Is this wrong...please fucking say it is!

[Cynical Ninja]

Americans like doggy bags from restaurants I get that. Americans seem to care more about the amount they get served in a restaurant and value for money more than quality and presentation, I get that.

Doggy bags are completely alien to Europeans, if you went to a restaurant anywhere in Europe and asked for the leftovers to be put in a doggy bag to take home as well? They would dismiss you as a mad tramp wanting to eat your own garbage but I digress!

I watched a program about “supersavers” and a man and woman “supersavers” went to a restaurant. They went and had a meal and had their leftovers put in doggy bags, fair enough, you do that, cool.

The man got up and asked the other patrons in the restaurant for THEIR leftovers to take home for him and his woman to eat.

Please tell me you think that is insane yes? Other peoples leftovers! People putting their fork in their mouths and putting that fork back into that leftover food over and over again and ANOTHER person is going to take it home and eat it?

Insane yes?

[ramseycat]

It's not just insane, it's nasty. I would never ask for someone else's leftovers.

[Cynical Ninja]

It's not just insane, it's nasty. I would never ask for someone else's leftovers.

Good.

[Duchess]

Yes, it's insane & gross, gross, gross. Hell, I don't even want some people to breathe on me, I surely don't want their food.*barf*

[sally]

I wouldn't ask for someone's leftovers, I don't know anyone that would do that.

If I pay a 100 bucks in a fancy restaurant for just my dinner alone, I'd like to take my own leftovers, however. I've dined in plenty of upscale restaurants all over America where the quality and presentation was top notch. I'm not that big of an eater and I'd rather not leave my wood fired, bone-in filet mignon that I hardly touched knowing that it's going to taste damn good later.

I've also dined in Europe and now that I think about it I can't even remember if we took any leftovers from the numerous restaurants we ate at. But my husband is a Jew so I can't imagine him leaving good food behind.

[Duchess]

Aren't the serving sizes smaller in Europe? I recall reading something about that and how it played such a big role in why Americans are so fat.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Yea, thats pretty fucked up.
Doggy Bags, or more frequently "Boxes" here at least, the waiters seem to take a lot of care putting your leftovers in there and frequently throw in an extra roll or the like.
I can't imagine going to the old jewish couple at the next table and asking for their leftover Linguine and Crab.

[HairOfTheDog]

I like taking home leftovers if I like the food and there's too much to finish. I paid for it and would rather enjoy it later than have it go to waste.

But, I care less about the portion size than the taste of the food. I don't dine out with anyone who would sacrifice quality for quantity, even my oversized guy friends. None of us would think to ask other diners for their leftovers. Never seen that happen.

I've finished off pitchers of beer with my friends that were left behind by other people though. More than once. Not too classy, but we've watched someone get escorted outta the place, or take off after a fight and leave a perfectly good fresh pitcher just sitting there. Seemed a shame to see it poured down the drain (or down some other opportunist's throat). It's been years, but can't swear that it would never happen again.

[sally]

Aren't the serving sizes smaller in Europe? I recall reading something about that and how it played such a big role in why Americans are so fat.

The serving sizes were just as big and the people were just as fat. I saw plenty of obese people just like here.

In Holland, however, the majority of people seemed to be tall, thin and blonde. We were only there for a couple days so didn't get to explore the culinary scene as much as I would have liked, but they really seem to enjoy their pizza and curry snacks (Dutch treats) over there.

[Maggot]

I would not take anyone else's trash, I rarely get a "doggy bag" and only in cheap joints like a sub shop or Chinese place. If I go to a good establishment they usually only put a single sitting meal on the plate and its skimpy but with a salad and bread and a bottle of wine its good. The internet is great but it will always zero in on some clown that does something stupid, its sad that the .5% get more airtime than the 99.5% do.

But old people, say 70-80 yrs old ....man, they LOVE their doggy bags, don't fuck with them! They will cut you!

[HairOfTheDog]

But old people, say 70-80 yrs old ....man, they LOVE their doggy bags, don't fuck with them! They will cut you!

Very true!

Tomorrow is a big night in the HOTD household. I'm going with my niece to see her favorite band - she has like 10 of their t-shirts, tweets with band members, etc... This is them:



Neither one of us spends a lot of time on cosmetics and such. But, tonight she's got a major hair project underway; she's cracking me up. She has great brown hair with a lot of red highlights, naturally. Right now, the whole top is bleached orange. Shortly, it will be blue.

So, she asks me if I want to toss a few blue strands in my hair and I ask her, "don't you think that might work against me in signing that new client on Sunday?" Her response: "I'd think that would work in your favor attracting the blue-hairs".

Major effin' smart ass (thankfully).

[aussiefriend]

Insane yes?

These are the words that come to mind, classless, tasteless, tacky, desperate, greedy, grubby, repulsive, revolting and tightass. Also to try and grab someone else's leftovers is just downright putrid.

I think to take a doggy bag after going out for a meal is bizarre in the extreme.

[crash]

Some of the comments made me think about how many times I was offered a 'box' to take home whilst in America. I refused every time as I was travelling, and probably wouldn't have taken one anyway had I been at home. But I now wonder if the places I ate at thought I wasn't impressed with the food because I refused to take leftovers home. I actually remember one waitress asking me if I didn't like the meal because I only ate less than half. I did, it was just a monster plateful of food and I couldn't eat another thing.

[HairOfTheDog]

Insane yes?

These are the words that come to mind, classless, tasteless, tacky, desperate, greedy, grubby, repulsive, revolting and tightass. Also to try and grab someone else's leftovers is just downright putrid.

I think to take a doggy bag after going out for a meal is bizarre in the extreme.

These are the words that come to mind after reading your post; clingy post-humping wasteful glutton.

Who on earth would look down on other people for taking extra food home or giving it to homeless outside the restaurant, after they've already paid for it, rather than see it tossed in a dumpster?

Image-obsessed posers are the only ones that I can think of. You don't wanna take home or donate left-overs, no judgement here. But, to criticize those who do? Asinine snobbery, in the extreme. IMO.

[crash]

I'm pretty sure it's against Health Department regulations to take a doggy bag home here in NSW, or at least it was not long ago.

Edit: scratch that, latest act of 2003 says it's not illegal to get one, but not illegal for a restaurant to refuse.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm pretty sure it's against Health Department regulations to take a doggy bag home here in NSW, or at least it was not long ago.

Tell me your honest opinion.

You're in a locale where there's no heath ordinance against taking food that you own out of the establishment. There's more than you need on the plate.

Would you let it be tossed in a garbage bin rather than eat it later or donate it to someone in need?

There's no wrong or right answer, IMO. I'm just curious as to what you would do and why.

[Older Than Dirt]

Waste not, want not. If you touch my left overs I'll break your fricken arm.

[crash]

You're in a locale where there's no heath ordinance against taking food that you own out of the establishment. There's more than you need on the plate.

Would you let it be tossed in a garbage bin rather than eat it later or donate it to someone in need?

Yes of course I would, on a few conditions;

It wasn't a shared meal where other people have served themselves from cutlery they've eaten from (I won't even eat seconds at a table where this happens, or first from a dish that somebody else has had seconds from).

If I can get it home and into a refrigerator reasonably quickly

If I liked the food in the first place.

[HairOfTheDog]

Waste not, want not. If you touch my left overs I'll break your fricken arm.

I wouldn't harsh your left-over gig, OTD.

Promise.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm pretty sure it's against Health Department regulations to take a doggy bag home here in NSW, or at least it was not long ago.

Edit: scratch that, latest act of 2003 says it's not illegal to get one, but not illegal for a restaurant to refuse.

Why the hell would a restaurant refuse? They're gonna recycle it? Doesn't sound too upscale to me.

If they refuse to simply bag or box what you own, that's some seriously messed up wasteful gluttonous policy.