Tony Naylor’s humorous piece on the perils of outdoor dining, “Alfresco: A No Go” inspired me to consider the cultural preference for indoor dining.
Cultural preferences are often determined by geographic locations and weather conditions. Although it seems that there is an endless variety of outdoor dining available in the US, from German beer gardens to Mediterranean kabob stands, as Naylor details in his article, the preference for outdoor dining is mostly a European tradition.
Fine dining, too, has trouble converting to outdoor seating; however, some high-end seafood restaurants and steakhouses may offer seasonal outdoor seating or heat lamps for an extended outdoor stay.
Fine dining for Chinese culture differs in the opinion that the sophisticated, pampered experience would be enjoyed under anything but indoor comforts. Chinese fine dining in East Asian countries is overwhelmingly indoors, usually tied to hotels, and have considerable difficulties converting to an outdoor setting. Restaurant owners would not think of exposing their guests to the elements. Moreover, architectural designs of the establishments would prohibit alfresco dining as well.
For these reasons, it is rare to find a Chinese fine dining restaurant in the US that would be easy to offer an outdoor dining experience. For the Chinese fine dining experience, Chinese restaurants must wait longer for reopening.
Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay
