Who gets which card? Who pays the bill? One or the other faux pas awaits waiters in expensive restaurants.
(Photo: HANS PUNZ/AFP)
Decency is probably a flexible concept, it changes over time. Elegance, too: what was once considered elegant can turn into the opposite as eras and their spirits scurry by – for example, into tables. A few days ago, Australian radio presenter Abbie Chatfield ate at the Ristorante Club del Doge in Venice, one of those very expensive and pompous restaurants that wealthy overseas guests tend to like. From the terrace of the Palazzo Gritti you have an unobstructed view of the Grand Canal. The antipasti start at 30 euros. The tiramisù must come from another world: 20 euros.
Abbie Chatfield is said to be an influencer. She was in Venice with her fiancé. The romance quickly ended when the waiter brought the two menus: the man one with the prices – and her one without the prices. “Menù di cortesia”, say the Italians, roughly: “courtesy card”. You only get them in very, very expensive places. The card got the young woman so excited that she did what an influencer does in such cases: she shared her excitement with her 393,000 followers on Instagram. That is sexist, a consequence of patriarchal thought patterns.
Isn’t there paternalism in worship? It’s complicated
Well, you can of course see it that way, quite well. The “lady’s menu” or “blind menu” as they say in English is terribly outdated. But is that also an affront? In the past, prospective chefs and restaurant owners at universities of applied sciences were drummed into it that it was good manners not to bother women with profane things, such as horrendous prices, if they should only be celebrated with the gesture of admiration. But isn’t there paternalism in worship? It’s complicated.
In certain parts of the world, the “blind menu” has long since disappeared, in America as early as the 1980s. After a guest complained, there were fears of lawsuits. A few years ago in Paris, an English restaurant critic at Le Cinq was so annoyed by the double menu that even the otherwise stylish French began to doubt their style.
Something is also happening in Italy. It even happens that the wine list no longer goes to the man automatically, but sometimes lands in the middle of the table with a throw. The Australian’s complaint has now fueled the debate again. The Club del Doge regretted the “discomfort caused” and in future always wants to ask first whether the guests prefer the menu with or without prices. They have completely eliminated other restaurants, because, firstly, it is not always the man who pays, secondly, two women sometimes eat together, and which of the two should then be handed the menu without prices?
The owner of Ristorante Berton in Milan said so Corriere della Sera, it was decided to stick to the old tradition, even though it was anachronistic. There is that too. Speaking of changing times: The Influencer says on Instagram of herself, she is a “sexy woman, but awful person”. Everything scurries.