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Surowiecki: The Wisdom of Dumbed-Down   David Leonhardt: Whacking Flacks wit...
Nov 8 2007 3:21PM EST

Enjoying It? I'm Still Working on It.

NYT food critic Frank Bruni pans the oppressive semantics served in many of the restaurants he reviews, shining a sharp light on how the word "enjoy" has become an abusive tool for passive-aggressive waiters.

"I pause halfway through an entree, and a server with an itch to clear plates asks if I'm 'done enjoying that,' a question that's more a presumption. Maybe I was done enjoying it after the first bite. Maybe the unconsumed half is a testament to my limited enjoyment."

Jack Flack has been "enjoyed" to similar annoyance himself. But he also spends a lot of time in more down-market joints in the South, where "enjoy" is often replaced by the even more irritating, "work." As in, "Are you still working on that, hon?"

While trying to conquer the massive portions that dominate American plates can often indeed feel like work, it seldom encouraging to be reminded of it.

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