Loud music in restaurants discourages conversation and that’s the point. Young people have nothing to say to each other. A profound statement by your 19 year old grandson. I think it also entertains bored staff.
As usual, you have crisply articulated a shared experience. However, you left out one variable in the noise-versus-signal discussion: the declining hearing of us pensioners and the limited ability of many hearing aids to sort the wheat from the chaff. Many of your reader fans likely have - or should have - hearing aids. Untreated hearing loss is a reversible risk factor for dementia. For Toronto diners, the Soundprint app has been used to rate restos in terms of decibel level https://www.soundprint.co/locations/ca/on/toronto/restaurants); Yelp, Open Table, and Reddit also provide listings of quiet restaurants. I'm looking for a place where people aren't allowed to photograph their food.
Like you I hate loud music in restaurants. But, there's always an exception. The first time I visited The Hermitage Plantation Inn the great room and dining porches were filled with opera - starting with the great Pearl Fishers tenor duet. I nearly cried with joy.
Did I say I bought your essay collection? Very nice to have a copy for which I don’t require IT devices to read. I have little interest in publishing business models, but feel that an audiobook version might be of interest to those with poor vision. Perhaps it might be viable? All the best, John.
A point not made in your article but which seems relevant is that you generally have to pay more for your meal if you choose a quiet restaurant where you can have a conversation. Maybe this has something to do with your observation that people eat faster in noisy restaurants. If a restaurant wants a high table turnover, they want to discourage their clientele from sitting and talking. Depressing but probably true!!
Open Table asks diners to rate restaurants on noise level, beginning from quiet to the noisiest which they call Lively! In my comments on any review, I always discuss the noise level, in no uncertain terms. I encourage everyone to always review restaurants and to discuss the noise levels strongly. Maybe if many of us do this, it will begin having at least some effect.
I have ordered two copies of All Remaining Passengers, one for my family library, and one to take with me on the plane to San Francisco in the hope that the passenger sitting next to me in Mint Class will ask about it and I can talk to them about The Endgame; but I won't give the copy away, because I want to show it to the owners of the excellent Point Reyes Bookstore. Books should, I feel, be introduced word-of-mouth and because of conversation, and not only through podcasts and electronic shilling. Congratulations to Mr. Slayton on his new book.
I went out for dinner with my BFF and we hadn't seen each other for a year. We were so glad to see each other but the table next to us was celebrating a birthday. OMG the squeals, the loud laughter and the yelling over each other drove us crazy. Ruined our lunch for sure. All we wanted to do was catch up but those entitled 20 somethings had no respect for anyone. BTW we are in our 70's.
Loud music in restaurants discourages conversation and that’s the point. Young people have nothing to say to each other. A profound statement by your 19 year old grandson. I think it also entertains bored staff.
As usual, you have crisply articulated a shared experience. However, you left out one variable in the noise-versus-signal discussion: the declining hearing of us pensioners and the limited ability of many hearing aids to sort the wheat from the chaff. Many of your reader fans likely have - or should have - hearing aids. Untreated hearing loss is a reversible risk factor for dementia. For Toronto diners, the Soundprint app has been used to rate restos in terms of decibel level https://www.soundprint.co/locations/ca/on/toronto/restaurants); Yelp, Open Table, and Reddit also provide listings of quiet restaurants. I'm looking for a place where people aren't allowed to photograph their food.
Like you I hate loud music in restaurants. But, there's always an exception. The first time I visited The Hermitage Plantation Inn the great room and dining porches were filled with opera - starting with the great Pearl Fishers tenor duet. I nearly cried with joy.
Did I say I bought your essay collection? Very nice to have a copy for which I don’t require IT devices to read. I have little interest in publishing business models, but feel that an audiobook version might be of interest to those with poor vision. Perhaps it might be viable? All the best, John.
A point not made in your article but which seems relevant is that you generally have to pay more for your meal if you choose a quiet restaurant where you can have a conversation. Maybe this has something to do with your observation that people eat faster in noisy restaurants. If a restaurant wants a high table turnover, they want to discourage their clientele from sitting and talking. Depressing but probably true!!
I feel responsible ;every restaurant had the same classical tape(perhaps Faure);wish it were back!
Thanks for sending me the tape; Gina
Open Table asks diners to rate restaurants on noise level, beginning from quiet to the noisiest which they call Lively! In my comments on any review, I always discuss the noise level, in no uncertain terms. I encourage everyone to always review restaurants and to discuss the noise levels strongly. Maybe if many of us do this, it will begin having at least some effect.
I have ordered two copies of All Remaining Passengers, one for my family library, and one to take with me on the plane to San Francisco in the hope that the passenger sitting next to me in Mint Class will ask about it and I can talk to them about The Endgame; but I won't give the copy away, because I want to show it to the owners of the excellent Point Reyes Bookstore. Books should, I feel, be introduced word-of-mouth and because of conversation, and not only through podcasts and electronic shilling. Congratulations to Mr. Slayton on his new book.
A friend of mine said "Forget about Michelin stars, how about decibel stars?
I went out for dinner with my BFF and we hadn't seen each other for a year. We were so glad to see each other but the table next to us was celebrating a birthday. OMG the squeals, the loud laughter and the yelling over each other drove us crazy. Ruined our lunch for sure. All we wanted to do was catch up but those entitled 20 somethings had no respect for anyone. BTW we are in our 70's.