Whenever I am in a cake shop or a deli and I order something I always look at which slice or which pie I want. Often the server will go for the closest one, but do you ever tell them which one you want? Even if the store is busy, I will ask them for the one I have my eye on that isn't burnt, looks a bit bigger, has more chocolate on it and isn't a funny shape. I'm sure it has annoyed some assistant, especially when you go through the scenario, of 'This one or this one?' with their tongs, but I think I have a right to pick the one I want.
If you're paying and you're looking at a selection of food items in a case, you have a right to choose the piece you want. It takes the same amount of time for them to give you the piece that you want as it does to give you a different piece. If I'm looking at cake slices in a bakery, I always ask for the piece with the rose on it.
It's largely their own fault for not keeping all the portions uniform and cooked evenly. If there are pieces that are cut way too small, or are burnt or falling apart - why would a customer want one of those? If they restaurant/bakery is concerned about waste and losing money, then it's in their best interest to improve how they cook and portion out their own food. Even places like Chipotle kind of drive me nuts because they are so inconsistent with their portion sizes. Some places put a mountain of rice and only a drop of meat, while others load up on the meat. You never know if you are getting a good burrito or not, and when they are stingy with the meat, they start haggling you about charging more if you ask them to put a little more in there. What really drives me up the wall is when they are too rough with the burrito and tear it - because then they just wrap a second tortilla around it - I don't want all that dough. They should start over and make it correctly.
First... I love you !!! You raised the question I have always wanted to ask!! I do the exact same thing and always wondered if anyone else does it too. I know it may seem picky and I know I'm a grown adult but I usually want the cake with the most frosting... or maybe the biggest one! I don't think that's wrong especially since I'm sure your paying good money for it! I do it when it comes to bagels too. I only like bagels that are very light... light, light brown. I hate hard bagels so I always point to the one I like. You made me smile today and I thank you for sharing my passion for getting what we want! Danyel
Of course you have a right to pick whatever slice you want. You can even tell them to cut a brand new slice from the cake. It's called "good customer service", and is usually available in every worthwhile shop. In my experience there have never been any problems with me directly pointing out what I want. I have a particular habit in news agencies when I buy my scratch tickets. I often don't want the ticket that they rip off the roll, but the second or third in the row. And even with that I never have any problems.
