Plate to Palate | Signature dish: silly seasoning

Of all the annoying restaurant rituals, the worst is when the waiter puts a plate of food in front of me and, with a huge peppermill at the ready, immediately asks, "Would you like some pepper on that?" It's the same thing with parmesan at Italian restaurants: the waiter is there, itching to sprinkle (or freshly grate) the cheese over the dish he's just served.

I'm in the minority here, I know; many people expect the waiter to offer to sprinkle pepper or cheese over their food - in fact, they complain about a lack of service if either of these aren't offered.

I usually reply with a dismissive, "I have to taste it first." Then I ask the waiter to leave the peppermill or cheese on the table, or to come back with it later. Waiters often find this disconcerting - it seems to throw them off their routine.

I've noticed that this rarely happens at very high end places (where it's expected that the chef will have seasoned the food properly) or at very cheap establishments - it's more likely to occur at mid-range restaurants.

You'd never see a waiter at a Chinese restaurant offering to drizzle soy sauce over a dish he's just served, or someone in an Indian curry house asking if you'd like a bit more spice.

I don't know how this custom started or why it continues. Does a chef deliberately under-pepper his food, thinking that when the waiter grinds pepper over a dish at the table it will be just right? What if a chef who takes pride in his food (as every chef should) seasons it correctly (to his palate, anyway) only to have a waiter add pepper at the table? The food will be over-peppered.