to loathe the current fad for serving meals on wooden boards?

[DustBunnyFarmer]

The worst was a fancy local bistro serving my steak and chips with pepper sauce on a board. There was no way I could pour the pepper sauce over the steak without serious risk of run-off. I ended up dipping each mouthful in the jug of pepper sauce before eating it. Same restaurant served veggie meals on the same boards (there didn't seem to be any differentiation). Totally unsatisfactory. I also think chopping boards are not particularly hygienic. Bleurgh. Also, at the kind of prices swanky bistros charge, you would think they could afford proper crockery. The sooner this fad wanes, the better IMO.

Stickerrrocks: I must be tired, but I read flat caps as cat flaps! I was wondering how on earth it would work (not to mention why). Not sure that flat caps are any more sensible than cat flaps as a bread serving vessel though.

I've just emitted a most unladylike snort of laughter.

Didn't someone post here once because they were rather surprised that they'd had their chips served in a rusty bucket?

Or was it someone linking to someone who'd had chips served in a rusty bucket?

I am unclear on the details but I know there was a rusty bucket in there somewhere

The food gets cold fast on those slates and bits of metal.

Yanbu - slates and boards. What's wrong with bleddy plates??

I agree on hot drinks in glasses amici drives me mad. It just doesn't taste right! I always send it back and ask for a mug. It's just poncy for no reason.

I hate having latte served in a tall glass. When my kids were younger I was always worried they would knock it over by jogging the table and I hate the way they threaten to go over on the tray when you're trying to weave your way through a busy cafe.

I have a massive aversion to wooden lolly sticks, wooden tongue depressors at the doctors, wooden disposable cutlery etc. This greatly magnifies the horror of the 'food on board' phenomenon for me.

Went to a pub once and friend had her mixed grill served on a shovel. Nearly pee'd myself laughing.
YANBU, I hate those stupid boards.

Christ, I hate wooden boards, slates, paper and zinc sodding buckets.

Give me a round dinner plate any day... I don't need my chips in a bucket thanks very much!!!

Yanbu, yup, it's a plate for me too please.

Preferably a normal sized round white plate. I don't want Jenga chips, or splodges, or foams, or any pouncy crap. I just want fresh tasty food.

Yes, hate all wanking about

So... Does ANYONE actually like the wooden board/slate/cat flaps trend then? If not, why are they still doing it?!

Someone must like them. Must admit used to see them all in time in london but less now or maybe im not going to the right or wrong places (depending on if you like the boards or not). Having been to a jamie oliver place once where we were given food that was awful i dont understand why he so popular. Doesnt anyway check trip advisor before going into places....

The flat caps sound grim. I'd send that one back. Boards are tedious but I think they will soon have had their day

I went to Jamie Oliver's at the weekend and the waitress inexplicably handed me two tins of plum tomatos. I thought they were a -very puzzling-- gift and put them in my bag. But no, they were to make a little shelf for my stupid wooden plank that had my starter on it. Talk about embarrassed! And he spelt WCs with an apostrophe. The food was lovely though.

I am so glad I live in the sticks and eat at unfashionable places! Never actually had food served to me on anything but a plate thanks God, the closest I've come to culinary wankiness was at the restaurant that used to be in Urbis in Manchester - the vegetables were placed on the plate like standing stones. A kind if carrot Stonehenge.
DD did once have her chips served in a little paper cone but she liked that.

I'd say, judging by this thread, that most of us never say anything we just eat up and pay and go away laughing about how wanky it is.

So they think we like it.

We are clearly just too polite. If everyone who thought it was pretentious bullplop said so and asked for a plate, perhaps they'd pack it in.

We went to a lovely restaurant where the steak was served sizzling on a stone and you were supposed to take it off when you thought it was done and then you could slice it up and sizzle individual slices.

However, as we were going out to the theatre afterwards, i had my best dress on and didn't particularly want it covered in spatters of fat, so just asked for a plate. They were most put out.

I would have complained, Penelope, and then written poor reviews online and tweeted about it. It is the chef's fucking job to cook the steak how the customer likes it.

Yes, I hate them as well. Had a Meze yesterday and one of the sauces was running over the side of the board onto the table.

I also hate this thing of serving burgers with a steak knife through them. What the hell is that all about?

Yanbu. Hate the slates, wooden boards and also tin plates and trays. We will look back on these and laugh in future years

It's seems a bit pretentious and dare I day, twattish?

I went to Jamie Oliver's at the weekend and the waitress inexplicably handed me two tins of plum tomatos. I thought they were a -very puzzling-- gift and put them in my bag. But no, they were to make a little shelf for my stupid wooden plank that had my starter on it.

Oh FFS, I would have been puzzled also. Just picturing, what if you looked blankly at her when the wooden plank arrived. And say oh I've eaten the tomatoes. Delicious.
I've never liked the idea of food on slates or wooden boards. I always wonder how they are cleaned after use.
I've never been anywhere that expected me to cook my own steak, although I remember reading about it. No, I go out to have a meal served to me, not to cook the damn thing.

A plain round HOT plate for my hot dinner/lunch please.
A plain round cold plate for anything else.
Hot beverages in a cup.

I would be massively pissed off if I had to cooks own food - we eat out because I don't want to cook, not because I want to pay to cook somewhere else!