Free Meal

Went to a popular influencer Indian restaurant for dinner. The cauliflower and baby corn in the curry tasted sour, like they had gone bad. When I told the staff, the server went to the kitchen, tasted it, and confirmed it was indeed a bit sour. So, they decided to let us have the meal for free today. Not long after, the head chef came over and said it was the acidity from the tomatoes, not because it had spoiled. I rolled my eyes and just mumbled 'uh-huh' dismissively. My taste buds can definitely distinguish between the sourness of spoilage and the sourness of tomatoes. Besides, the server had already handled it; why did the kitchen staff need to come out and argue? Finally, when we were leaving to pay the bill, The cashier told us we could just leave. Completely free (we ordered about 700+ yuan worth), and they apologized. My husband and I felt it wasn't right and insisted on paying for the food, even though it was fine. Working in the food industry is tough, after all. We can also estimate the cost of the food. But we felt there was no need to put them in such a difficult position. However, that head chef really could have just stayed in the kitchen and not come out. 🙄