It's generally considered acceptable to send back food you don't like

Really? I'd only send it back if it tasted wrong, but not if I just didn't like it.

I don't think there is a way to send anything back without looking like a dick.(Well, one time I got a soda that somebody had forgotten to put the syrup in.) But I really hate when Stepmonster pulls this particular stunt. More than half the time, I suspect that it is not, say, a ruined entree but her way of putting everyone at the restaurant "on notice" that she eats out a lot and doesn't have to take any crap. Groan. Because it's always loud and elaborate, and...

I refused a glass of wine once in college (in the presence of my boyfriend where the bartender was a friend of his). They tried to argue it with me, I said, "I drink this stuff all the time, and that doesn't taste right." Bartender admitted she'd given me the last of a bottle that had been open for a while and gave me a free glass.

Never argue with a college student over the taste of cheap wine.

in LA I can drink the coffee and take or leave the number as I see fit without any hassle.

Reminds me of a comedian's bit on guys who buy her drinks. "Buddy, you gave me a drink, not a kidney."

If I ordered Shrinp Scampi and it was cold, or greasy or the shrimp was off, I'd send it back. If I ordered it and it turned out I didn't like how Shrinp Scampi tastes, I'd eat it and think "well, I won't order THAT again."

Gah. Can I go home? I never want to take steroids ever again.

I'm alone in the office. I just got up from a nap under my desk.

Unfortunately, big client is processing their payroll, which means every so often I get an email asking me to manually edit some record (because the system is locked for the processing).

It's generally considered acceptable to send back food you don't like -- why should wine be treated differently?

Honestly, I think people should send food back only if it's not prepared properly, like a steak ordered rare is delivered well-done, or the pasta al dente is actually crunchy.

I just feel you should know what you're ordering, food- and wine-wise. If you don't know what steak tartare is like, you might be in for a shock when it's served, but that doesn't mean it was prepared wrong. And ordering a cabernet when you only drink riesling -- that doesn't mean the wine is "bad."

I'd only send it back if it tasted wrong, but not if I just didn't like it.

Is there that much of a difference? Barring something obvious like "there's a fingernail in my soup," isn't "wrong" mostly a matter of taste?

I just feel you should know what you're ordering, food- and wine-wise.

I sort of see that, but sometimes wires just get crossed. I fell in love with this artichoke cheese dip in one restaurant (artichoke hearts in a terrific cheese sauce, basically), and saw some stuff with the same name at another one (which turned out to be wee bits of artichokes in a sea of spinach, with some cheese to bind it). I ordered it and got something totally different than what I expected. Doesn't mean it was bad food per se, but is sure wasn't what I'd thought I'd ordered.

isn't "wrong" mostly a matter of taste?

See above. If it's burnt, or raw, or has randomly sprouted cheese where cheese doesn't belong, it's wrong. Too salty is something I'd like to call wrong, but I know that's just me, and my tastes, and I'd just call that dish an object lesson.