By Jenny Wood | published Jan. 3, 2023

The Problem
You're at a restaurant with a friend and your entree arrives. The mashed potatoes aren't ice cold, but they aren't hot. Despite each bite annoying you, you don't want to make a fuss. You suffer silently with your lukewarm mashed potatoes.

The Big Small Thing

Send. Those. Mashed. Potatoes. Back. You’re spending money on this meal to enjoy it, not suffer through it. Be polite. Be respective. But be confident it's ok to ask for what you want.

Here’s how you can do it:

Relinquish the fear that this is rude to the server. They didn’t cook them; they want you to enjoy your meal. If anything, this will probably inspire a bigger tip.
Let go of the anxiety that the “restaurant” will be offended. Who? The owner? She’s not there. The cook? Mashed potatoes are a dime a dozen to them; they can easily pop them in the microwave. The manager? It is his job to ensure a great dining experience. After all, restaurants are a service industry.

Don’t worry about your friend judging you. You might be concerned that your actions are obnoxious, but the flip side is it might inspire your friend to ask for something they want. Perhaps your friend’s perspective is, “Wow, if she can send back the mashed potatoes, I can ask my cell phone provider to lower my rate.”




How This Helps You Get What You Want.

To get what you want, you have to ask for what you want. And in this case, it’s what you deserve. When you can ask for hotter mashed potatoes, you are one step closer to asking your boss for a promotion or a raise.

Oh, and Also

When you ask for what you want, you might end up with $2,000 like Noah Kagan did.

Let’s do this,

Send back the lukewarm mashed potatoes

And get the courage to ask for that promotion or raise at work

About this newsletter

The BIG SMALL THINGS newsletter is actionable, confidence-boosting, and short: always a 2-minute read.