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I was having breakfast recently in a small cafe when three people were seated at the next table. The server handed out menus and a woman asked her, “Between the pancakes, waffles and French toast, which is the best?”
I felt like saying, what a dumb question, but the quiet, reserved me said nothing. They are three different things and the “best” is highly dependent on personal taste.
I was waiting for the customer to say, I don’t really like French toast, but if you think it’s the best, I’ll have that. “Should I have it with bacon, sausage or Taylor ham (a NJ thing).”
Coming in second in my book of silly questions is asking a server which item on the menu they like. I intensely dislike coconut so that cream pie is out of the question, but perhaps it’s your favorite. Now you are having chocolate cake instead.
All this is like asking which hot tip on a stock should I pick. Or maybe asking me what percentage of pre-retirement pay you need to replace in retirement 🤣.
Do I need a million dollars to retire? You tell me. How much income do you want/need and for how long – among other considerations.
If there is any place you can read about diversity of thought and action, it is on HD. Readers seem to set a goal, do some research, take some advice and take responsibility for their decisions. That is not typical in the real world. More common is asking advice without a plan to reach a stated goal, i.e. pancake or waffle based on no criteria and an irrelevant opinion.
Yes, I’m cynical, but I think most people want to take the easy route and then complain about where it took them. The future state of retirement for many Americans is questionable at best. Maybe asking dumb (or no) questions and no effort at a plan is part of the problem.
“but the quiet, reserved me”. Good one RDQ. I love it when you start a post with a joke.
As for another line, “The future state of retirement for many Americans is questionable at best”. I agree. Here in Toledo, my dad’s generation, and many of my tax clients, live/lived off their UAW negotiated defined benefit pension and Social Security. The pension is largely a thing of the past. Current factory workers will now have to navigate the same road as other private employees with 401Ks. Knowing enough to do it themselves, or being able to vet an advisor; neither is easy for someone who has never dealt with such things.
To build on Jonathan’s comment below, there’s an interesting book titled Cork Dork which describes a young woman’s journey to become a sommelier and describing some of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes in high-priced restaurants with wine selection. Basically, asking the sommelier “which wine would you recommend” (with certain qualities, taste profiles, etc.) simply allows that server to select an up-priced bottle at YOUR expense. Be careful with what you ask!
Having been a waiter at an authentic Greek restaurant in Baltimore during my college years, I can say that I appreciated when customers asked me for my favorites. I knew what was good and what was mediocre and I suggested what I thought people would really love. If they were meat lovers I would suggest the lamb kapama, if the loved fish the broiled tsipoura and if they were vegetarian the spinach pie and Greek style green beans and potatoes cooked in a pot.
I’m currently staying with my mother, and we just had breakfast, which was served on plates featuring New Yorker cartoons. My plate had a waiter telling two diners, “Might I suggest the most expensive wine and the most expensive dinner?”