Better Dining through Butter
Who doesn't love the convenience of eating out? You can sit down, relax, and enjoy company – or alone time – while having others serve you drinks, snacks and then dinner. You're free to try new foods or drinks without renovating your kitchen. You can enjoy a wide range of ethnic cuisines, limited only by what's available nearby. As for variety, similar to most Americans, I like Mexican cuisine, followed by Asian, whether Chinese, Japanese or Thai and then Indian. On my LCHF way of eating, my new favorite is southern, but we'll get to that in a minute.
When I changed how I eat, I followed Dr. Westman's page four, which makes eating out practical enough. This all started on a week-long trip away from home. This wasn't by design, but, in retrospect, it was quite serendipitous. Being on the road forced me to eat out all the time. Despite my neophyte status and lack of a personal kitchen, this week also reflects the most dramatic weight loss (yes, yes, mostly water) so eating out on LCHF is possible. Since weight-loss was my key motivator back then, my success provided me with greater motivation to remain LCHF.
I much prefer eating at home. I like to know precisely what I'm eating, the ingredients and sources. So much so now that I generally dread eating out, unless it is at precious few select restaurants. Since then I've learned some tricks to help guide me. That said, if you're new to LCHF, I cannot strongly recommend enough that you look into one of Dr. Westman's Heal Clinics. Winging LCHF, solo, or with only the Internet as your guide, is a near certain recipe for disappointment.
Another disappointment on LCHF is how inflexible restaurants are with what they serve. It is nearly certain you will need to make modifications to your menu selections. The good restaurant perk up at the opportunity to serve you. The bad ones?
Keep movin', movin', movin'
Though they're disapprovin'
Keep them dogies movin', rawhide
If only there was a quick way to tell? Well…
It boils down to one simple question:
”Do you keep real butter or evoo in the kitchen?”
The response might be a disinterested; "no," as the worker pauses without knowing what to say next, a confident "no, but what we serve tastes just like butter," a matter-of-fact "Sure do" or, ideally, an incredulous "Are you kidding? What kind of restaurant doesn't serve real butter?"
Yes, I want butter, not a frankenbutter. I’m not a child. The last response sings to me.
What to do?
Life is too short for fake butter, cheese or people. — Bill Murray
Try to call in advance, and ask this question before you go. Be prepared to wait. Most staff that answer the phones won’t know. If they don't have butter, you may be able to steer clear of the restaurant. If you cannot change venue, it may be an opportunity to fast or limit what you eat. If you ask at the time you're there, you might make others uncomfortable with your seemingly orthorexic-like questions on ingredients.
Of course, I wouldn't bother asking an Asian restaurant. I'd focus on the meat dishes and ask for no rice and watch the stir-fry! The standard frying fat is vegetable oil, something I do my best to avoid. Nina Teicholz provides a jaw-dropping presentation on the historical reasons behind vegetable-based (seed-based, really) fats, and why they are so unhealthy, and unnecessary, for you. She also wrote a book about it, "The Big Fat Surprise," well worth reading.
Southern cooking, especially when the kitchen has lard or butter, can be the most accommodating on LCHF. It can also be terrible. The early 90's movie, "My Cousin Vinny," mocks southern cooking, but, as we've learned, Vinny's critique was way off, and now the joke's on us:
One of my most memorable LCHF meals was at a southern-style restaurant in Albany, GA. They relished serving me with a side of butter. Bon Appetite!
This question eliminates every, or nearly every, chain restaurant. That realization was difficult for me. I used to love On the Border. That was my "go to" for Father's Day, my birthday, and other artificial reasons in between. The Bordurrito was a go-to fav, the massive carb fest that thing was. It is thanks to OtB that I now know what "Phase Butter," is, and that it "tastes just like butter."
Uh-huh, to which I say;
It's not nice to fool an LCHF'er
I’m not sure how I can taste the difference, and Mother Nature can’t, but, hey, whatever.
Chain restaurants are there to make maximum profit with as little culinary artistry as possible, despite the ambiance that is merely part of the ploy. Compared with canola oil, Butter and evoo is expensive, sours quickly and has expensive storage requirements. Since that average tongue cannot taste the difference, guess what happens? As for we LCHF’ers, we'd rather support local establishments that care about what they cook, right?
"Butter? We ain't got no butter. We don't need no butter. I don't have to show you any stinkin' butter!
I've found Mexican restaurants to be generally the most accommodating of LCHF. Best, not a one has complained when I've brought my own chiccarones to dip into the guacamole, while others are snacking on tortilla chips and salsa.
What about surprises?
When life happens, what to do? Remember the axiom, less is more? That’s right, don’t eat. For example, if you’re at a faux-Italian chain, and it’s all bread, pasta, sugar and rapeseed oil? You can order an unsweetened tea or a diet soda, and enjoy the company. Order a house salad and take your time eating it. Skip the croutons, of course. If you’ve been on LCHF for a long enough period of time, this will not be a problem. My personal experience was this was difficult at first. “Kyle, aren’t you hungry?” It was a fair enough question, since, previously, I ate and ate and ate. Now, on LCHF, my satiety is such that I can, and do, skip meals. It’s not willpower, per se, I’ve adapted my body. I don’t have to eat now, and not merely because everyone else is.
Remember, we’re not dogs. We don’t have to reward ourselves with food, nor eat it because we see it.
It’s that simple. If they have real butter, they are the real deal. I would like to think that LCHF’er and foodie, alike, would agree on this?
What are your challenges when dining out? Has butter been your culinary touchstone?