I vividly remember going to Pinot Bistro in Studio City for lunch several years ago with my co-worker, our Director of Sales and the General Manager.  It was our “incentive” for having exceeded our sales goals the previous month.  Pinot Bistro is one of those lovely places with linens on the tables, proper place settings (you know…too many forks to know what to do with), and VERY attentive servers that just appear out of nowhere when you need something.  Being fresh out of college, going to LUNCH at this joint was just a weee bit intimidating.

So, as we sat down to order I carefully eyed the menu because I didn’t want to pick anything I would have trouble eating.  It was French inspired cuisine so there were a few dishes on the menu that I was not brave enough to try at the moment (like the duck…which I know love).  Several other dishes sounded delicious, but as I considered HOW I would consume the meal I was quickly deterred from ordering one plate over the other.  Mainly because most of the dishes were accompanied by French Fries.  I thought to myself…how am I going to eat French Fries in this joint?!  It wasn’t exactly a place that screamed “finger food.”  So I ordered the Salmon which did NOT come with fries or anything that would appear to pose a dining challenge.
My co-worker, on the other hand, did not put such thought into her meal selection and ordered a dish with fries.

So as we were chatting and served our plates I noticed my co-worker carefully eye the delicios meal in front of her.  And I noticed her eat her main entree but not touch the fries…until the Director of Sales and General Manager started to eat their fries….with their forks.  And so she did the same thing.  Can’t blame the woman!  I probably would have done the same thing!  It was, after all, a business lunch.  And when all else fails the best thing to do is mirror your “superior” or client.

Later, at the office she and I were recapping the meal and she says, “I didn’t know what to do!  I was about to pick one up with my fingers but then realized that probably wasn’t right!  So I waited.”  We shared some giggles over the whole thing, but I did learn a valuable lesson.  There are occassions that require you to fork your fries…or any food you would usually dive into with your fingers (pizza, onion rings, chicken wings, all that good stuff)!

Happy Monday!

P.S. If you have tales of your dining adventures to share…comment!