There is beauty in zinnias that have succumbed to freezing temperatures, have lost their brilliant color, yet still retain their shape and form. They are like earth-toned sculptures. I wanted to capture them with my camera before I start to clean up the Chicken Wire Fence Garden, which might be today. Or not. I also have to clean up the side of the house, where there is a greenish tinge on the siding that I have ignored far too long. That is definitely on the agenda for today.
A story from yesterday: Around noon, Don and I went to run some errands. We also stopped at our town hall to vote. After we voted, Don asked me if today could be the day we used a $25 gift card for Applebee’s that he had received as a gift last year. Okay, I said. I’d never been to an Applebee’s. I’ve found that most chain restaurants have a menu that is mostly comprised of meat and fish. I’m a vegetarian. But in the past few years, I’ve noticed that more and more of these chains have incorporated a veggie burger or a pasta dish that works for vegetarians into their menus, so I was hopeful.
We drove to Applebee’s.
The menu had virtually nothing for vegetarians. Even the salads had chicken or bacon or shrimp. Don started feeling guilty because I couldn’t find anything to eat. But after some discussion with our waitress, I discovered there was a three cheese grilled sandwich and a house salad that normally came with bacon, but that could, she assured me, be specially ordered without bacon. Okay. Good.
In the meantime, I started to look around the restaurant. There was a bar in the middle of the room with several television screens that I could see from my booth. There were also television screens in the dining area. One of the screens was showing Law and Order SVU. The others? A program that is all about deer hunters, deer hunting and killing those deer with crossbows.
Are you kidding me?
This is on in a restaurant? While people are dining?
Now, if you have read this blog for any length of time, you know I am passionately anti-hunting. I abhor it. So being in a room with some frigging television screen projecting images of deer peacefully grazing and being stalked by men wearing camo is about as distasteful as it can get for me.
But, even if I was someone who didn’t have a problem with hunting, does my local Applebee’s really think that showing deer being hunted and killed is a good accompaniment to the dining experience? Does anyone want to see this stuff while they are eating?
I had one screen directly in front of me that was showing the program and one to my right. If Don, sitting directly across from me in the booth, moved his head ever so slightly, I was suddenly thrust into the world of deer hunting. If I turned my head slightly to the right, there it was again.
Really? What are people thinking? It was like we had been transported to some world dominated by survivalists and hunters instead of a large city relatively close to Manhattan.
The whole experience was unsettling and I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Yes, I know I could have asked them to change the channel but I didn’t want to stay there one minute longer than necessary.
Also, this brings to mind another question: Why do we need all those televisions on when we are dining? We can’t manage to get through 60 minutes or so without a screen in front of us? This certainly isn’t just happening at Applebee’s. It’s happening everywhere. Can’t we just talk? Or, if dining alone, read? Or be alone with our thoughts?
The cheese sandwich was very good. And my salad? Very good except for the 2 or 3 pieces of bacon I encountered.
I don’t eat out very often and my tastes are pretty simple. I’m not a demanding diner who sends things back. But no bacon is no bacon. And dining to the accompaniment of deer being killed is definitely not acceptable.
No more Applebee’s.
That’s my story from yesterday.
Happily, the day ended with watching A Streetcar Named Desire on TCM, with the brilliant performance of Vivien Leigh doing a great deal to erase those horrible images from earlier in the day. Thank goodness.
(In a bizarre sort of irony, what is showing up in my Adsense ads? Coupons for Applebee’s.)
Edited to add: Dear reader Lori, who manages an Applebee’s in South Dakota, wrote a wonderful comment assuring us that all Applebee’s are not like the one I went to. Maybe mine is the black sheep of Applebee’s? Thank you, Lori!
Happy Wednesday.
I really like Applebee’s. I especially like that chocolate lava cake and ice cream. MMMM I have seen the TV’s on but only on a sports channel. I would have asked for the food to go if they had hunting on.
They had too many televisions on, there must have been 5 or 6 of them. If I’m in a sports bar, fine. I expect to see sports on the television. And I would have been fine with sports on Applebee’s tvs.
This raises the whole question of why we need constant visual stimulation even while dining.
Speechless!
As was I, my friend. As was I.
I completely agree!
On another note: I followed your journey with Riley. So sad to lose a beloved companion and friend.
We have a 7 year old Austraiilian Shepherd, Molly. She was really sick yesterday so we brought her to the vet only to find that she has something wrong with her liver. She has lost 10 lbs for no apparent reason. They will do an ultrasound this week and maybe a biopsy. I don’t know why I am telling you all this, except that I knew you would understand how we feel. I have always said that Molly is really an angel in disguise.
Oh Carolyn, I am so very sorry. I pray that the biopsy results are negative and that something can be done to help her heal. I do know how very hard this is and I will keep you and Molly in my prayers.
We call Scout an angel. And Riley was an angel, as well.
xo
I don’t know why any restaurant has to have a screen to occupy people, instead of the people visiting with one another! Good grief! And the last (and first, and only) time I was at Applebee’s, they didn’t have anything on the menu that they could guarantee did not have MSG, to which I am very allergic. So, obviously, I never eat there – or almost anywhere, other than home.
Now why would they not have an option for MSG free choices? Lots of people can’t tolerate MSG. Go figure!
All the chains seem to have TV’s. I don’t like them either. I thought that was why they created sports bars. Sorry you had a bad experience. I have only been to an Applebee’s once and it was forgettable. The only chain restaurants I really like are the Pappas family chains in Texas ~ Pappadeux and Pappasitos the food is always fresh and creative, but that’s an exceptional chain. I am not a vegetarian, but I can imagine that your menu options are limited at chains. I hope that the next time Don receives a restaurant gift card it will be to an Indian one. Always great vegetarian options there.
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
Or to a vegetarian restaurant. We have a few of them around here.
Claudia, I have the answer to that silly girl. HUNTING IS A SPORT!!! I live in a state where our politicians get on TV and actually encourage fathers to bond with their sons: WHILE MURDERING ANIMALS! Judy A-
Unbelievable, Judy. Just unbelievable.
Claudia,
I used to love Applebee’s. Not anymore. The food has changed dramatically as it has in many restaurants – it is nuked in the kitchen. I need to be very close the bathroom facilities within 30 minutes. Jack and I love to go out to lunch but we rarely do because the food is awful.
The televisions are terrible. Maybe at the bar during football but the hunting channels are gruesome while eating. Soft music in the background is good!
Making a cover for Mabel Elizabeth today. Hope to have pictures later.
Carol
Well, we obviously aren’t going there anymore. My nephew left me a message on FB saying that the few times he has had food poisoning in his life have all been from food at Applebee’s.
Can’t wait to see your cover, Carol!
We are bombarded with noise everywhere we go! Why are people so uncomfortable with quiet?
I do not like hunting either! Thankful I married a computer guy:)
I don’t know, Diane. Why can’t there just be some music playing (quietly) in the background?
Applebee’s is one of my favorite restaurants. The big TVs are located in the bar area where many sports fans hang out.This is a specialty restaurant catering to young people who enjoy burgers at a bar eating while watching a sporting show. I know the TVs can be seen and heard all over the restaurant….so if you have a problem with TV during a meal or certain sports. Applebee’s might not be for you.Hey, I’m 75 yrs old. I’ve learned, in raising my family, to be flexible and try to enjoy the things that younger people enjoy.
The Oriental Chicken Salad…so good even without the chicken is an option..
The berry and spinach salad is delicious
Maybe a bowl of tomato basil soup and an appetizer( The spinach artichoke dip is a meal in itself)
A seafood pasta (if you eat fish)
Maybe a couple of appetizers.
Several delicious choices for vegetarians. My daughter and son are vegetarians and eat there,with me often…You can always regift a gift card.
This is just another opinion about a favorite restaurant of mine.
Balisha
I’m glad you’re happy with Applebee’s, Balisha. That’s a good thing!
But this particular Applebee’s had Televisions in the dining area as well – separate from the bar area.
Thanks for the suggestions – believe me, I looked at all of them. I don’t eat fish, I couldn’t find any but one item on the menu for a vegetarian. And this is just my problem, but the berry and spinach salad had Blue Cheese crumbles. I’m allergic to Blue Cheese, just as I am allergic to Penicillin.
I did consider the Spinach Artichoke dip, but we were trying to stay within the limits of our gift card.
I will just have to stay away from Applebee’s, I’m afraid. All that having been said, I’ve been in plenty of chain restaurants that didn’t have anything for Vegetarians. I’m used to it. My big problem was with the subject matter on the televisions.
Hate Applebees and never eat there. I also hate it that so many restaurants have those big screen TVs everywhere. They are fine in a sports bar, but I am not a big TV fan anyway so never have it on when I am eating. I am also very anti hunting. Okay, I have had my rant, too :)
xo Laura
We all need to rant every once in a while, Laura.
Ahhhhh Claudia I feel your pain. First off it was hard enough for us to eat put vegetarian and now vegan is even harder. We are traveling for a few days to Prescott Arizona and we took. Most of our own food out of necessity. As for the TV”s and hunting way too much. Why is it that people find compassion for cute little puppies and. Kittens but are unable to extend it to other animals and cruelly need to shoot and kills them. So upsetting. Much the same with the dairy industry I found out recently that when a dairy cow has calves they keep the females but take away the males and kill hem because they are of use to them.
Oh yes, I know it is even HARDER for vegans! When Don was working in Prague, where there is meat, meat, meat, his co-star, who is a vegan, had a very hard time finding anything he could eat.
When I learn things like what happens to a male calves, I am heartsick. Just plain horrified.
Being from Alaska, I am an AVID hunter! Without hunting, we could not survive as we work hard to homestead and veggies just do not fill that need. However, I do abhor televisions occupying our time when we eat out. This does nothing but deter couples from conversing with each other, which is usually the reason they go out – to have a night together, alone, without children interfering with the bonding a couple needs to reconnect from time-to-time. Why do we ALWAYS need to be entertained? What happened to the good old days of our youth when an oatmeal box kept toddlers entertained and putting blankets over chairs in the kitchen/dining room made a tent you could imagine and play inside of for hours and hours? Nowadays all you see are kids/teens mindlessly thumbing a phone in front of them during entire meals, at school and, unfortunately, while they’re driving down the road. We should be concentrating on saving our children and their minds.
I see people who spend their whole meal looking down at their cell phone. So sad.
I recorded “Streetcar” to watch later on this rainy day in Arkansas :-) I abhor hunting as well and am sickened by the enthusiasm with which some approach ‘hunting season’. It seems like just another reason to get out the guns. Even scarier, those souped up bow and arrow things. In the hands of children. And all the stuff that goes along with hunting season…..just another way to make money for some retailers.
Yep. Guns and ammo. The things that America seems to venerate.
You could change the name of that restaurant w/ Chile’s, Red Robin, Ruby Tuesday,etc. They all seem to be clones. The main problem I have w/ the TVs is that there are so many of them, and together they are so loud. It is kind of like being at the bottom of a canyon with all of them echoing above. Then people start talking louder and louder in their conversations, and the children seem to yell just to be heard. Any “dining” experience is lost in the screaming frenzy of the diners trying to be heard over the TVs. I told my husband that part of it is probably that we stay home to eat about 95% of the time, and with just 2 of us here, it is pretty quiet all the time, even w/ 2 dogs and 2 cats! And they are generally better company anyway! :-) When our kids and their spouses who are all vegan are home and we go out to eat, that can be a challenge. But, maybe because we are so close to Madison and the Univ of Wisc campus, we are finding more and more vegan-friendly entrees on many menus compared to even just a couple of years ago. (And even in a hunting-obsessed state.) Have fun working out in the yard today!!
You’re right. And I normally don’t go to any of them. Madison is a cool college town and cool college towns always seem to have more variety in terms of restaurant fare. Yay, Madison!
I find so many of the chain restaurants have TV’s everywhere! It’s distracting for sure. I haven’t been to an Applebee’s in a long time and guess I’ll keep it that way. I love to eat at local places with interesting food. Here in Athens, GA we have lots of vegetarian restaurants.
Same thing with Athens GA – a college town. Yay for college towns with restaurants that have options for everyone.
We had a similar restaurant experience in another well known chain. We went to the place before the evening rush because we have a handicapped child who does not like crowds. Anyway, even though the place was almost empty, the place was so noisy we couldn’t talk to each other. We were placed near a cash register(on the other side of a wall) there was no wall between the kitchen and dining area, so we heard everything that went on in there, and then we were near the door so we hear all the going in and out. All they needed was a few TVs!!!!!
Oh, what a horrible experience, Jinny!
Can you imagine if they had tv sets as well???
You’ve made me laugh 2 times this week. Applebees is a mass produced mess! We have had problems everytime we’ve dined there. The bacon in the salad mortifies me too. The 2nd time I laughed was the post about decorating. If I could get my tec challenged mind working to start a blog, that’s a post I would have written:) I have caught myself going to sales and buying things that I think other bloggers would buy, instead of using my own taste. I don’t think I’ll ever fit into french farmhouse. I’m way to eclectic! So here’s to using my own mind, and eating a veggie salad:)
Here, here, Sheree!
Diane makes an excellent point. Why are so many people uncomfortable with Quiet? A library is just about my favorite place in the world. When watching TV, I keep the remote handy so I can mute things the MOMENT the commercials start. I’ve always had my best ideas after lots of quiet “downtime.” PS – I have friends in the hospitality industry who tell me that there’ll probably always be TVs in bars – no matter what the venue – because it keeps patrons there and drinking. And since the majority of those patrons are men, the programming is geared toward them. Hence, the he-man deer-stalking shows. It would be really interesting to see a manager’s reaction if a woman asked to have a bar TV changed over to HGTV or Martha Stewart. Or better yet – PBS!
Quiet is heavenly. I’d prefer quiet over Muzak as well, but I know there will always be some white noise going on in a public restaurant
Oh Claudia, how I do feel your pain. My husband and I both are vegetarian and we live in Texas temporarily – how I SO love to say temporarily! We rarely ever eat out here because of all the freaking meat eaters and how in your face they are with it as well as their hunting and their guns. No I will not go down that path. Other than about 2 vegetarian places we don’t go out. I find that I much more enjoy cooking at home and knowing the source of my food and that I won’t get sick from eating it.
So sorry you had a bad experience…at least now you know not to go back to Applebees.
It must be much more difficult where you live, Belinda. I feel for you, my friend!
This televisions everywhere is a sore subject with me..I absolutely hate seeing all of this waste of energy..Even at our local hospital..TV’s in all the waiting rooms..TV’s in all the examination rooms..the are turned on all the time and NOBODY IS WATCHING THEM!!!..UNBELIEVABLE..people are talking all the time about going green and all of this horrible waste of energy..I think most of the time the people running these places have no idea or pay no attention to what is playing on these TV’s at any given time nor do they seem to care if it offends someone..What a terrible thing for you to be force to watch while trying to enjoy a meal with your husband..
You make a very good point, Nancy – it is a waste of energy. I don’t think any of the diners were concentrating on the televisions, but the people in the bar were.
Wow…I would’ ve walked…or asked them to change the station! I’m not a fan of tv’s in restaurants, unless I’m going somewhere to watch a game. There should be several choices for vegetarians, just as there are choices for people who want gluten free food. Shame on Applebee’s…! I’ve been in restaurants before with tv’s, but the sound is off, and the closed captioning is on. There are very few restaurant chains that we patronize…we eat at home most of the time. When we do go out, they tend to be mom and pop places…there are a lot in Madison! ;)
Well, I should have, but I was sort of dumbfounded. And I was tired and just not in the frame of mind to take them on.
I have only eaten at Applebee’s one time, and don’t recall whether there were TVs in the dining area. I think it is safe to say that you and Don (and me) are not the demographic they are hoping to capture. I also do not wish to have TVs or loud music on when I am eating out, and a show glorifying hunting playing in any restaurant is even more unsettling. I do wish you had spoken up, though. Someone needed some schooling!
No we are not the demographic. And you are right, someone needed the schooling but I just wasn’t up to it yesterday. I have to pick my verbal battles!
I used to like Applebee’s, until they moved the TVs in, that is when I stopped going. I don’t like to shout to be heard by the person across the table from me.
I can respect your decision to be vegetarian. However, sometimes the only meat in our freezer over the winter is what our friend brings to us. He also donates some of his catch to low income people that he knows who live in the city. If you were talking about the kill animal shelters, or breeding farms I would be 100% behind you, but I need meat in my diet (pernicious anemia), and if all I can get is venison then I thank my hunter, and God for it.
None of the televisions had the volume up, let me make that clear. But they were everywhere.
I certainly respect your dietary needs and viewpoint on hunting, Trudy, and it’s always good to get another viewpoint. I know that many readers will disagree with me on the subject.
I feel deeply about the welfare of all animals, whether in the wild or on a breeding farm. There is no difference between them, either in my mind or my heart. For me, that’s my truth and I have to live my life in a way that honors that.
I have never been to an Applebees and now I never will. I agree with you…why is there a need to have all those tvs in a restaurant? It’s ridiculous! I go to a restaurant to finally have some time to just relax with my hubby or friends and not have to worry about cooking. I don’t go to sit and be acosted left and right by a huge tv screen. Have we become so addicted that we have to “plug in” anywhere and everywhere? whats next tv in the rest rooms? UGH! thanks for bringing this to our attention Claudia…maybe people from Applebees will see your post….fingers crossed!
Blessings, Joanne
I think that’s exactly what’s happening, Joanne. We have to be plugged in all the time.
That sounds quite disappointing. I have eaten at Applebees, but then I live in an area where there are lots of vegetarians, vegans, etc. and if a restaurant is not able to adjust to their needs they do not do well so it is not a problem to make changes.
I despise the televisions in any eating location. Good grief, I am trying to eat! There is no need to have that thing blasting away so loud I can not hear the person across the table.
Gift cards are often a way for people to say thank you or give a gift to someone they do not know very well. They are not very personal, but the thought is still good. I find them a bit frustrating. We have some in a drawer that we will never use (paint ball, really??) so I tend to give them to other people that I know will enjoy them.
Gift cards are actually a rare thing for us, so we thought we’d use it. We can always use a free meal! And it was very nice of Don’s friends to give it to him.
Absolutely! A gift always means well.
If they have the tv’s to play the Sunday football games o.k. I mean some people consider Applebees a sports bar on Sundays. Not that i really want to watch the game as I am out to a diner. But to each their own I guess. But to have deer hunting while you are dining is just so wrong in so many ways! I really don’t think that a lot of people know how to talk without distractions anymore. Guess they don’t consider what they (or the person(s) they are with have anything important to say. This world is just getting so tech “savey” that it has taken over everything. I think that the t.v’s should be turned off in restraunts.
I don’t mind the tvs in the bar. I understand that. I didn’t know much about Applebee’s and was surprised to see a bar there!
Claudia,
I had to chuckle at your post title today, along with the photo of zinnia that had seen better days :(
As I read on, I found your visit to Applebee’s (first and last visit?) sad as I have been a manager at Applebee’s for most of the past 10 years. I have to say that if you were to dine in our store, we would NEVER have anything such as hunting, boxing or other possibly offensive ‘sports’ on our t.v.s . We normally have only football, golf, tennis or baseball, and sometimes basketball. I agree that t.v.s in a dining place are not really necessary but there are many people that do want to watch while they have a beer or are eating alone. Most people, I find, pretty much ignore the t.v.s and enjoy each other’s company.
As far as vegetarian choices at Applebee’s, we have many options and it sounds to me as if you had a less than helpful server in a less than caring restaurant. Our staff is trained to know a variety of menus, including, gluten free, vegetarian, and for lactose intolerant folks.
I realize that eating at Applebee’s or any other ‘chain’ restaurant isn’t what many folks want to do when going out to eat, but the service and menu items should be consistent. I was surprised, when I began my career (unintended career, but nonetheless…) there, so many things are prepared from scratch and therefore, they are able to make items without meat, nuts, etc. Sorry you had an unpleasant experience.
Note: Our Applebee’s in Minot, ND brings in just shy of $6,000,000 per year…haha not bad for a small city in the middle of nowhere!
When we eat out, it is more likely than not that we choose NOT to eat in a chain restaurant rather something unique and fun….with a nice wine list and good assortment of micro brews !!!
Have a great day!
Lori
P.S. one more thing….
The volume on the t.v.’s in Applebee’s are to be turned OFF…..it’s not a bar with a restaurant….it’s a restaurant that just happens to have a bar.
Just sayin :)
Ah, Lori. Thank you so much for sharing your very personal experience with us. You manage an Applebee’s and you have shown me that the Applebee’s I went to is not the norm. Thank you for that. (I’m going to add that information to the post.) I guess my waitperson, though very nice and trying to be helpful, didn’t give me enough options. And the volume WAS off on the televisions, as far as I could tell. Sports? Fine. Hunting? No. Either the management wasn’t monitoring what was on the screen or they didn’t care.
Thanks so much for taking the time to write about the Applebee’s you know. xo
Hi Claudia! So sorry to hear about your experience at Applebees!! I used to enjoy going there, but not lately. I think it is really pricey for a simple meal.. I agree with you about the TV’s… I think they are really distracting to conversation and just being together… Glad your day ended on a positive note with a good movie!! Francine
I thought it was a bit pricey, too, but prices seem to be going up everywhere.
Hi Claudia,
I haven’t commented in awhile – we had to put our beloved Georgie to sleep on October 8th and my husband had his prostate surgery on October 21st. October was not a kind month.
I’ve only eaten at Applebee’s once – it was the only non-fast food establishment on our way home after a road trip and we were starving. Not my kind of place at all (I loathe sports bar places or ones with TV’s on) so I can completely understand your displeasure and even more so, hearing that they were airing programs showing hunting! I’d bet the old homestead that there is a very very very small percentage of the populace that wants to watch hunting on the television and even less who wish to watch it while they’re eating. Very misguided of Applebee’s (understatement), to say the least. You get a gold star for endurance and stick-to-it-ive-ness, I would have walked out and probably muttering loudly about how offensive it was.
Sally xo
Sally, I am so very sorry to hear about Georgie. My heart goes out to you and your family. I know that Georgie is with you in spirit and I hope you can eventually take some comfort from that. And I’m saying a prayer for your husband, as well, my friend. You have had a very hard time of it lately.
I’m not sure why I didn’t walk out – maybe because Don had wanted to go there and I didn’t want to disappoint him or simply because I just wasn’t up to a battle…who knows?
I hope you write a letter to the manager.
I just might.
I consider Applebee’s an anti-vegetarian restaurant. That’s fine because I don’t go there and they seem to have plenty of meat eating customers, though they closed one in my area in recent years. I’m pretty easy going as a vegetarian when I dine. I figure I can find something on a menu. It’s not difficult (and is what you typically find) to have at least a meat-free salad on a menu and normally some type of meat-free entree. You shouldn’t have to make a meal out of appetizers or only have options you have to ask for the meat be left out. Applebee’s not only has meat — primarily chicken — in everything, but when I contacted their corporate office one time suggesting they consider adding a vegetarian entree, the tone and content of the response I received completely turned me off to them.
How interesting, Melissa. I, too, can usually find something on a menu that I can eat and I am not the type who wants everyone else dining with me to be saddled with my dietary choice. But when the only option offered to me is a grilled cheese sandwich or appetizers, I think that’s sad. Just stick a veggie burger option on the menu. How easy can it be?
It’s also disheartening to hear about the tone of their response to your suggestion.
I’d say Applebees must be in the minority these days if they have such limited offerings for vegetarians. Gee, how hard could it be? I’m pretty sure I could dream up 3-5 vegan options every day – especially in the Fall – and I am in no way trained to do this. That is one dreadfully-uninspired culinary team, not to mention pretty short-sighted business-wise. Hey, open a cookbook, boys!
Dear Claudie,
Right on Sister!. I agree. Why does there have to be a tv on? My husband and I prefer to eat at home, but when we do go out, we make sure that the ambiance is soothing, not loud. And preferably no kids. I don’t understand parents that insist on bringing small children to the restaurant either. Most of the time it is a free for all. We raised two boys and if we could not afford a sitter, we stayed home. What has become of common courtesy in restaurants? I guess we have just become particular in our older years, but you know what? We earned that right.
Yes, we have!
I would have been appalled too, Claudia. In our region of the U.S. (San Francisco Bay Area), hunting is not “in” thankfully. At any bar and grill (like Applebee’s) where the TVs are all on, you can always count on some sort of ball game to be on. Every once in a while a cheer will erupt from the bar area but for the most part whatever is on the screens is so innocuous that I can easily ignore it. Whew!
Unfortunately, hunting is in around here. No one I know does it, but I see men in camp all the time.
They know what I think of them. Believe me.
I hate, hate, hate , hate that shit!!! Sports my ass. It just gives these soldiers of fortune assholes justification to be cruel. They are not doing it for survival . They enjoy the kill. My god how twisted is that. How can anybody find joy in destroying another innocent living creature that just trying to survive.
I must say I admire your restraint Claudia because I know how strongly you feel about this. Animal cruelty makes me physically, and emotionally sick. I’m not kidding. I have visions of turning the table on these hunters and have them run through the woods while being chased by people trying to kill them. You must think I’m crazy but I can’t help it.
Oh Janice, you have no idea how angry and sick to my stomach this stuff makes me. The only reason I show any restraint here is because it’s my blog. If I said what I really thought, I would be swearing and calling them every name in the book, I would be out of control.
It makes me physically ill as well. I am haunted by it. I’ve been known to tell hunters that I meet in person what I think of them. Because believe me, very few, if any, people around here are hunting because they HAVE to. They are doing it to prove how macho they are. They are doing it for the thrill of the kill.
There is a short story about the very thing you mention. Where the humans are the prey – the tables are turned.
I don’t think you are crazy at all! xo
I love Applebee’s but not the TVs being on. Our local Applebee’s is always on sports and that’s the last thing I’d want to see. We don’t eat in the bar area for that reason but also because we don’t drink alcohol. I just prefer a table in the outer part of the restaurants where it’s a bit quieter and we can talk. We’re finding that most chain restaurants are getting noisier now. Just the way it is. I don’t like it at all!
Now, I have a vegetarian granddaughter and cook vegetarian for her. But she will eat fish and chicken, but no pork or beef. She made that decision at 5 years old and we’ve honored that. She has sent a salad back when it comes with the bacon on it. She didn’t realize it came with it. No problem at all. They honored her request.
Now, again! You can order anything you want in a restaurant, anything…if they have it. I’ve done it many times. If they have the ingredients to prepare it, they will do it. They’re a business. And businesses want to please its customers. At any restaurant I go to, which around here is mostly Applebee’s, Olive Garden and Outback, I’ll always tell them what to put on my plate and what not. It’s not obnoxious in the least. I want what I want and they’re happy to accommodate me. I’ve sent a few things back as it wasn’t what I thought or wasn’t good or for whatever reason. Right now because of my strict dieting I order just meatballs with marinara sauce at Olive Garden and their unlimited salad. I love it! And can keep on my diet.
Hunting? Not my cup of tea either and wouldn’t even consider doing it, but I know people who stock their freezers with their hunts. I don’t like wild meat as it tastes different to me, but I understand people who do like it and have to hunt because of their budgets. Just not for this chick.
xoxo,
Connie
Not for me, either, Connie.
I have to say that the server gave me very few options. Why, I don’t know!
Ugh! What an awful experience. I had sworn off chain restaurants a while ago-blah food, etc. We have great local places in the Hudson Valley that support local farms and I like to support the community that way. Plus with all the Culinary grads the food is wonderful. Plus, there are usually vegan dishes on the menus :)
-Lynn
The only reason we went was because of the danged gift card! Ah well, live and learn.
A plug, if I may… we ate at a wonderful little storefront restaurant in the Valley several years ago in the Fall. Miss Lucy’s Kitchen – run by a young couple in Saugerties [near Woodstock]. Very homey, quiet. Menu changes daily & they use local ingredients as much as possible. Absolutely delicious food. If we lived in the Valley, we go once a week at least.
I have never eaten at Applebee’s and I rarely get to eat out at all, but I do have my own complaint about TVs in restaurants. I am not a sports enthusiast. I know so many people are, and they probably won’t relate, but it’s sooooo boring to go into a restaurant and have to be entertained with sports, and in your case, hunting—yuk to he max. Just once I’d like to go into an establishment called an HGTV bar (Home and Garden TV) instead of a sports bar. Even if I just want to have a drink, I don’t want to be confronted with wrestling, football, basketball, golfing. Laugh if you want, I stay home rather than go to those places.
I know! It’s not my thing, either, Sandra.
Being a home cook, I’m pretty persnickity about restaurant food. I hate most chain restaurants and Applebees is at the top of that list. There’s one in my town (rumored to be going out of business) that’s been here for years. We ate there when they first opened and then once again when we had a coupon. The food was disgusting. And like you talked about, I couldn’t stand all the TVs in the middle of the restaurant in the bar area. Unfortunately, the way the regular seating is in this Applebees, it’s all around the bar area so that you can see and hear the TVs no matter where you sit. Seeing hunting on the TVs on top of it? Barf. I hate hunting, too. I understand that some people have to do it out of necessity, but most people do not. Don’t even get me started, lol. I’m not a total vegetarian, but I eat mostly vegetarian. For a restaurant to not have much of a vegetarian choice these days is pretty pathetic.
Yes, the truth is that the vast majority of people do not need to hunt to live. It’s a choice that has to do with so-called ‘sport’, though I see nothing sporting in killing an innocent animal.
Download the app for your phone that lets you use your phone as a tv remote. My kids turn the channel in Buffalo Wild Wings all the time with their phone to what they want to watch. LOL
You know I want to know the name of that app, Dawn!
Just a thought – you could have asked them to package your food to go. And people who eat meat and object to hunting are hypocrits (I know you are a vegetarian) – those that eat meat and protest hunting are cowards who will let someone else do the killing of their meat – just doesn’t seem right
We were not eating a big meal, so we just decided to avoid the ‘to go’ thing.