Since when did going out for dinner become unpleasant ?

                                                              

I have been dining out a bit lately, and it is one of my most favourite things to do in the world. I have a favourite restaurant for nearly every occasion. I am slowly working my way through the cafe strip near me, but I am finding that all restaurants seem to have one thing in common.

THEY ARE ALL SO FRIGGIN NOISY. 

And yes I am shouting because in order to be heard at dinner you have to SHOUT at everyone. Even when it is a dinner for two you are still yelling at each other even when you are not having a "whoops someone has had too much wine so now seems the right time to discuss the thing you do that really annoys me"argument. (Lets just put it this way- any conversation that starts with "Don't take this the wrong way but" is never going to end well.)

For my daughters Birthday we went to an amazing restaurant. The food and service were both awesome but it was so noisy you had to shout at each other. The person sitting at the end of the table gave up and just starting playing on his phone.  Unfortunately we won't go back, because it is just too hard to talk to everyone.

My husband and I were discussing this the other night, and questioned why there is a lack of insulation on the walls to absorb sound (I get no carpet because that would be dirty ) they feel the need to turn up the music SO INCREDIBLY LOUD. Just as we were having this discussion the program "Secret Eaters" was on and it gave us the answers. When you are eating and you are subjected to loud noise you eat faster, and you eat more. 

                                                       

Personally I think you eat faster so you can get the bloody hell out of there, but apparently it has an effect on your brain. So it would appear it is all a tactic to get us to spend more money, and to clear the table faster.

Well I think not only does it make the dining out process unpleasant- it also creates a myriad of problems. They are ( in no particular order)

1. Urinary tract infections. This is because when you get a good seat at the table you are not going to risk losing you seat by going to the toilet.
2. You fight with you friends. Because they steal your seat when you go to the toilet. 
3. You spend more time on you phone because you can't hear conversations. This leads to the most obnoxious thing of all.... people instagraming their food. Or taking selflies.
4. You become an alcoholic because if you can't hear- you may as well drink.
5. You get a cold/ lung cancer/ or malaria. This is because you can only hear if you sit outside where you are subjected to the weather, passive smoke (which if you dine with my mum and dad you then have to listen to them whinging about the smoke- LOVE YOU MUM) and getting eating by mosquitos. 

                                                       

6. You commit to things because you clearly didn't hear what was being said properly. In my case my latest was agreeing to do a triathlon. Well ok that may have also had something to do with the wine I had drunk- but it was a very big table.
7. People mistakingly think they are funny. Because you smile at what they are saying. They don't know that you are smiling but have no bloody idea what they have said.
8. Customers get rude, because they are not only hungry, but frustrated, bored and worried that the people down the other end of the table are talking about something really awesome and they are missing out. Or is that just me?

So restaurants of the world can we please either absorb some sound or turn the music down. Because my list of places to go is getting smaller.  

Not at a restaurant in Perth you won't!