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This seems overly pessimistic, and perhaps very myopically metropolitan. I can't imagine wasting food from a restaurant -- I always have taken my leftovers hom

This seems overly pessimistic, and perhaps very myopically metropolitan. I can't imagine wasting food from a restaurant -- I always have taken my leftovers home and eaten them later. Even at home, stuff gets used or I feel shame, and unusable scraps go into the compost.

MrManBooks 4y ago
- crazygringo 4y ago
  It's absolutely normal in the US at restaurants which emphasize food quantity, which is a lot of them. If you're dining at a trendy spot in NYC or SF or LA, then you won't be taking leftovers home simply because portion sizes are small, or you're headed to a bar afterwards, etc. It's a different lifestyle. But if you go out for dinner in most of the country where portions are supposed to be massive, it's pretty normal that after a round of appetizers, you won't be able to finish more than half your entrée. After eating, the server will ask if you want to "take it home" (sometimes using the phrase "doggie bag") and the answer is almost always "of course, it'll be great for lunch tomorrow", and they wrap it up for you. You're just driving straight home anyways. If it's a business dinner or a fancy first date then maybe you wouldn't... but also maybe you still would. Leaving half of a delicious steak uneaten is pretty wasteful and can be kind of a bad look. Feel free to browse the Cheesecake Factory calorie contents if you don't believe: https://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/sites/default/files/2021-10/The-Cheesecake-Factory-Nutritional-Guide.pdf https://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/sites/default/files/202... Their chicken katsu entrée, for example, is 2,520 calories. A regular teriyaki chicken plate is 1,550 calories. Of course you're taking it home.
- elefantastisch 4y ago
  Genuinely curious where in the world taking home leftovers from a restaurant is uncommon.
  - sithadmin 4y ago
    It's often frowned on in Japan.
  - tmnvix 4y ago
    Almost unheard of in Australia and New Zealand.
GoodbyeMrChips 4y ago
> I can't imagine wasting food from a restaurant -- I always have taken my leftovers home and eaten them later. Is this a thing where you are from? I suggest here in Blighty, the waiters would be rather confused by such a request; not to mention something of a social faux pas.
- pertique 4y ago
  It's very common in the US, at least the parts I've been. It depends on the restaurant, of course, but most places will provide a takeout box to take home uneaten food if you ask. In fact, it's not uncommon for the waiter to offer a box unprompted if you have a fair amount of leftover food.
  - GoodbyeMrChips 4y ago
    > in the US Ah, this makes sense. I recall eating in US restaurants and being given ridiculously large portions... something we half-joked - half-seriously suggested was down to the size of some of the patrons. Presumably is it instead the expectation that some of the food is taken home.
    - goatcode 4y ago
      >Presumably is it instead the expectation that some of the food is taken home. I'd imagine that it might differ based on where you are. Remember that the US is pretty close in size to the entirety of Western Europe. There are a lot of different places here.
    - asdff 4y ago
      For some types of food if I order takeout and I finish the entire portion in one go, I'm extremely disappointed

MrManBooks 4y ago

crazygringo 4y ago
It's absolutely normal in the US at restaurants which emphasize food quantity, which is a lot of them. If you're dining at a trendy spot in NYC or SF or LA, then you won't be taking leftovers home simply because portion sizes are small, or you're headed to a bar afterwards, etc. It's a different lifestyle. But if you go out for dinner in most of the country where portions are supposed to be massive, it's pretty normal that after a round of appetizers, you won't be able to finish more than half your entrée. After eating, the server will ask if you want to "take it home" (sometimes using the phrase "doggie bag") and the answer is almost always "of course, it'll be great for lunch tomorrow", and they wrap it up for you. You're just driving straight home anyways. If it's a business dinner or a fancy first date then maybe you wouldn't... but also maybe you still would. Leaving half of a delicious steak uneaten is pretty wasteful and can be kind of a bad look. Feel free to browse the Cheesecake Factory calorie contents if you don't believe: https://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/sites/default/files/2021-10/The-Cheesecake-Factory-Nutritional-Guide.pdf https://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/sites/default/files/202... Their chicken katsu entrée, for example, is 2,520 calories. A regular teriyaki chicken plate is 1,550 calories. Of course you're taking it home.
elefantastisch 4y ago
Genuinely curious where in the world taking home leftovers from a restaurant is uncommon.
- sithadmin 4y ago
  It's often frowned on in Japan.
- tmnvix 4y ago
  Almost unheard of in Australia and New Zealand.

GoodbyeMrChips 4y ago

> I can't imagine wasting food from a restaurant -- I always have taken my leftovers home and eaten them later. Is this a thing where you are from? I suggest here in Blighty, the waiters would be rather confused by such a request; not to mention something of a social faux pas.

pertique 4y ago
It's very common in the US, at least the parts I've been. It depends on the restaurant, of course, but most places will provide a takeout box to take home uneaten food if you ask. In fact, it's not uncommon for the waiter to offer a box unprompted if you have a fair amount of leftover food.
- GoodbyeMrChips 4y ago
  > in the US Ah, this makes sense. I recall eating in US restaurants and being given ridiculously large portions... something we half-joked - half-seriously suggested was down to the size of some of the patrons. Presumably is it instead the expectation that some of the food is taken home.
  - goatcode 4y ago
    >Presumably is it instead the expectation that some of the food is taken home. I'd imagine that it might differ based on where you are. Remember that the US is pretty close in size to the entirety of Western Europe. There are a lot of different places here.
  - asdff 4y ago
    For some types of food if I order takeout and I finish the entire portion in one go, I'm extremely disappointed