. It might sound strange, but it's true: in a lot of cafés and restaurants in Amsterdam, you can no longer order in Dutch. And it's not just in hospitality, either — plenty of shops in the city center have stopped speaking Dutch too. The reasoning given is that they can't find Dutch staff anymore, so they're forced to hire foreign students instead.
I've lived in Amsterdam myself since the early nineties, and I have to say this city never really struck me as having a particularly high-end culinary scene. But one thing it did have back then, which I haven't seen in years, is the ordinary, affordable "dish of the day." I mean a simple plate of everyday Dutch food — potatoes, vegetables, and meat. That was something you could get at pretty much any neighborhood café back then for, let's say, the equivalent of about 12 euros in today's terms. And it changed every day, hence the name "dish of the day": one day maybe a spinach hotchpotch with a meatball, the next day a hamburger with broccoli and fried potatoes.
But these days, the menu at one café looks basically identical to the next: steak, hamburger, beef stew, mussels (or some other fish), always served with fries and salad. Often you even have to pay extra for the fries and the salad. For vegetarians, maybe a pasta or a quiche. Per person, including one drink, you're quickly at 50 euros. And believe me, that really is literally just one drink included! Because that drink has become just as ridiculously overpriced as the rest of the "experience." I say that with a wink, because people sometimes call eating out a "total experience" — and the irony is that even that part of the experience is missing when you're barely served at all. More often than not you end up wandering over to the bar yourself to grab something. There is staff — they just ignore you.
Speaking of drink prices: I'm someone who genuinely loves a good glass of wine. Before the meal I like a white — preferably an oaked Chardonnay — and with the meal I enjoy a Merlot. But these days you're paying 6 or 7 euros for a single glass of wine! And that's exactly why I won't even go sit on a terrace anymore. Because on my own, that's still something I could actually enjoy. But I'm not going to drop 5 euros on a beer that I'll most likely have to go fetch myself at the bar anyway, thanks to staff shortages or staff that just doesn't function.
No — I refuse to pay these kinds of prices for that sort of "total experience." So I've stopped going out, and I'm definitely not the only one who feels this way. (Click the link and scroll down a bit for a funny little poem.) There's even someone on Reddit jokingly asking for recommendations for a really bad but expensive restaurant. 😉
But... there's hope. Because if I can believe this independent journalistic platform covering food and drink in Amsterdam, there seems to be a small revival happening of the classic "eetcafé" and its dish of the day. Maybe I should go check one out sometime. (I really hope it doesn't disappoint too much...)
Do you still go out to eat, and how's the hospitality scene in your city? I heard from some Danes I met in Sicily that it's pretty much the same story in Copenhagen.
Photo: Nathaniel Zimmerman
It’s crazy how standard menu items have gotten so expensive while basic service has vanished. Your daughter was right, home-cooked often beats it easily now!
ReplyDeleteI don’t go to restaurants alone because it is expensive and just not fun. Sometimes I go with friends, maybe once or twice per month…
ReplyDeleteWe used to go out to eat at least twice a week but yes, eating out has gotten too expensive anymore! My friend and I meet every Friday morning for breakfast, and we were just commenting how much it is costing. A cup of coffee is $4 now which I think is pretty high. Besides, the food I make at home tastes much better!
ReplyDeleteLovely photo! Yes, the cost of living, including dining out, has gone up astronomically! Thank you so much for sharing, and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada.
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed accurate in the US also...we haven't been out to eat much in several years, and the last few times were major disappointments with one exception. Even a take out meal is ridiculous. On our first visit to South Africa many years ago, we took the train into Amsterdam as we had an 8 hour layover. I enjoyed walking around in the area, and took photos. We stopped for lunch and I ordered what I thought was a typical Dutch meal. I do not recall what came with it, but the entree was salmon croquette. I was so disappointed. I had grown up eating the ones my mother prepared...and these were nothing like them. Culture matters!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you had such a disappointing experience. Food really is very culture-bound, indeed. Here in Europe, for example, the differences between countries are enormous in that regard.
DeleteNice going out and socializing amid a meal. But it truly is all getting so expensive and sadly the food not particularly inspiring to the palate in many cases.
ReplyDeleteIch bin in den letzten Tagen durch vier Länder gereist und war in jedem Land essen. Alles genau wie bei dir in Amsterdam. Alles wird immer teurer aber nicht unbedingt besser. Jetzt in der Ferienwohnung kochen wir meist selbst.
ReplyDeleteEverything is expensive these days. I eat vegetarian, glu-sugar-dairy free so I never eat out as there are no options for people like me in my country. I prepare all my meals and snacks myself especially as I do not eat anything refined or ready made or industrialy made.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like everything has increased price in recent years, while the quality has either stayed the same or even gone down. I feel your frustrations with eating out. I often find I can make something better myself.
ReplyDeleteI was last in Amsterdam in 2019 and loved finding the hidden little food places on the canal. I'm sorry to hear it has changed so much since then.
Although we don't eat out, it is more for health reasons than financial. Restaurants are so full of fats, salts and calories plus at least here in America, the portions are so huge. But when we do, I find things are sort of a polar opposite of your experience. Our family of four can eat out at most sit down restaurants for less than $100 or maybe 90 Euros. That also includes tipping which has gotten out of hand in our country. But the one upside to the tip, is that our waitstaff typically are attentive to making it a good experience so that we will leave them a nice tip. The drawback of course is that restaurant owners take advantage of that and won't pay them a living wage which is why it is likely cheaper than eating out in Amsterdam.
ReplyDeleteYou're telling me! Indeed, cooking for yourself is also often healthier. In the past, waitresses and waiters in the Netherlands used to get good tips too. That was a nice little extra on top of their salary. But now that more and more people pay electronically (and no longer with cash), fewer and fewer tips are being given.
DeleteWe don't go out to eat any more mainly because we are picky eaters and I hate complaining at the restaurants..
ReplyDeleteEating out is not comfortable anymore as I risk exposure to stuff from too many people, food is expensive and service is subpar. Cyclospora outbreaks here have ended my trust in food producers and an obviously broken food system. Diana, thanks for visiting my blog. Google did not send me here, I had to search differently. I had surgery several months ago and must catch up re: taxes before mid October. Best to you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. We are leaving for Amsterdam next week. We’ll be there for 5 days. Never been before. I suppose I need to poke around your blog for a bit.
ReplyDeleteI went back to read about Harry. I am so sorry. It sounds like he had a stroke as well as the seizure.
ReplyDeleteAbout eating out: when we were in Colorado recently we paid over $200 for two meals: once for dinner for 5, and once for lunch for 4. Both were okay places, nothing i would have about. We had planned for this but still, almost a month's grocery money for two meals was shocking. When we go out here at home, it is usually to the same little cafe, where we can both eat for $20 or less, if no wine or beer is included. Nothing fancy but tasty.