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Microwaves are really just about convience. I have a lot of people in my home and two younger siblings who are always running around and always hungry. Now, do I want to wait for my oven to heat up when the kids beg for a hot pocket and want it instantaneously? No. Do I want to wait for my stove to heat up when five minutes later my lilttle brother wants some warm milk? No. In these cases a microwave is a godsend. In my life there just isn't enough time to wait for ovens and stoves. If I didn't have a microwave I would have to do things the old fashioned way. In a home with lots of people, not a lot of time, and rushing around, the microwave becomes an essential tool in the kitchen. But this is just my situation. I never grew up without a microwave. Depending on what your home life if like I think that you should try and live without one for a while. If you end up missing it you can get one for $25-$50 easy.

I crave Jack In The Box when I'm drunk; specifically a Sourdough Jack. But I also usually crave fries, onion rings,spicy ramen, udon, and fried rice. I tend to avoid dairy things (except cheese) when I'm in this delicate state and go for greasy, fried, or spicy confections of goodness.

Awww, open only to people 21 and older. I'm only 18. The trip sounds absolutely fabulous though.

Hah, I always thought they used some sort of fish flavored protien alternative.

Sounds like a brilliant idea, count me in! I'm a freshmen at Foothill College in the Bay Area, near San Jose. Tons of amazing and cheap food around here. I'd definitely like to see this pursued!

You could do an easy shepard's pie; buy canned vegetables and box mix mashed potatoes. So basically you brown the beef, mix in the veggies, and put that into a casserole dish. Make the mashed potatoes and layer it on top of the meat and veg. Pop that in the over for like 35-40 min and you're done. I know it's not the quickest recipe, but it's super simple and really tasty. There are tons of recipes for shepard's pie online; some add in layers of cheese, some have mushrooms, it's all about what you like. As a college kid myself, I like it because it's easy to make, lasts me for about a week, and tastes really "homey".

If it's a date then I'm likely to have something that isn't messy to eat; pasta sauce on one's blouse is not attractive, hahaha. But portion isn't something I really think about. If I want a lot I eat a lot, and if I don't then I don't. However if I'm just around a bunch of guy friends and not a date I'd eat whatever I feel like regardless of the mess. In my opinion when a person is eating on a date it's not so much about portion as it is about how messy or sloppy you'll look eating something.

@dbisping, I wish all restaurants would have signs that say when they stop serving. Because although a sign can say when a place closes, some places stop serving early. I agree that it's important to communicate with customers.
@jackalan that was a lovely story.

Wow, it would seem that many of you are speaking from experience. It's great to see so many expressed opinions.

I can see where everyone is coming from, and like @pooch said, if you were in the industry you'd understand. So because I am not in the industry, I became curious about this topic. I feel like even though it is a restaurants job to be hositable to their customers, customers should be equally polite and keep the workers in mind too. People often forget that servers and cooks and human too.

I agree that if you're going to go somewhere to eat and it's five minutes to closing you should make it worth the restaurant's time and effort; tip well and maybe even order a dessert. @wookie had a very good point, I said that a paying customer is still a paying customer, but it's true that there is a difference between a large tab and a small one.

@dbcurrie had a good point too, it really does depend if the chef is the owner or just a chef. The level of incentive to make the customer feel welcome is very different for each role.

Also, @cassaendra, I agree that what with the current state of economy people are likely to be a little more forgiving. For me, I've had to give up eating out at much as I usually like to and I'm sure that I am not the only person who has needed to do so.

Oh, @pooch, your comment this is great, restaurant group therapy, made me laugh.

I like to make it from scratch, starting with a simple syrup. It's just one part water, one part surgar, add some heat and voila! Next, juice as many lemons as you see fit, mix that with as much water as you see fit, then mix it with the, now cooled, simple syrup and bam! You have lemonade.

But if I'm not being lazy, which usually I am, even though the damn lemons are growing in my friggen backyard, I'll be ambitious and make more than one pitcher of lemonade; each being a different flavor. So far the family favorites are:

Blackberry Lemonade; just add some muddled blackberries to the simple syrup, strain it and then finally add it to the lemon/water mix. I know there are other ways to make it, but I really like the way it tastes when the blackberries go into the simple syrup first.

Honey and Mint Lemonade; for this one it gets kinda tricky, because measuring this out is more about eyeballing it than anything. For this lemonade, I start the simple syrup with one cup of water and just a touch of sugar to get the syrup going; I'd say like a tablespoon. Then I put in some honey, generally I just use 5 huge dollops, rather than putting the honey into a measuring cup. When the simple syrup has a smooth consistancy, I add it to the lemon/water mix, stir in some crushed mint leaves and enjoy!

Yeah, lemonade friggen rocks.

Those parsnip cookies sound absolutely divine! I wonder if I could try my hand at making some. They just sound too good not to try!

The theatre I usually frequent is part of a mall with a Starbucks so hiding my coffee is never an issue.

I like to sneak in drugstore candies and snacks like pretzels. A few times I've gone so far as to sneak in real foods like burritos, sushi, or a sandwhich. Without fail though, I always buy my drink at the theatre.

But on special occasions, like midnight showings, I indulge in the concession stand and get red vines, buttered popcorn, and a coke.