Or “welcome!” Welcome to the Kuwaiti version of Cuisine Couture . I can’t believe it’s already Saturday! Between jet lag, long restaurant shifts, and a new meal schedule I seem to have lost all sense of time and space.
This new adventure is turning out to be incredibly exciting. The shift to the restaurant business would be a huge transition and great learning experience under regular conditions, but the fact that this is all taking place in the Middle East adds an additional component. There are new sets of customs, expectations, and rules governing everything from social interaction to business to dining.
In the United States it is not uncommon to see “no substitutions” enblazened across the tops of menus. Even if it is not explicitly announced, waiters’ eye-rolls and sighs serve as deterrents for making menu changes. I even encounter resistance when I ask for alterations based on my food sensitivities.
Such limitations would be considered ludicrous in Kuwait. Customer requests are frequent and sometimes call for significant changes. From the first day, I was informed that the goal is always to accommodate them. The chefs continuously adjust the food; they substitute sauces, types of pasta, and side dishes. If a guest complains that the way a dish is prepared does not suit them, it will be returned even if the kitchen considers it perfectly cooked. The appeasements even extend to the seating. Tables will be pushed together and even carried from one part of the restaurant to another depending on where the clients want to sit.
I have pondered why the mentalities prove so different. I think that several factors contribute to the contrast between the US and here. First, competition here is fierce, especially in the mall. Restaurants are literally wall to wall and on top of one another. Without alcohol and an entertainment scene, dining is the main event and restaurants truly are everywhere. If a restaurant is unwilling to meet all of a guest’s demands they will simply go next door. In New York City, a restaurant change may require a walk or a trip on the subway.
Next, the dishes served are more static and formulaic. All of the ingredients have to be imported so one once a menu is established there tends to be little change. As a result, the chefs have memorized the make-up of each plate is pretty much engrained in a chef’s head. In New England, on the other hand, offerings come and go with the seasons. Vegetables are on constant rotations and proteins depend on what meat looked best on the market. Therefore, there is less time to thoroughly learn a dish. If a chef is less familiar with a dish or has had less practice with it, it might be harder to make additional amendments to it.
Furthermore, the United States dining scene is comprised of people from all classes and walks of life. While I hate to admit it, I have seen restaurants take incredible care of “high rollers” while leaving more ordinary diners to fend for themselves. In some establishments a wealthy or frequent patron will have their requests catered to while a more humble guest may be overlooked. In Kuwait, however, pretty much all guests are “high rollers.” By the time one is out at the largest shopping mall perusing dining options, it is assumed that they are “someone.” Patrons tend to be members of the “elite” and it is in a restaurant’s best interest to provide exceptional service.
Finally, while alterations may be rampant here, they are not as meticulous as they are at home. I feel bad for the level of detail involved in my requests. When I ask for no dairy, the chef may have to change the preparation entirely or leave out several ingredients (milk, butter, cheese) to accommodate my single request. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. Don’t forget about other needs: gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, etc. Here, I have yet to see sensitivities and specialized diets. Substitutions involve substitutions or omissions rather than technical transformation.
Thus concludes my first culinary-cultural analysis. I have yet to formulate an opinion on the matter; both systems have their pros and cons. These are merely my humble observations and interpretations on what I have observed so far. Take them as you will… more to come .
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