4 ms·

There are many reasons behind this. It isn't just a fashion for bigger things. I chalk much of it up to differences in work culture. My European friends often

There are many reasons behind this. It isn't just a fashion for bigger things. I chalk much of it up to differences in work culture. My European friends often talk about pickup up food on the way home from work, dropping in at a store to buy ingredients for dinner. I don't have time to shop like that. My food run is once a week. That means more food in a bigger fridge. They also go out to eat far more than we in North America. When work is busy I can easily go a month, sometimes months, without eating at sit-down restaurant. That is unheard of across much of Europe. Last time I was in Europe at a friend's place they asked where I wanted to go for breakfast. Breakfast? I don't need to pay someone else to fry me an egg.

bluGill 3y ago
> Breakfast? I don't need to pay someone else to fry me an egg. Yet in the US there are a lot of restaurants open for breakfast. Some of them are not open any other part of the day. In short what is your personal culture and what is really US vs Europe? I think you are correct the in Europe people shop more often, but I'm not sure we eat out that much differently as a whole - people who eat out eat out a lot, while people who don't don't.
lxgr 3y ago
> When work is busy I can easily go a month, sometimes months, without eating at sit-down restaurant. That is unheard of across much of Europe. It's absolutely not. Doing one grocery run per week is entirely possible, and fresh food often doesn't last long beyond that anyway. > Last time I was in Europe at a friend's place they asked where I wanted to go for breakfast. Breakfast? I don't need to pay someone else to fry me an egg. You're generalizing from one experience in Europe to an entire continent. Going out for breakfast is very unusual in the places in Europe I've lived in. I don't doubt that it's common elsewhere, though. Personally, I've been to breakfast restaurants in the US much more often than in Europe.
noduerme 3y ago
The subtext of your post points more toward food culture than work culture. I've noticed most Americans eat to fuel themselves. Europeans eat to enjoy food and as a reason to spend time with other people. Often, going to dinner with people in America and they're all done eating in 5 minutes... I've barely taken a few bites. Friends call me a "slow eater". Whereas in other countries, dinner can last a couple hours. It's not just about your work schedule, but about how you regard your free time and what your relationship is with food. I've had some people use having children as an excuse for why they eat so fast, but I've seen people in Europe or Latin America take their young children to dinner and those kids behave and sit at the table and listen. Such a thing is almost unbelievable to American parents. I blame puritanism for the lack of interest in food, sure; but the emphasis on excusing it with the pressing need to work is funny because it's like a defense of joylesssness.
idixbebr 3y ago
plenty of people in america get take out, sounds like you’re just a workaholic
- bouncing 3y ago
  Take-out is so much cheaper in Europe than America. Not just Portugal, either. Take-out in Italy is dirty cheap and despite all of my hopes and dreams, I'll never cook something as good as what I can get for like 5 euros from a gas station in Italy.
mancerayder 3y ago
Where in "Europe" was this? Certainly not in France where a bistro scratches this itch. At any point in the morning or evening you can find some place to sit to serve you food or snacks/coffee/tea/beer. And pâtisseries are made for 'breakfast'. Europe's a big place. The UK has strict open and closing times for restaurants (don't ask me what they are, only that 12 noon is 12 noon and I couldn't step inside at 11:55a for lunch). And the culture thinks beans and white toast are breakfast. But people definitely eat out for breakfast and even brunch. But even those examples contradict your friend. I'll give you one generalizations to take home: Europeans like to mess with Americans.
sspiff 3y ago
Once a week food runs are common in Europe as well, going out for breakfast is a fairly rare luxury. The difference is maybe that often times you can supplement your weekly food run with small trips to the corner store during the week.

bluGill 3y ago

> Breakfast? I don't need to pay someone else to fry me an egg. Yet in the US there are a lot of restaurants open for breakfast. Some of them are not open any other part of the day. In short what is your personal culture and what is really US vs Europe? I think you are correct the in Europe people shop more often, but I'm not sure we eat out that much differently as a whole - people who eat out eat out a lot, while people who don't don't.

lxgr 3y ago

> When work is busy I can easily go a month, sometimes months, without eating at sit-down restaurant. That is unheard of across much of Europe. It's absolutely not. Doing one grocery run per week is entirely possible, and fresh food often doesn't last long beyond that anyway. > Last time I was in Europe at a friend's place they asked where I wanted to go for breakfast. Breakfast? I don't need to pay someone else to fry me an egg. You're generalizing from one experience in Europe to an entire continent. Going out for breakfast is very unusual in the places in Europe I've lived in. I don't doubt that it's common elsewhere, though. Personally, I've been to breakfast restaurants in the US much more often than in Europe.

noduerme 3y ago

The subtext of your post points more toward food culture than work culture. I've noticed most Americans eat to fuel themselves. Europeans eat to enjoy food and as a reason to spend time with other people. Often, going to dinner with people in America and they're all done eating in 5 minutes... I've barely taken a few bites. Friends call me a "slow eater". Whereas in other countries, dinner can last a couple hours. It's not just about your work schedule, but about how you regard your free time and what your relationship is with food. I've had some people use having children as an excuse for why they eat so fast, but I've seen people in Europe or Latin America take their young children to dinner and those kids behave and sit at the table and listen. Such a thing is almost unbelievable to American parents. I blame puritanism for the lack of interest in food, sure; but the emphasis on excusing it with the pressing need to work is funny because it's like a defense of joylesssness.

idixbebr 3y ago

plenty of people in america get take out, sounds like you’re just a workaholic

bouncing 3y ago
Take-out is so much cheaper in Europe than America. Not just Portugal, either. Take-out in Italy is dirty cheap and despite all of my hopes and dreams, I'll never cook something as good as what I can get for like 5 euros from a gas station in Italy.

mancerayder 3y ago

Where in "Europe" was this? Certainly not in France where a bistro scratches this itch. At any point in the morning or evening you can find some place to sit to serve you food or snacks/coffee/tea/beer. And pâtisseries are made for 'breakfast'. Europe's a big place. The UK has strict open and closing times for restaurants (don't ask me what they are, only that 12 noon is 12 noon and I couldn't step inside at 11:55a for lunch). And the culture thinks beans and white toast are breakfast. But people definitely eat out for breakfast and even brunch. But even those examples contradict your friend. I'll give you one generalizations to take home: Europeans like to mess with Americans.

sspiff 3y ago

Once a week food runs are common in Europe as well, going out for breakfast is a fairly rare luxury. The difference is maybe that often times you can supplement your weekly food run with small trips to the corner store during the week.