My grandpa enjoyed many hobbies, two of which were photography and trying out new restaurants. He displayed his love for those hobbies when he traveled with my family and me. My grandparents would drive up to Washington State at least once a year. After they arrived, we would all go on a road trip to a coastal town or sometimes Canada.
Travel was different in those days. There were no car navigation systems or Google Maps. Driving directions had to be pre-printed at home. So, despite my grandma’s best efforts as a navigator, it generally took longer to get places. This was the ritual when we all finally arrived at our destination. We would check into our rooms and drop off our luggage. After settling in for an hour, we walked down the sidewalks of the town. This was a slow and methodical walk. My grandpa gazed far and wide for potential photos. Often, he would stand in the middle of the road with his camera, oblivious to the zooming cars. We all were petrified and kept a close watch.
Discovering new restaurants was an art and required patience in the 90’s. Menus could not be found on the internet or a phone app. Menus were posted in restaurant windows or large displays near the front door. We would walk to a restaurant, and the process would begin. My Grandpa would glance at the menu from top to bottom. Then, he would proceed to dive deeper. I wish I had a time machine to ask about his process and thoughts. My family only heard the random comments as he read the menu. “The lamb shank sounds good. I wonder how they cook the asparagus.” If the restaurant were a Chinese restaurant, he would often say, “Looks like chop suey.”
My grandma eventually became impatient. “Bob, just pick a place to go. I’m hungry.” This was after going to four or five different restaurants. Of course, most people would become impatient at this point. My grandpa would respond and say, “Okay, I’ll just look at one last menu across the street.” After looking at that last menu, we would backtrack and sometimes go to the first restaurant we visited.
Grandpa was an excellent chef and owned a restaurant with his brother when he was young. He expected quality from food ordered at a restaurant. Specifically, he wanted food to be cooked to his requested temperature and not overcooked. This came up a lot with meat like prime rib or lamb. For prime rib, he wanted it to be medium rare. When it was overdone, my grandpa would sometimes send it back to the kitchen. My mother was always horrified when he made these requests to the waiter. “I can’t believe you are sending it back. I would never do that.” I want to emphasize that he would always do this respectfully and non-snobby.
I continue the menu tradition today. It does require less walking nowadays, though. I almost always research menus and read from top to bottom multiple times before I go to a new restaurant. Sometimes, I read over 15 restaurant menus before deciding on a restaurant. I get consumed with “the search.” Finding the perfect restaurant or strategizing to order the right menu items is an obsession. I do this at least one day before dining. Is this ridiculous at times? Maybe, but I think of my trips with Grandpa every time that I do.