In the Beginning

I believe it began when I was drunk in a restaurant living in Seattle, and in a drunken stupor, I took the menu home. The next day, I found the menu in my apartment, perused it, fascinated by it, and thought... 'hey, this is cool!' And thus began my adventures in menu collecting.

Thinking back, I wish I had been more methodical about writing down my adventures from the very beginning and tracked every single menu I collected. I now I have friends that collect menus for me from their travels, while having their own adventures in trying to do so.

Stealing. I try not to think about it too much, but restaurants change their menus seasonally anyway, so I just took one that would've been thrown out or discontinued. That's how I justify it, but lucky for me because now it's a collector's item.

My routine is simple. I give my order then put the menu down next to me. If I'm with a large group, it's easier to do because servers don't usually count all the menus being returned to them, especially when he/she is trying to remember everyone's orders. With only 2-3 people, it's a bit of a challenge. However,   I find that it's not so much the process that is challenging, but it's the people that I'm dining with that beg me not to do it for fear of the unknown or for ethical reasons. I'm like-whatever!

So when the waiter and restaurant staff aren't looking, I simply put the menu in my lap or if I have a large bag, I'll quickly slip it inside. The end. If I don't have something to put it in or hide it in, then this is where I start to get creative. In the past, I've cautiously slid it up from under the front of my shirt and switch it over to my back where I can sit straight up and tuck part of it in my pants so it won't be noticeable. In the winter time- it's great - because I can throw on my jacket and hide it entirely. Sometimes, I'll find newspapers and slide it in between the pages and walk right out with it. Another strategy is to just sit on it  until the very end and upon leaving, put on my jacket, slip it in the front of my jacket and zip it up. One hand is usually holding the bottom of my jacket so it doesn't fall out.

If I had the choice, I would collect the wine, entree and dessert menu, but this is especially hard to do because, well, I don't want to be walking out with a 5 lb. book that will obviously be bulky and awkward, so I do it when the opportunity presents itself.

Restaurant menus are fascinating to me. The design, shape, weight, language, presentation, prices, food and drink listings, all give me a glimpse of what the restaurant is like, but that's only a small part of it. Have you ever looked at a menu from outside the restaurant and thought... eh, I don't want to eat here! Menus can be a very powerful influence that way. Sometimes menus can read very well, but then the food, when you eat it, is very bad. I am definitely a fan of the opposite, when the menu seems "interesting", but the food was amazing. Just remember, while the menu does play a huge influence on the experience, evaluate the entire experience from the service, ambience, meal preparation to noise level, check presentation and the bathrooms.

Perhaps you'll get to witness me in action or maybe you'll be one of those "don't do it, please" dining guest, but whatever the case may be, I hope you enjoy reading all about my adventures in menu collecting.