> Also Europeans are not, I think, accustomed to asking for salt, or ketchup, on already seasoned food.

I would expect to find salt, pepper and mustard on the table in a decent restaurant, in my corner of Europe. Not ketchup, though, except in a cheap burger place.

You would in the UK but we are a condiments culture. Quite normal to find two kinds of tomato relish, two kinds of mustard, and if the café is satanic, salad cream or piccalilli. But I don’t think I would dream of asking for salt or pepper or ketchup if they were not already on the table.

> Also Europeans are not, I think, accustomed to asking for salt, or ketchup, on already seasoned food.

Not all us Americans are, either. The only time I can remember asking for such things is when the server forgot to provide ketchup for some fries.

If a restaurant doesn't season the food adequately for me, I'm not going to fix it at the table. I'll just factor that in the next time I decide where to eat.

Also, the vast majority of restaurants I've been to use far too much salt during cooking anyway.

It's amazing how much is attributed to culture. What if I like more salt? European are not accustomed to ask for salt. What if the chef forgot to add salt? You'll wait till your food is cold. It's culture.

I don't know about other European countries (well, I know, but I'm polite), but in France, restaurants will always have salt/pepper and frequently oil/vinegar on each table.

For ketchup, I'm afraid you'll need to stay in the US.

Do that many restaurants not have salt/pepper already on the table? Yes, I may ask for ketchup separately but salt is always provided.

Forgot to add salt? Does that actually happen?

A chef forgetting to add salt sounds like a photographer forgetting to use a camera.

> What if the chef forgot to add salt?

That’s a perfectly valid reason for complaining, then. Politely, of course, but the chef might use the feedback.

Please stop spreading these... untrue statements, you clearly have very little experience with actual European restaurants. Any decent restaurant has salt&pepper available on all tables, if yours was cleaned and not put back just ask waiter politely. You know how to call a waiter, right? Not much more complex than raising hand at primary school.

One thing is true though, I never ever had to add salt in restaurant in past 25 years, one can ask for pepper/olive oil/etc but salt? They often use too much of it to enhance taste ie in sauces. Maybe get your kidneys and heart checked with such refined palate.