MileyCyrus comments on What truths are actually taboo? - Less Wrong

5 Post author: sunflowers 16 April 2013 11:40PM

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Comment author: MileyCyrus 17 April 2013 12:33:24AM 4 points [-]

When the server asks if the meal was good, it usually wasn't good. Most meals are satisfactory or poor.

Comment author: SilasBarta 17 April 2013 04:25:11PM *  3 points [-]

"Good" is calibrated to the implicit mapping between "actual merit" and "what the patron would say now" in that context.

It's just like when you ask someone how they're doing. It's not a lie (I claim) to say, "I'm doing fine", even if lots of things in your life suck and are stressing you out, because such a response is interpreted differently than a serious "life analysis" inquiry, and the person asking the question knows this and therefore is not deceived.

I wouldn't say it's "taboo", but rather, a case of using slightly different language in some situations that (knowingly, knowably) conceals a lot of information.

Comment author: [deleted] 17 April 2013 12:31:31PM 3 points [-]

Then why don't you change restaurant?

Comment author: sunflowers 17 April 2013 12:38:25AM 0 points [-]

It's not hard to criticize a meal at a restaurant. Now, it is hard to criticize a meal when you're a guest in somebody's home. I'll file this under "context specific."

Comment author: MileyCyrus 17 April 2013 12:42:29AM 0 points [-]

Really? I've never had the guts to tell the server that my meal was "satisfactory".

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 17 April 2013 12:27:49PM 8 points [-]

That's not taboo. If you go ahead and do it, you won't face ostracism. Your feeling awkward about it doesn't count. Otherwise, asking someone out on a date would be taboo.

Comment author: sunflowers 17 April 2013 12:44:44AM 1 point [-]

I'd recommend trying it, especially if you usually get suboptimal meals. Make recommendations. Frequent a restaurant enough to know the staff and for the the staff to know you and your preferences.

Comment author: Desrtopa 17 April 2013 01:38:29AM 1 point [-]

Restaurants are generally an avoidable enough expense that I don't think I'd be likely to visit a restaurant repeatedly if I was unimpressed the first time.

Comment author: sunflowers 17 April 2013 07:09:54AM 1 point [-]

Here I have no idea whether or not my experience should generalize, but I have good luck finding a nice regular place simply by being a regular there. This holds for coffee shops, bars, and just about any other sort of establishment. It's worth risking a second bad meal to guarantee a practically unlimited number of good ones.