The Chutney Bowl

We had met for coffee at a beautiful coffee shop on Palm Jumeirah, and decided to go to Festival City for dinner from there. It had been a nice evening and the kids (five in all, age ranging from 5-23 years old) agreed for an Indian dinner offering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. It was a weekend evening and so no reservations were available, "First Come, First Serve basis on the weekend ma'm", I was told.

We walked into the familiar decor and thought ourselves lucky enough to see a large table being vacated in a corner; we settled down, ordered our choices and enjoyed our dinner while chatting, commenting, making promises to meet again soon. As we waited for the table to be cleared for dessert, we stumbled upon something that left me so shocked that I then vowed never to go back to that restaurant again.

Now this restaurant has a delectable collection of chutneys and pickles which is served in small individual bowls with their own spoons, and roasted papad, in a heavy, round brass divided tray. Just as we were waiting for the dessert, we saw this family of five-six adults, who definitely did not seem to be from the Asian subcontinent, tucking into these small bowls of chutneys and pickles and dips directly- and by that I mean, dipping their papads into it (if you are a fan of Food Detectives, you would know that that harmless act can and does leave you exposed to others' mouth bacteria!) at first, and then putting the dainty serving spoons direct into their mouths and then back into the bowls again.

I almost threw up, wondering how many people had done that to the bowls I had taken my sweet mango and mint chutneys from! Now, these are serving bowls and are only replenished (I doubt they get washed like rest of the crockery and cutlery after the table is cleared). Giving them the benefit of doubt (may be those guests were not aware of this), I wondered if  the restaurant staff serving them did not want to antagonize the patrons, and endanger his tip and so, kept his eyes closed and mouth shut?

Was it the restaurant’s responsibility to educate the guest about the etiquette, or was it the guests' responsibility to ask the restaurant if it was ‘their’ personal bowl like rest of the crockery being laid out for them?

Either way, it has completely put me off the bowls of dips and chutneys served in the restaurants!

As a topping, another restaurant, another place, another evening but the story of lack of civic sense and hygiene continues. I see one of the serving staff coming out of the loo but she walks out of the ladies room without washing her hands! Eeewwww!!!! And to think, she would be serving us?? No way. I do not mind being blunt and refusing that but then I just saw her, what about the others I didn’t see????