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ISeeCuckedPeople posted:Then please explain why I can get a dinner plate that's like a home cooked meal in many other countries for less than half the average hourly wage? While your talking about $35 Salmon plats and how much more expensive food should be. I'm curious which countries you're thinking of just to get an idea to compare general practices. Generally I see lower prices meaning either fewer staff or a family operation where the children of the owners are basically getting paid nothing because it's rude to not help your parents or ask them for money. Here in Taiwan, you can eat at a lot of places for about 1-3 dollars US. However, they tend to all do similar practices: only one or two small dishes which can be prepped ahead of time in bulk, the cook is the owner and the cashier is his wife, the restaurant is also their home, and if they own the building they're probably also renting rooms. And they more often than not don't have a dining area. Any place that doesn't follow this is charging at least $5 USD for their cheapest dish, and you're likely to spend $10 per sitting. Now, there's some obvious issues in that of why it wouldn't work in the US (but can explain the success of food trucks to some extent). But, to replicate these meals would still be cheaper at home.
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May 31, 2017 05:20
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Willie Tomg posted:kudos for the edit but you are acting really weirdly angry for someone who doesn't realize "flex shift" is a thing. this is a chef who's had a bad day telling you you're being a little angry, btw. for reference.
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May 31, 2017 05:47
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OwlFancier posted:Of all the things that are unpleasant to carry on a bus, paper towels are the least. They're not the worst, but definitely not the least unpleasant. The problem with items like paper towels is that you need to buy them in huge packs to make them economical; this creates a very bulky package you have to lug around and a busy bus is the last place you want to be maneuvering a giant thing of paper towels. Amazon is amazing for ordering stuff like that because it usually is the same price or slightly cheaper with free shipping. Cardboard is a cinch to deal with and is picked up every other week from the giant gently caress off recycling bin the city gives.
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May 31, 2017 05:48
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DC Murderverse posted:ooh, ooh, story time! If that's the coffee shop I'm thinking of (how many coffee shops have a DeLoran on the wall?) hearing that story is an eye opener. I always thought they were making good money considering how relatively expensive that place is and how packed it gets. Was absolutely worth the money though; had one of the best cappuccinos of my life there; and I regret never trying the baked goods now. No wonder all the really good independent cafes seem to go out of business within a year.
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May 31, 2017 06:02
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DC Murderverse posted:
Yes, insufficient starting capital is the A #1 written in gold leaf reason why small businesses in general fail when starting out. People don't take the possibility of bleeding a fuckload of money for the first year seriously enough. It occurs to me that restaurants are also probably far and away the industry most likely to see new competition from a constant influx of amateurs who think they know what they're doing.
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May 31, 2017 06:14
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paragon1 posted:Yes, insufficient starting capital is the A #1 written in gold leaf reason why small businesses in general fail when starting out. People don't take the possibility of bleeding a fuckload of money for the first year seriously enough. A lot of people cook at home and every single person on Earth eats, so it's very easy to assume that you could run a great restaurant because hell, you do food things all the time! This is why when I would cook meals for family and friends and they were suggest I become a chef I would laugh at them, because I knew there was a world of difference between the two. (I still ended up working in a kitchen because I'm really stupid.)
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May 31, 2017 06:29
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ISeeCuckedPeople posted:Then please explain why I can get a dinner plate that's like a home cooked meal in many other countries for less than half the average hourly wage? While your talking about $35 Salmon plats and how much more expensive food should be. What are you even talking about? The best comparison I could fine is this silly thing which puts restaurants in the US as being on the cheaper side of things. quote:Eating at a restaurant, if I go by tradition of nearly any other country should be only a bit more expensive than eating at home, if not cheaper. It is in a lot of other countries on earth. But not America. That doesn't make any sense. What you said makes no sense. How does a restaurant make money by charging meals at less than what they paid for the loving food? The magic of bulk buying?
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May 31, 2017 06:59
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BirdOfPlay posted:What are you even talking about? The best comparison I could fine is this silly thing which puts restaurants in the US as being on the cheaper side of things. I mean, there are probably a few dishes that are cheaper to buy at a restaurant than to make at home, stuff that takes specialized equipment maybe. And people cooking for one miss out on a lot of the cost savings of buying in bulk. But this still doesn't make a lot of sense. Alt-Right-Meme-Name Guy, are you the one keeping Blue Apron afloat?
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May 31, 2017 07:03
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GhostofJohnMuir posted:This is why when I would cook meals for family and friends and they were suggest I become a chef I would laugh at them, because I knew there was a world of difference between the two. (I still ended up working in a kitchen because I'm really stupid.)
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May 31, 2017 07:51
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Craptacular! posted:Dash Buttons are a fine way to help an elderly person manage their own inventory. "Mom, if you're running out of stuff, push the button." 
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May 31, 2017 12:17
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Yes, it's technically possible. It's just cumbersome. And using Amazon ain't any worse for the environment than driving somewhere yourself anyway. Possibly it's better.
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May 31, 2017 13:46
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Craptacular! posted:Dash Buttons are a fine way to help an elderly person manage their own inventory. "Mom, if you're running out of stuff, push the button." That sounds like a super bad idea for a forgetful older person. They'd end up with a lot of laundry liquid.
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May 31, 2017 13:51
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:I mean, there are probably a few dishes that are cheaper to buy at a restaurant than to make at home, stuff that takes specialized equipment maybe. And people cooking for one miss out on a lot of the cost savings of buying in bulk. But this still doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm sure the magic of bulk buying and sales totally makes up for the labor costs of a restaurant. paragon1 fucked around with this message at 14:15 on May 31, 2017 |
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May 31, 2017 13:54
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:I mean, there are probably a few dishes that are cheaper to buy at a restaurant than to make at home, stuff that takes specialized equipment maybe. I'd say sushi. Where are you going to get 5 different types of fish in tiny portions? Grocers tend to sell fish by the pound not the oz. It also needs special knives and equipment, though I guess that's a one-off purchase.
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May 31, 2017 13:57
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Probably anything that needs special equipment, too, like deep-fryed foods, stuff cooked in a pressure cooker, stuff that needs to get blended/pureed, etc. Toast, maybe, if you don't own a a toaster.
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May 31, 2017 14:00
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BarbarianElephant posted:I'd say sushi. Where are you going to get 5 different types of fish in tiny portions? Grocers tend to sell fish by the pound not the oz. It also needs special knives and equipment, though I guess that's a one-off purchase. Sushi is marked up like a motherfucker in the US. There's a seafood truck that stops near my house and it sells sushi grade frozen cuts in quarter pound blocks and you can get a 2lb variety pack for like $25, and that makes about 8 big nigiri sushi meals in my experience. In a restaurant, that's enough money for just 1. A chef knife is fine, it just has to be sharp and equipment to keep kitchen knives sharp is much less than a single medium grade knife. You need nice knives and a lot of know-how if you cut directly from a whole fish but I'm betting nearly all of the sushi places get these blocks, at least in the US. Remember that restaurants don't buy from groceries and often buy food on the verge of spoiling to get a deep discount. Edit: Deep fryer $21 (works pretty good:) https://www.amazon.com/Presto-05420...ords=deep+fryer Pressure cooker $80: https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-...pressure+cooker Pressure cooker is a little bit more expensive but it pretty much cooks anything. Between these two things, a good pan, and a supply of freezer bags I've reduced my food waste to nearly zero. I really can't think of anything off hand that would be cheaper in a restaurant after tax + tip. Most of my meat consumption is unwanted parts of chicken which ends up being like 40 cents a pound though. Uncle Jam fucked around with this message at 14:17 on May 31, 2017 |
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May 31, 2017 14:10
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But I don't need 8 big nigiri sushi meals, I can barely finish 1. That's the issue.
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May 31, 2017 14:21
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Uncle Jam posted:There's a seafood truck that stops near my house and it sells sushi grade frozen cuts in quarter pound blocks and you can get a 2lb variety pack for like $25, and that makes about 8 big nigiri sushi meals in my experience. I'd link this to some people I know in Japan but I'm pretty sure the US will extradite for murder. Uncle Jam posted:sushi grade frozen cuts
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May 31, 2017 14:33
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To be honest, I will gladly eat the unfrozen eel. And even Jiro Ono flash-freezes his sushi.
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May 31, 2017 14:38
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BirdOfPlay posted:What are you even talking about? The best comparison I could fine is this silly thing which puts restaurants in the US as being on the cheaper side of things. I just guess you've never had the pleasure of consuming a Colombian Corrientazo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVY3QZ3xTxk
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May 31, 2017 14:39
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Halloween Jack posted:To be honest, I will gladly eat the unfrozen eel. And even Jiro Ono flash-freezes his sushi. Cheap fish has more often that not been frozen twice due being de-boned on another continent to cut costs.
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May 31, 2017 14:45
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All fish in the US is flash frozen to kill parasites. The problem is purchasing it frozen from a random food truck because:MiddleOne posted:Cheap fish has more often that not been frozen twice due being de-boned on another continent to cut costs.
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May 31, 2017 14:47
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ISeeCuckedPeople posted:Then please explain why I can get a dinner plate that's like a home cooked meal in many other countries for less than half the average hourly wage? While your talking about $35 Salmon plats and how much more expensive food should be. Which countries and what plates in those countries specifically? The answer changes completely depending on permutations of both and you speaking about such in such broad terms is really weird. Tiny Brontosaurus posted:Oh apologies, Only Guy On Earth With A Hard Job. I was actually thinking about things like flu season when multiple people are sick and how hard it is to bridge the gap between "pretty good work environment by industry standards" and "zero sick people cooking food ever" but since you're literally the only person in the history of the world who's ever worked in a kitchen, I guess you're the only person in the history of the world who knows what a flex shift is too. When you're done explaining that could you maybe give me a hand in figuring out what that stainless steel room with all the fire and strange smells I worked in for five years was? Again, you schedule redundant staff and cross train, because if you don't have a little play in the schedule then you're short. There will be maybe 2 days out of a year that suck, but those things happen at all jobs, and that's fewer than if you didn't have crumple zones in the brigade. And I'll even buy that you've 5 years in and not seen this IRL (unless you're talking about a barn), but that you act like that's an insurmountable problem uniquely endemic to cooking is... odd. Labor is undervalued; pay more labor.
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May 31, 2017 16:19
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Willie Tomg posted:Again, you schedule redundant staff and cross train, because if you don't have a little play in the schedule then you're short. There will be maybe 2 days out of a year that suck, but those things happen at all jobs, and that's fewer than if you didn't have crumple zones in the brigade. And I'll even buy that you've 5 years in and not seen this IRL (unless you're talking about a barn), but that you act like that's an insurmountable problem uniquely endemic to cooking is... odd. Labor is undervalued; pay more labor. You're the one throwing "unique" in there. I'm thinking about two things - 1, kitchens, like healthcare but unlike offices, need people who were trained in that specific work environment to cover - it's harder to have a pool of generic temps like white collar workplaces do. And 2, when kitchens get sick so do customers, so the bar for sick days needs to be set a little higher than at most other workplaces, where people are really only getting their coworkers sick. Again, lots of similarities to healthcare, which I already talked about with someone here, so don't know where you're getting "unique." And the thing about needing to set a high bar is we have to aim for the small, cash-poor, badly-run restaurants to get it right too, not just the ones that know they need redundant staff and can afford to hire them. When one person makes a bad choice it's a mistake. When millions of people make a bad choice it's systemic. We have a systemic problem with kitchen workers not taking sick days, and being big swinging kitchen dick #938 and going "well they should know better" doesn't solve the problem. In fact, to date, I don't believe saying that has ever solved any problem.
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May 31, 2017 17:40
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ISeeCuckedPeople posted:The dash button is dumb ok. Not many boxes? When you do Amazon grocery delivery they tend to simply do one big box with a lot of stuff in it. You don't get individual cardboard boxes, unless you're willing to pay more for the delivery costs. And for other Amazon dash stuff, it usually doesnt ship right away, because they again give you better shipping prices if you wait to fill up a box more. That takes up even more space on a crowded bus... Of course the best option is usually to utilize a local supermarket's own delivery service, rather than Amazon itself. But those aren't available everywhere.
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May 31, 2017 18:57
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Goat rentals on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Hire-a-Goat-Grazer/dp/B00UBYDXXQ
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May 31, 2017 19:15
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Are you plugging Amazon's goat rental because you've signed up with them as a provider or something?
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May 31, 2017 19:21
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Does the goat come in a really big cardboard box? How do you stop it eating its way out?
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May 31, 2017 19:25
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Jethro posted:Are you plugging Amazon's goat rental because you've signed up with them as a provider or something? No, I got this thread confused with the unicorn one.  I do like goats though.
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May 31, 2017 19:31
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Can I get a dash button to order a live goat as soon as possible whenever I need one?
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May 31, 2017 19:33
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OwlFancier posted:Can I get a dash button to order a live goat as soon as possible whenever I need one?
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May 31, 2017 19:35
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paragon1 posted:Yes, insufficient starting capital is the A #1 written in gold leaf reason why small businesses in general fail when starting out. People don't take the possibility of bleeding a fuckload of money for the first year seriously enough. While they are close cousins, restaurants still have nothing on bars and nightclubs for the whole "constant influx of amateurs" thing. I remember a story from my bouncer days. A group of six friends, rich kids who had recently graduated with business degrees from the local university, decided that they were going to open a bar. That way they could make money drinking and partying, instead of spending money on it (ironic "!"). They picked out a giant two-story spot on one of the city's bar districts, got charged a rent that was easily quadruple per square foot what most other bars in the area were paying. Now, the reason this story got told in the first place (instead of just another case of a fairly typical thing) was that the first time these guys payed their rent, they actually lined up one after the other and split it, six ways, on their personal credit cards. So yea, that bar ended up closing after six months. According to the guy who owned the bar I worked at (who had been in business for decades) the cycle of "rich frat boys graduate and decide to open a bar (that quickly closes)" was a fairly regular occurrence.
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May 31, 2017 19:54
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I've had that dream but actually did logistics for bars before hand and realized holy poo poo there is no money unless you have some sort of shady side operation going on (drugs).
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May 31, 2017 20:36
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Cicero posted:Yes, it's technically possible. It's just cumbersome. Technically possible? People have been walking to the grocery store with these things for decades. I'm guessing you just live a lovely american city where you have to drive everywhere. Too bad.
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May 31, 2017 20:41
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Cicero posted:Yes, it's technically possible. It's just cumbersome. I just strap all my groceries to my bike's pannier rack. I got crazy thighs though, so this may not be practical for you.
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May 31, 2017 21:03
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I walk a block to the grocery store and just shove it all in the bottom of my kid's stroller. The trade off is that the grocery store a block from my house is bougie and expensive as gently caress.
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May 31, 2017 21:10
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Deadly Ham Sandwich posted:I just strap all my groceries to my bike's pannier rack. I got crazy thighs though, so this may not be practical for you. How much weight is that? When I was lucky enough to live within biking distance of my work there was a grocery store on my route, so I'd just buy enough to eat for a night and a day after my shifts. Wasn't more than 20lbs at any given time, usually less.
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May 31, 2017 21:17
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Grand Prize Winner posted:How much weight is that? When I was lucky enough to live within biking distance of my work there was a grocery store on my route, so I'd just buy enough to eat for a night and a day after my shifts. Wasn't more than 20lbs at any given time, usually less. I do this too, I have a rear rack rated for 70 lbs and I've carried 60 lbs of sparkling water (bought a soda stream after a few rounds of this) split between my two panniers. The mile ride to my house was fine, you just have to be a bit cautious starting, stopping, and leaning into turns. When I don't get a lot of liquids I can easily get groceries for a single adult for a week and a half. Pivoting back a bit to the thread topic: I hear the economics of bike selling/servicing are really putting the squeeze on a lot of locally owned small businesses that do binge dealership. Is that true? Does anyone want to elaborate?
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May 31, 2017 21:31
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hobbesmaster posted:I'd link this to some people I know in Japan but I'm pretty sure the US will extradite for murder. They probably already know because the menu is also printed in Japanese and 90% of the people buying from it are Japanese. So don't worry! Also the taste is very good, way beyond any restaurant I've been to in the US so I'm OK with it. Sushi grade in this instance is the meat is cut from the correct part of the fish and is set up to create correct size pieces by cutting along the correct direction of the fish. Basically all the hard labor has been done already. If you're super concerned about refreezing then I'd probably stop eating sushi from any restaurant in the US except for 3 or 4 specific places.
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May 31, 2017 22:02
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I have a contribution to the retail thread. I got a mailer for them today. Which one should I get first?
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May 31, 2017 22:45
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