<p>^No excuse! Budget more for the needy. Budget more for the church. That $40.00 dinner could have fed a family in Ethiopia for a month. C’mon, people, let’s think about others for just one measly second. Instead of eating out tonight, volunteer at a soup kitchen. Here on CC it is always about me me me.</p>
<p>This thread depicts American individualism at its best and worst.</p>
<p>Robert E. Lee is a kid??? Whoops sorry, I mean young adult, of course. I didn’t realize that. That changes my viewpoint on this whole conversation!</p>
<p>Haven’t read this whole thing, but I think things would have gone much differently if this wasn’t a value judgement on people’s behavior - which, of course, it was! It just goes to show how much people don’t like to be told what to do! But I still didn’t see him as attacking anyone’s choice so much as expressing his own point of view. </p>
<p>But if there is some partial element of truth to what Robert E. Lee says, it is that many, many people really DO overspend on lifestyle choices like these. Looking at the bigger picture, how many people can really afford to eat out 3 or 4 times a week (the premise of REL’s original post)? Robert, if you had just left it there you would made a much more powerful case! Financial experts support the notion that there are many who cannot afford their lifestyles, not because they don’t have the money to pay , but because their retirement accounts remain woefully and inadequately funded!! It’s a very common problem in this country, made worse by the credit card industry and bankruptcy laws. </p>
<p>Now that I’ve said that, I know that Robert would be exceedingly unhappy with my life style choices! However, I do make home cooked dinners and we eat home as a family almost every weeknight, which is much more than most of the kids’ friends do!</p>
<p>“You see, I believe that I can live very comfortably by making 100K-130K a year. Which field of law would I be able to attain this?”</p>
<p>You’re concerned about making 100-130K/year, but won’t spend your money on eating out or entertainment (as discussed on the other thread)? What’s that money going to be spent on?</p>
<p>I found your comment about Asian food to be a bit offensive. Oh, by the way, fried squid can be Italian.</p>
<p>I agree with roshke that many people do live beyond their means, but eating out once a week (or once a month) is probably not beyond the means of many people on this thread.</p>
<p>And people live very comfortably on a lot less than $130k a year…and I have news: a lot of lawyers don’t make anywhere near that much.</p>
<p>I lived MORE than comfortably on $32K a year. ZOMG!</p>
<p>Hm, a pity. A true pity. I came here to express my original premise, eating out is a waste of money. But, I have been belittled, criticized, and laughed upon. From a civil argument, people now believe I am a true tightwad. People have gone so far as to claim that I think that mundane, little things in life I despise just because I dislike eating. Thanks, y’all, for being so accepting and understanding to my simple opinion. I probably could have had a better discussion with a Neanderthal seeing of the rude posts here thus far.</p>
<pre><code> GO, go out to eat RIGHT now lest be condemned to an outcast on CC.
</code></pre>
<p>^^One thing I hope you have learned from all this is that if you criticize people for their personal choices and preferences that are none of your business, your criticisms will be rejected - as they should be since they are, well, none of your business.</p>
<p>You’re the one getting on OUR cases for OUR decisions, and yet you feel scorned?</p>
<p>Pardon me, but I was never “getting on anyones case” I commenced this thread to express a viewpoint. All I received was scorn. Opinion, friends, opinion is the greatest expression of humanity.</p>
<p>Robert: When you have a scornful attitude yourself, you are likely to receive it back from others. Everyone is entitled to express viewpoints on CC, but tone is an issue in many of your posts.</p>
<p>The many restaurants in our current society provide a lot of jobs for many people. My D averaged $20 per hour working as a server in a busy family restaurant, and she learned so much about the work world, management of people, and even parenting styles from her customers.</p>
<p>When I was a teenager there were very few restaurants or coffee shops and it was hard to find a job. There are others aspects of the eating out culture that you are not considering.</p>
<p>I cooked dinners (and cleaned up afterward) for over thirty years. I’m about done with it. I eat out whenever possible.</p>
<p>Robert, You’ve been on my case since the beginning of this thread. I do have to say though as a result you’re on my list of narrow minded posters who only sees things one way regardless of how many view points are presented against it.</p>
<p>like I said, many people do spend a lot of money eating out - however that’s their choice. But to get on someone like myself who spends $5/week eating out? That’s a grow up right there.</p>
<p>I sometimes eat at Ethiopian restaurants so I guess I’m doing my part to feed that family of Ethiopians.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.bluenileseattle.com/[/url]”>http://www.bluenileseattle.com/</a></p>
<p>Robert clearly looks at food as “fuel.” There’s a difference between eating and dining, between eating and eating something you particularly want and enjoy. </p>
<p>When we were early marrieds, we had my boss and her husband over for dinner. As I’d issued the invitation, a large part of the cooking duty fell upon me. I decided I was going to make a Chinese dish that I liked and found a recipe. Getting all the ingredients was itself no minor chore but was reasonably accomplished. I set up the wok and was heating the oil when I stopped to read the multi-step instructions very carefully. I looked up and saw that the oil had gotten <em>too</em> hot, such that it was smoking. Knowing that turning down the heat under the wok would not cool down the oil quickly enough, I figured that dumping something in the oil would bring down the temperature. Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten to dicing up the chicken into bite-sized pieces so I threw in the only thing that was ready…the finely chopped pepper/etc. mix. Insufficient mass to cool anything down, I realized later. After recovering from the instant tear gas that filled the kitchen and dining room. </p>
<p>Since then, I have let Chinese restaurants prepare Chinese food for me.<br>
(And if someone says, “Wok this way…”, I say “No thanks.”)</p>
<p>“Wok this way…”,</p>
<p>Thank you Steven Tyler for that interesting tidbit.</p>
<p>You can make Chinese cheap with all new Lipton Asian style noodles dry pack. Packed with delicious spices, and dried vegtetables, only 99 cents at your local grocer. You see, preparing Chinese at home is a cakewalk when you “think it through”</p>
<p>Don’t feed the ■■■■■. Make him cook his own food.</p>
<p>^I was just joking, TSdad. I am not a ■■■■■; my original premise of this thread was designed for anything but ■■■■■■■■.</p>
<p>Hey REL, I have mostly been on your side (I cook at home a lot, but I am a <em>good</em> cook!) but the idea that $.99 Lipton noodle packs can provide the ingredients for a good Chinese dinner is a little ludicrous. Just look at the additives, chemicals and preservatives in one of those packets! Ick!</p>
<p>Forget all that…look at the sodium!</p>