How much do you pay for a dinner out?

I had a very confusing experience tonight (yes, about just a couple of hours ago).

A friend and I met up for a drink after work. She said we should go dinner before Christmas, and after come considerations and happenings, we decided to go actually tonight. She suggested Michelle La Bastille, but I opposed as 1) it should be Christmas dinner season, and 2) I did not like the food when I ate there 3 years ago (the food now might be well different, but might not).

So I suggested to go to Chinese and took her to Han Dynasty, which I like very much and consider as a good-value (not cheap, but get better fare for what I pay) restaurant.

It was absolutely heaving, but luckily enough we managed to get a table which has just liberated.

But, when she saw the menu, she started to complain, saying "Expensive!", "It should be more than £15", "Does this price include rice?" And in the end, "I don't want to pay more than £5". So we left.

What I did not understand is if her budget was £5, why did she bother to ask me to dine out in Christmas season. She isn't foreigner. She was born here and close to 50 years old.

Outside the restaurant, she tried to explain how she could eat at Michelle's under a tenner. Listening her, I said to myself: "So what? I ate at Han Dynasty under a tenner a few days ago". I did not tell her, but I did point out that there is no way you could do the same at Michelle's during the Christmas dinner season.

£5 a pop category, the best I like is Tung Lok, but it was closed. Arcadian Palace was closed as well. So we ended up in New Sum Ye.

She ordered one of the cheapest chicken and rice dish (£4.50), and I got Stir-Fried Ho Fun with Beef (£4.80) plus Chinese tea for 70p.



Food was fine for the price and the portion was generous, but it wasn't a quite the same thing as what I would eat at Han Dynasty or at Red 'N Hot.

The good thing is that I finished the obligation to go to dinner with her. I hope it won't happen ever again. It is so difficult to dine out with someone else. I really should keep on dining-out alone.