Things You Only Know if a Bad Meal Ruins Your Mood

When expectations are high, it can make you feel low…

Posted on

1 July 2019

Posted by

Maebelle

Things You Only Know if a Bad Meal Ruins Your Mood

All Credits: PA

If being let down after a bad meal is a feeling that fills you with dread, we understand your pain.

And so, you’ll know where we’re coming from with this lot…

You can’t be blamed for looking forward to a meal out. You get dressed up, you book a babysitter, you check the restaurant menu beforehand and know exactly what you’re going to order – if it goes wrong, all that excitement was for absolutely nothing. Of course you’re going to resent it!

Your partner or friends are on tenterhooks the whole way through dinner, knowing that their night is ruined too, if you don’t like your meal.

There’s always that moment, three bites in, where you ask yourself: ‘Is this bad enough for me to cause a scene and send it back? Or should I give the server a break?’

Cooking a bad meal yourself is just as disappointing – if not more so – as eating a dire one in a restaurant. How did you manage to put in that much salt? How did you let yourself get distracted by the telly and burn it? It’s so frustrating!

Admittedly, you do need to lower your expectations – a little bit at least. A croissant from a garage isn’t going to be as crisp and buttery as one from a proper bakery; that curry you’ve been dreaming about all week might not hit the spot straight out the microwave; that roast at a new pub that’s opened might not come with cauliflower cheese – things happen. You can survive it.

You know you shouldn’t get upset – it’s just food – but soggy roast potatoes, overcooked veg, rubbery fish, stale burger buns, non-runny eggs, dry chicken etc, etc, they just make you really, really sad.

You’ve built up a list of restaurants you can rely on – and pick specific dishes that are consistently brilliant. Sometimes, sticking with what you know is the only way.

There’s a special kind of agony you only feel when presented with a dry, solid chocolate fondant, that should ooze with molten chocolate sauce, but has been overcooked. Oh, the shame of it.

It’s a total disaster when you’re at the beach and your favourite fish and chip shop has closed early. You will sob, and never return again.

Everyone you’re eating with will instantly relax if you close your eyes, put your knife and fork down and say: ‘Oh, that’s delicious.’

The only thing worse than being served bad food, is having food envy. Sigh.