Dressing down of society...

[S. C.]

I can understand Op. Lately people in my neighborhood are not even changing out of their pajamas!! When did it become fashionable to go to the supermarket in slippers and sleep pants?

I would never shop in my PJ's. With saying that, the PJ's cover up a lot more than other clothes I've seen people wearing while shopping.

She most likely has a disorder, since no one was with her. I can't imagine any typical teenager doing that. I hope no one laughed at her within her seeing/hearing distance. I can appreciate that must have been a strange sight. I work with children with Autism, though, so I'm used to that kind of thing.

That was the first thing I thought of too!

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

Before you leave, do you ensure that the seat you were sitting in is free of dirt? I would be kind of peeved if my white capris got stained with infield dirt simply by sitting in a seat at a restaurant.

I really don't think it is too much for you to clean up and not be sweaty and dirty before visiting a restaurant.

I think that if you're that concerned over YOUR white capri pants, you should look at the seat before you sit down. Of course, I also think the busboy should make sure there's no dirt on the seat while he's cleaning the tables.
When I played softball in High School, we usually went to Pizza Hut or another pizza place afterwards. Personally, I would wear a skirt and nice shirt to go to Olive Garden or out to dinner almost anywhere (there's one local steak house that's an exception, but I still don't dress down as much as a lot of the people there.) But I don't see any problem with stopping in there if you just happen to be wearing shorts or jeans (or even sports clothes.)

 

[darkeraven]

I am more offended by the food at Olive Garden than sandals on guys and armpit hair put together.

 

[DizBelle]

I think that if you're that concerned over YOUR white capri pants, you should look at the seat before you sit down. Of course, I also think the busboy should make sure there's no dirt on the seat while he's cleaning the tables.
When I played softball in High School, we usually went to Pizza Hut or another pizza place afterwards. Personally, I would wear a skirt and nice shirt to go to Olive Garden or out to dinner almost anywhere (there's one local steak house that's an exception, but I still don't dress down as much as a lot of the people there.) But I don't see any problem with stopping in there if you just happen to be wearing shorts or jeans (or even sports clothes.)

This is a perfect example of "I don't care about other people. They are just going to have to deal with whatever it is I choose to do." If people just cared a little bit more about others, society would be a much better place.

Shorts are fine. Jeans are fine. Sweaty, dirty, fresh from the softball field having slid into third base pants are not fine. Is it really too hard to clean up before going to a restaurant? I don't know how you manage in life if this is really just too hard to do.

 

[luvmy3]

Before you leave, do you ensure that the seat you were sitting in is free of dirt? I would be kind of peeved if my white capris got stained with infield dirt simply by sitting in a seat at a restaurant.

I really don't think it is too much for you to clean up and not be sweaty and dirty before visiting a restaurant.

One could comment on how could you wear white capris to a restaurant too. We can comment all day about how others are dressed, but in the grand scheme of things it really doesn't matter. Dress how you want and feel its appropriate and let others do the same. If some fall below the standards of the establishment just be confident that management will take care of it, and if they don't have any issue with it, you should just enjoy your meal.

 

[Feralpeg]

If you don't like to see casual dress in a restaurant, don't go to dinner at restaurants in the Orlando area. There are very few dress up establishments in this area. Restaurants here cater to tourists. Tourists tend to wear shorts and t-shirts to everyplace they visit.

 

[EMom]

She most likely has a disorder, since no one was with her. I can't imagine any typical teenager doing that. I hope no one laughed at her within her seeing/hearing distance. I can appreciate that must have been a strange sight. I work with children with Autism, though, so I'm used to that kind of thing.

When she came out, she joined some other teens. I thought there might have been some adults in the group, but with the entryway so crowded at Olive Garden it was hard to tell. She was certainly with enough teens for them to have been on their own. And they were of driving age, so who knows?

I think one reason it struck me as so odd was that she didn't look like the sort of teen you'd "expect" to see changing a BAB at Olive Garden, if you really ever did expect to see a teen changing a BAB at Olive Garden. KWIM? She was dressed stylishly, her hair and makeup were perfect and applied like someone who had been working on their looks for years instead of a teen who has just started worrying about her appearance. You know, the 16-17 year old who is going on 25.... Usually when you see girls doing "youngish" things like changing BABs on a changing table, they LOOK youngish and dress youngish, not like they're getting ready to go clubbing.

So no, I didn't LMAO in her presence. Maybe she was autistic. My hunch, given everything, is not so much. I think she was just quirky in the most basic sense of the word. I used to teach 12-16 y.o.s and I saw a few of the girls go through stages where they wanted to carry dolls again. Even the most "normal" teen can be weird at times. There is always the possibility that she was on a dare or lost a bet.

 

[sbell111]

This is a perfect example of "I don't care about other people. They are just going to have to deal with whatever it is I choose to do." If people just cared a little bit more about others, society would be a much better place.

Shorts are fine. Jeans are fine. Sweaty, dirty, fresh from the softball field having slid into third base pants are not fine. Is it really too hard to clean up before going to a restaurant? I don't know how you manage in life if this is really just too hard to do.

That may be the rudest post that I've read on these forums. That includes those in the old political threads and the ones that I've gotten points for. It's in-your-face rude.

wow.

 

[bicker]

This is a perfect example of "I don't care about other people.

No, not a "perfect" example, because the logic can be applied equally to both sides of that argument. Both sides expect to be able to have their priorities for what the eatery should be prevail over the preferences of the other side. The assertion of "reasonable" expectations, one way or the other, are simply self-serving (on both sides).

The magic, though, is that there actually is a way of arbitrating this dispute: I see no way that anyone can argue against the proprietor making the decision about who's priorities prevail in cases of conflicting priorities, like this.

For the record, I accept personal responsibility for when my light colored pants get soiled because I did not pay attention to the condition of where I was sitting down, and I suspect that I would accept personal responsibility for whenever I might notice that the seat I was sitting in needs attention, either causally wiping it down myself or pointing the problem out to the person bussing the table, if that's necessary and practical.

 

[Jennasis]

When she came out, she joined some other teens. I thought there might have been some adults in the group, but with the entryway so crowded at Olive Garden it was hard to tell. She was certainly with enough teens for them to have been on their own. And they were of driving age, so who knows?

I think one reason it struck me as so odd was that she didn't look like the sort of teen you'd "expect" to see changing a BAB at Olive Garden, if you really ever did expect to see a teen changing a BAB at Olive Garden. KWIM? She was dressed stylishly, her hair and makeup were perfect and applied like someone who had been working on their looks for years instead of a teen who has just started worrying about her appearance. You know, the 16-17 year old who is going on 25.... Usually when you see girls doing "youngish" things like changing BABs on a changing table, they LOOK youngish and dress youngish, not like they're getting ready to go clubbing.

So no, I didn't LMAO in her presence. Maybe she was autistic. My hunch, given everything, is not so much. I think she was just quirky in the most basic sense of the word. I used to teach 12-16 y.o.s and I saw a few of the girls go through stages where they wanted to carry dolls again. Even the most "normal" teen can be weird at times. There is always the possibility that she was on a dare or lost a bet.

I bet dollars to donuts, that the kid with the BAB was doing the baby-raising project at school that all the kids around here (and I back in the day) had to do. You are required to carry around an object to simulate a baby for two weeks. You have to "feed" it "change it" get up in the middle of the night with it and document the experience. It's an eye opener.

That may be the rudest post that I've read on these forums. That includes those in the old political threads and the ones that I've gotten points for. It's in-your-face rude.

wow.

Here here.

 

[BuffettFan]

Dress how you want and feel its appropriate and let others do the same. If some fall below the standards of the establishment just be confident that management will take care of it, and if they don't have any issue with it, you should just enjoy your meal.

I agree completely!

I think what some of you are missing is that restaurants like Olive Garden are CASUAL DINING establishments.....the key word there is casual. If you want a fine dining experience, go to a fine dining establishment. I live way out in the sticks, but there are still plenty of them around that require jackets and ties. That's what my DH and I do....usually because I want to avoid all the unruly children who are regularly taken out to eat...thats the real problem with casual dining..

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

This is a perfect example of "I don't care about other people. They are just going to have to deal with whatever it is I choose to do." If people just cared a little bit more about others, society would be a much better place.

Shorts are fine. Jeans are fine. Sweaty, dirty, fresh from the softball field having slid into third base pants are not fine. Is it really too hard to clean up before going to a restaurant? I don't know how you manage in life if this is really just too hard to do.

Like I said, I always wear a skirt and nice shirt to go out to dinner (actually, that's what I wear 99% of the time to leave the house) but I think you need to take some personal responsibility for your own pants (and I think it's more the employee's job to watch for dirt than the job of the person who sat there before you.) I'm not going to judge someone who comes straight from his/her athletic event to a casual family restaurant.
By the way, Sbell you and I rarely agree but we do agree on this post.

 

[bicker]

Actually, that reminds me of a bigger concern for me than soil from sports teams uniforms... the mess that some children leave behind on their chairs.

 

[Jennasis]

Actually, that reminds me of a bigger concern for me than soil from sports teams uniforms... the mess that some children leave behind on their chairs.

 

[DizBelle]

I agree completely!

I think what some of you are missing is that restaurants like Olive Garden are CASUAL DINING establishments.....the key word there is casual. If you want a fine dining experience, go to a fine dining establishment. I live way out in the sticks, but there are still plenty of them around that require jackets and ties. That's what my DH and I do....usually because I want to avoid all the unruly children who are regularly taken out to eat...thats the real problem with casual dining..

Yes, they are casual dining establishments. They are not dirty, sweaty, covered in dirt, armit hair hanging out dining establishments.

 

[Jennasis]

Yes, they are casual dining establishments. They are not dirty, sweaty, covered in dirt, armit hair hanging out dining establishments.

Come to my Olive Garden sometime...I beg to differ.

 

[EMom]

I bet dollars to donuts, that the kid with the BAB was doing the baby-raising project at school that all the kids around here (and I back in the day) had to do. You are required to carry around an object to simulate a baby for two weeks. You have to "feed" it "change it" get up in the middle of the night with it and document the experience. It's an eye opener.

If so, that means she got stuck with TWINS. They were fraternal, BTW.

 

[Jennasis]

If so, that means she got stuck with TWINS. They were fraternal, BTW.

Hehehe...I think we were allowed to do twins for extra credit. Although VERY often, the girls would be found "babysitting" the charges of their friends (usually their boyfriends who hated the excercise).

 

[FireDancer]

I really could care less what anyone wears anywhere, provided it meets the requirements of legality. I don't care if someone wears a tuxedo to McDonald's or gym shorts and a wife beater to a 4 diamond restaurant in Paris. I will not let what anyone else is wearing ruin my dinner just because I wouldn't wear it.

I may notice and laugh but none of it will ruin my appetite or change my life in any way. If you do wear either of those things though be prepared for some starring and laughing.

 

[DizBelle]

I really could care less what anyone wears anywhere, provided it meets the requirements of legality. I don't care if someone wears a tuxedo to McDonald's or gym shorts and a wife beater to a 4 diamond restaurant in Paris. I will not let what anyone else is wearing ruin my dinner just because I wouldn't wear it.

I may notice and laugh but none of it will ruin my appetite or change my life in any way. If you do wear either of those things though be prepared for some starring and laughing.

Minimum for legality... If we all aimed a little higher, the world would be a nicer place.

Do you all only require your children to only do what it takes to make a passing grade in school or do you ask more of them?