I have favourite restaurants that I may only visit once a year.

That’s my yardstick. If it’s obvious they’re just somewhat overwhelmed or the kitchen is backed up, fine. Not their fault and I won’t ding the tip for it. But if they disappear for extended periods of time with no explanation or apology? Sorry, subpar tip coming. Just say something, you know? Don’t leave me sitting…

You mean when families come out to eat for a special occasion and celebrate with large parties and extravagant menu choices and tip generously because they get great service? Sure do!

I just wish they’d included the scene where Demi won’t Go The Fuck to Sleep while John and Meg are having company, John finally handles it and the parents realize that it’s best to split the childcare more equally.

Agreed. If it’s busy and the server is clearly struggling, of course you should cut them slack, but neither should the server use a busy session as an excuse to slack off and go under the radar. Hopefully most diners can sensibly surmise the situation.

Not to mention that servers usually WANT to work on busy holidays because of the mad tips.

I hated it too. There is zero mention/apparent understand of the philosophical movements followed by the Alcott family (reflected by the March family), and which had a huge impact on the telling of Little Women. I loved how the 1994 version touched on that. Also- re-framing Beth’s story in light of our modern…

For Father’s Day, at relatively empty upscale restaurant, we waited to be seated for 10 minutes after our reservation time to find dirty dishes at the table. They brought one of the drinks, but didn’t put in any of the others. We watched other people be served before us that came after us. We asked the waiter for the…

If it appears to me that the server is at least trying to deliver when someplace is busy, I definitely cut them some slack. If they are non-existent and don’t really seem to give a f, then not really.

I also hated the recent PBS version. Beth, Jo and Meg looked so similar I often couldn’t tell who was who in a scene, Beth looked older than everyone else, and it seemed a pointless effort in view of the 1994 film, which is perfect in every way.

Well, if you can’t FIND the server, then by all means, find a manager. Or the host/ess.

I can understand wanting to be polite and all that jazz, but if MULTIPLE facets of your dining experience are sub-par, as in this letter, why do you not get up and find a manager?

Damn, I didn’t know I needed that version until now and I won’t be satisfied until it exists.

A modern retelling:

IF it had to be remade (it didn’t), and you wanted to change the time period, WHY would you think a contemporary white family is the way to do it? Make them a Black family in WWII: Meg works at a factory instead of as a governess; instead of pinching her nose, Amy attempts to lighten her skin to fit in at school.

Shit. This means Beth dies because the evil ACLU wouldn’t let her classmates pray her to better health.

I won’t watch this.

I see your point, though I don’t necessarily agree that it’ll spiral out of control— at least not in the US. We still have a long way to go in terms of body positivity, but compared to Asia (particularly South Korea), our beauty standard is pretty diverse.

You can be pressured by society and end up an advocate for that pressure. It’s called internalization.

I’m glad she’s up-front about it. A lot of people (particularly in the west) seem to be really coy about whether or not they’ve had work done. It perpetuates the stigma against plastic surgery, and promotes an unhealthy obsession with unnaturally “natural” beauty. Getting plastic surgery to achieve a look you want is…