http://ask.metafilter.com/tags/buffets Questions tagged with 'buffets' at Ask MetaFilter. Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:26:34 -0800 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:26:34 -0800 en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 http://ask.metafilter.com/82798/Whats%2DIndian%2Dabout%2Dbuffets Why do "Indian restaurant" and "all-you-can-eat lunch buffet" go together? It seems that all or most U.S. Indian restaurants offer all-you-can-eat buffets at lunchtime. There are other buffets -- I can think of some Chinese places and some "American" places that have them, and when I used to live in Baltimore there was a place that served a $7 all-you-can-eat sushi buffet that in retrospect I feel lucky to have survived. But for no other genre of restaurant does the buffet seem as nearly compulsory as it does for Indian.<br> <br> Why is this? Is there something about Indian food as opposed to Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Thai, etc. that makes it particularly suitable for the steam-table treatment? Are there buffets in restaurants in India? In Indian restaurants outside India and the U.S.? Was there some single entrepreneur in the U.S. who opened the first Indian lunch buffet and inspired everyone else to get on board? tag:ask.metafilter.com,2008:site.82798 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:26:34 -0800 buffets india indianfood lunch restaurants escabeche