The All You Can Eat Buffet

The All-You-Can-Eat Buffet,-(herein named AYCEB)- arrived on the dining scene decades ago. It was a refreshing departure from the rigid dinner menus of many restaurants, where the main dinner selections were, sometimes, heavy on starches, overcooked vegetables and  quaint little entrees, laden with sauces. The salad was rarely included in the price of the dinner and if it was, it was simply a side dish with a few large pieces of pale coloured lettuce, a tomato wedge, with nary a green or coloured vegetable in sight.  Times have changed and so has the dining experience. ... 

We now have abundant choice in the form of the All You Can Eat Buffet -(AYCEB)- restaurants, bursting with customer engineered problems. In these modern patron friendly restaurants, called AYCEB, we are able to choose freely from the bountiful hot and cold food tables- repeatedly- until we are satiated- all for a fixed price. It is a dream come true! During this non-stop feeding frenzy, we indulge our every whim in the extensive array of appetizers- soups or salads, in all manner of vegetables - many times over. 

The hot buffet is a non-stop epicurean’s delight. Every conceivable offering is available to us to sample, if we desire, a virtual wish list in the diner’s fantasy.  Then to end the meal, we have dessert, a rarity included in the form fitting dinner menu of other restaurants or at home. ...  The choices here to satisfy our sweet tooth are overwhelming. Upwards of 15 different desserts - from ice-cream to cake, cheesecake and pies with fruit are ours for the taking, an abundant display of the rich and the richer, awaiting our taste buds.   (Gorging and gouging in one easy step.) . ...   We rule, but, are also the enemy! ... 

Slowly seeping into our dining fantasy we have overwhelming waste, brought about by our total lack of respect for the labour, time and money being spent to create this gastronomic feast for us, the dining customer. ... Without much thought, some of us are filling our plates to overflowing on our second, third or even fourth trip to the buffet, an excessive demand not only on our bodies but also on the restaurant’s bottom line. We realize, immediately, that we are full yet continue to re-fill our plates to the absurd without realizing what our bodies are telling us. The food is removed by the wait staff and thrown out. The process repeats itself. 

What are we teaching our children about food, people's time and the food dollar? ... We have no boundaries and no respect for the offerings because, we believe, it is not our problem. But it is and sadly we are the problem!

It is a privilege that such a democratic dining system exists. It is an economic boon to our budget and our health when we can choose the foods that enable our bodies to function well. It is a dieter’s delight to be able to pick and choose a plan of eating that pleases us today. Tomorrow might be a different set of rules. 

At the AYCEB, the mind boggling array of choice creates an unbelievable experience. The work that this dining event engenders has been totally eliminated for us.  We are spoiled by its intentions. (Eating dessert first, then soup, salad, or fruit can cater to the devil inside of us.) The only request by dining management is simply to eat what we choose. ...  Years ago, while waiting to be seated at a well known American buffet, we noticed two patrons near the end of their meal, finishing several desserts.  When we left- one hour later - we passed these women, still seated and still eating dessert.  Absurd!  Ridiculous!  Abusing a privilege will eventually be our own undoing. ...   

As parents, it is our duty to teach our children proper dining etiquette -at home and in public- and to respect the people and the food in any dining environment.  Our boys’ first introduction to AYCEB was a simple affair. Choices were limited to three per trip in small amounts, with an adult present. (French Fries or bread were off limits). ...  If AYCEB is truly a food paradise for us, then we must respect its boundaries or else, one day, it simply won’t be there for our dining indulgence! ...