I remember my first French dinner in a fine dining establishment in my city. It was elegant, quiet, a bit overly pretentious and very, very grown-up. I was young, on a date and very impressed with everything. When most people mention fine cooking they are referring to the type of restaurant that caters to grown-ups. Happy meals are definitely not on the menu.

Most fine cooking and dining restaurants have elegant seating areas and dining rooms, filled with antiques and expensive artwork. The music is subtle but artistic and the male waiters whisper to the guests so as not to disturb other guests. It is very formal, very important and very expensive. These fine dining restaurants are generally rated with stars or diamonds and the highest aim is usually a five-star rating.

When Did Fine Cooking Dining Get So Stuffy?

I have been to a number of fine dining restaurants in my adult life since that first experience at the French restaurant so many years ago. While elegant, I have grown to find them stuffy. Perhaps it is the mother in me but I find all that quiet a bit disturbing. My husband often has to “shush” me because I start to giggle with all the quiet and seriousness that occurs in most of these types of restaurants. I always find that there is never enough food to fill my appetite. Why is it that fine cooking has to be done in such small portions?

Once my husband I went to an extremely expensive fine dining establishment that had just been built in our city. The menu had many different finely cooked items to choose from, so my husband and I each ordered appetizers, an entrée and dessert. We had been told that the Chef’s fine cooking of nouveau cuisine was beyond compare. We were both amazed when the meal arrived and each of the items was so small that my husband and I had to go through a drive-thru on the way home. We still laugh about the fact that those portions were so small they would not have been enough to feed our then one-year-old son.

My Fine Dining Day Are Done, Bring On The Happy Meals

I must admit, that my days as a nouveau cuisine customer are over; fine cooking of the nouveau cuisine style has no place in my dietary future. I am happy dining in a restaurant known for its happy meals with my children laughing beside me. I am no longer impressed with five stars unless one of my children has drawn them in a picture. Fine dining to me is defined as a picnic in the backyard with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Popsicles and the ones I love to share them with.