So, why the constant attention at a restaurant? Why the endless interruptions by ebullient staff, including visits by the manager to see if I 'love' my meal? Especially vexing is the question, 'Does everything taste delicious?' - well, that's damned manipulative. Look, at Lasarte, they can ask that question [though they probably don't]. At the local Bob Evans at seven in the morning, it's just stupid.
All this likely comes down to class. You know, that reality we don't talk about here in the US. 'Class' here signifies not economic station - it's never really signified that here - but a mentality, an ethos, even a cosmology if you will. Most restaurants cater to the Middle Class don't you know, and the Middle Class, such as it is, has always been average and anxious, so they require service, overt and regular service, from a staff trained to provide constant attention. Having folks wait on 'em, you see, provides what these Middling Classes need most - a sense of worth fed by the illusion that they have power in a world in which they feel - with ample justification mind you - less than powerless. What's more, the Middle Class places a premium on 'friendliness', for without it they will not receive the endless affirmation required to get through the day. They are responsible for the epidemic of empty smiles and greetings that in a well-ordered world would be far too personal for most relations.
So yes, I blame them for the lack of tact and professional distance at most restaurants, even 'fine' ones. In fact, the Middling Classes have destroyed most of the rituals that allowed civilized people to go about the days and years with some semblance of social sanity. But that's for another day.
Peace out.
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