I think people that put fruit made from wax in bowls are sneaky bastards. Sometimes you can spot small bite marks left by children hoodwinked into taking a sly bite.
I appreciate the way Japanese restaurants do it but a sprig of parsley or "on a bed of lettuce" is just fucking retarded and a waste.
Why? It's edible; is it not the customer's waste if they don't eat it? *Funny story... Crayfish [also known as Crawfish] are a staple food in Louisiana. When I was about seven years old, we went on a trip to Washington DC, and while I was there we ate at a buffet. Seven year old me saw a crawfish in the shaved ice, and so of course I put it on my plate; it was a garnish for the seafood entrees—fully cooked but not meant to be eaten; entirely unseasoned. I didn't realize this at the time, and was disappointed at the cook.
Thats one example - why the hell is it there, if you're not supposed to eat it? In my experience, most restaurants follow the philosophy of everything on the plate is edible; yes the garnish too - it all comes together But like - in one cooking show they had actual literal rocks on a plate, as part of some dumb symbolic whatever - a bit on the nose as an example, but don't put rocks there - Ima be a peasant pleb, and bite into the stone unless you stop me!
The only inedible things I want on my plate are cutlery and whatever bits and remaining bits of food that usually aren't eaten - i.e. bones. I appreciate decoration on food, but make it edible. Also I don't want unnecessary plastic in my meals, there's already plenty of nanoplastics everywhere.