Dining out – should we make a meal out of it?

IT used to be that going out for dinner was a special occasion.

These days, it seems a more routine affair.

Researchers at Manchester University have looked at our changing attitudes when it comes to dining out over the past 20 years.

These days less than a quarter of us bother to dress up.

And when we sit down for a meal we tend to order one course – which we eat in a rush before dashing off.

So are we rushing what should be an enjoyable evening out at a restaurant?

Two Sunday Post writers have different opinions…

Stevie: Get your gladrags on and gather loved ones. And take your time

Internet connections aren’t just fast these days, they’re superfast.

And you don’t need to wait for items to be delivered in a few days. Amazon will dispatch that coveted cat exercise wheel within a matter of hours if you feel your moggy requires cardiovascular conditioning before the day is done.

Even movie titles have to be abbreviated. Fast and Furious is now F8, because it’s, well, so incredibly fast and furious.

Trainspotting is now called T2. It feels as if everyday life is gathering pace compared with as little as a decade ago, and everything is designed to be experienced in moments rather than hours or, heaven forfend, over the course of an evening.

Researchers say that when it comes to eating out we’re increasingly choosing to cram our gullets with fast food, and we’re doing it quickly.

We can’t even be bothered to comb our hair or throw on slightly fancier togs.

Is this what we want? A future spent idly shoving mechanically-reclaimed meat into our mouths in a burger outlet while wearing an old Wham T-shirt?

Inhaling a factory-assembled tikka masala in a pub while the car sits outside with the engine still running?

What’s odd is that restaurants are a lot less intimidating than they were 20 years ago. Gone are the incredibly snooty maître ds in a bow tie. These days burgers and pizzas are considered gourmet, and the surroundings have become so relaxed you half suspect the ultra chilled-out tattooed waiter might just join you for dessert.

I’m not sure how these new tranquil restaurants are somehow more stressful than hunting for a free formica table in a fluorescently-lit branch of McMultinational Hut.

What’s also strange about this survey is how Italian restaurants are seen as a fast and economical option.

Italy, of course, is home to the epic family meal. Proper restaurants there don’t tend to open until 7pm, when most Brits are happily digesting a Pot Noodle in our skivvies.

But if you think about it, we’ve been conditioned by our mobile phones to think and do everything as quickly as possible.

It’s no wonder we can’t sit still for a couple of hours over a lasagne, what with a steady bombardment of messages, news and lifestyle tips lighting up our iPhone screens.

So here’s one more lifestyle tip – take your gladrags, loved ones, and yourself out for a meal this week.

Most importantly though, take your time.

 

 

Ali: Life is busy. I want to get home to watch the latest MasterChef

 

I had a phone call this week. It was from the 1950s. They wanted us to start using their customs a bit more.

“Get dressed up when you go out for a meal,” they whispered. “Like in the good old days. Make going out special again. Wear a skirt. A nice pair of stilettos. We don’t want to see you in trainers.”

Oh, for goodness’ sake.

I can’t remember the last time I put on my glad rags to go out for a meal.

Look, if I go out, I want stretchy-waistband trousers to accommodate my ever-growing stomach. I need to be able to relax in flat shoes and trousers that are one step up from old tracksuit bottoms (and it might not be long before they become my trousers of choice).

The thought of putting on a dress, heels and a ton of slap is way too much effort.

Maybe it’s something to do with the fact I have three kids.

When they were actual children, I never found eating out with them relaxing.

Eventful, yes. Busy, indeed. Call me a failed parent but you know those little brats you see that have ants in their pants in restaurants and can’t sit still?

Em, guilty as charged. That was me. Not my kids. They could be noisy, but never particularly restless or badly-behaved.

But I was always thinking of the million things I had to do.

The next out-of-school club for them to go to. The present I had to buy for that party one or the other was going to.

The sheer mountain of form-filling-gym-kit-finding-reading-practice-bathtime-chaos I had to contend with was never far from my mind. There was just too much to get on with. I think I’ve never really got over it. Even though my youngest is not so young any more.

I love the idea of going out for a lingering three-course meal.

But part of the problem is that too much food leaves me feeling a bit ‘blah’. I need to go home and have a sleep after so many dishes. I know that three indulgent courses won’t help me lose my baby weight, either. (And yes, my youngest is 18 – don’t judge me, OK?)

While my kids have long grown out of needing me to run them here, there and everywhere, life is still so busy.

For starters, I need to get home and watch the latest episode of MasterChef – I especially love it when contestants are sent into busy restaurants to work.

While going out for a meal just isn’t the treat it once was, I love nothing more than sprawling on the couch watching the latest foodie programme.

And give me a bag of crisps over three courses any day.

Looking for the perfect restaurant? Check out where to eat and drink all across Scotland on our Scotland’s Gems interactive maps