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[picky eater]

I just got my itenerary.  The dinner with faculty at the end of the interview day is at a restauarant of a particular ethnic group.  I don't eat this kind of food...at all!!!!  What should I do?  I don't want to sound like a difficult candidate, but I also know there is nothing there I would eat.

[Diogenes]

Unless you plan to object to the kind of food on religious grounds (e.g., you're observant kosher) or philosophical grounds (e.g., they're taking you to Outback and you're a vegan), grow up and learn how to sit at a table and realize that mealtime is more than your chance to feed.  If you object on grounds of not liking a certain variety of food, you will come off as an immature whiner (which may in fact be the case if you've yet to learn how to make your way politely through a meal that doesn't suit your palate).

[pickypicky]

Grown ups know how to be gracious at restaurants.  Surely you can find something there you can stand to eat.  If not, you are likely to come off as a difficult potential colleague as well as a picky eater.

[picky eater]

Perhaps calling myself a picky eater was not the best call.  In reality, I am not a picky eater.  And I am not being a whiner.  But what is worse?  Being upfront about not eating a particular type of food, or going to dinner, rdering something,and then not eating any of it?  There is nothing of this particlar type of food that I can eat.  Besides, I think it is rather presumptuous of a committee to select a very specialized ethnic restaurant without considering a candidate's eating habits/abilities.  And by the way, dinner takes place 11 hours after the interview day starts.  I may just be a tad bit hungry, but I still wouldn't eat the food.

[anon]

I'm sure that the restaurant will at least have salad.  Eat a salad or some other sort of light vegetables at your dinner.  Later, go back to the hotel, change into some comfortable clothes, and then go to McDonald's or somewhere and pig out.  

When I interviewed for my current job, I was so nervous that I didn't have an appetite at my dinner with the faculty, so I just ate a small salad.  Later, once the pressure was off, I filled up on junk food.  LOL.

[anon99]

What type of ethnic food is it?  Have you tried it before?  If it is the spices that you object to, often the restaurant can adjust an item on the menu so it is not as spicy.

[picky eater]

Yes I've tried it.  No I can't eat it.  It's not the spices.  (I love spicey food.)  It's the food.  I can't stand the taste, consistency, look, smell, did I mention taste?

[Anon]

What kind of food is it - we may be able to give some advice.

[tamiam]

Also, carry a subtle and non-meltable energy bar in your suit pocket or purse (like one of those nasty Odwalla bars, for instance.) Then you can eat it and won't be hungry and grossed out at dinnertime. You can claim nerves and pick at your food.

But I am also dying of curiosity! What is this inedible food you are so concerned about?

[b]

I don't know, why everybody jumps on the OP and says "grow up". Maybe Search committies can help out with this and let the OP know if it would be a problem for them to go to a different restaurant (I hope it's not like the ONLY place in town and they take reservations 2 weeks in advance). If the OP KNOWS that s/he can't eat that food, I think the "damages" would be bigger not to say anything and have a stressfull and empty-stomached evening (after a stressfull day) than simply asking the SC to consider a different restaurant. OP, if I were you, I would ask.

[picky eater]

Thank you for being a voice of reason.  It is not the only restaurant in town.  I don't know about everyone else's experiences, but in my experiences it seems the candidate dinners are all about going to a restaurant the committee members want to go to.  No one seems to care about the candidate's pallet.  For instance, although I am not a vegetarian, I was recently taken to dinner on an interview, and there was absolutely nothing on the very limited menu for a vegetarian.  No one asked if I was one.  You would think that would have crossed someone's mind.

[whose your mamma]

Someone on your search committee (maybe everyone!) loves this food and you would be making what might be a grave error if you complain. They may take it just fine, but they may not! Perhaps the other candidate shows up and oohs and ahs over their spectacular food choice, who they gonna pick as a colleague? If you want the job, you would do well to follow the crowd and order dinner, and simply pick at your meal or whatever you need to do to get through the meal as politely as possible. That, is you want the job.  Later on, after you become an endeared fixture in the department and they love you for other qualities, you can joke about it.  

I suggest you visit ethnic restaurants in your area pre-interview and learn to at least tolerate the food. Food is food, really! Think Fear Factor and you are out to win the prize.

[b]

I think this paranoia that we, candidates, can't do or say anything bc it will tick off the SC is a little bit tooooo much. If the SC loves that ethnic food, they can go there EVERY day three times a day. I think the dinner should be all about the candidate, to show him/her a good time, impress her, etc. They may have just not realized it that some people might not like that food, and they would appreciate it if u told them, so that you can enjoy the dinner and their place looks more attractive to you as the potential person who gets an offer.

[AnonT]

Again what kind of food are we talking about?  At nearly every ethnic resturant I've ever been too (and I've been to a lot) there are usually a few Americanized, toned-down alternatives.  Indian resturants have tame veggie dishes low on spice, Sushi resturants usually have a chicken dish, Greek again chicken alternatives, wait do I sense a theme? And most resturants do offer some sort of salad/soup options.  Call the resturant in advance, ask about their menu, this may be much ado about nothing. The SC may actually think an ethnic resturant would be a nice treat, I would love a nice ethnic resturant on a campus visit. To get good ethnic food (something beyond a crappy chain), I have to drive over an hour from my provincial small mid-western town.

[T. Rolle]

Perhaps if the dinner was similar to the feast in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" then I could understand your dilemma.  As it is, though, suck it up, carry a snack bar like Tamiam suggests, and use the time to woo the committee.  It's not about dinner, it's about your ability to interact with other university faculty members.  Good luck!