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My husband would have trouble with this rule because he LOVES rice.
When we go to a Mexican restaurant I will get the rice even though I don't prefer it and my husband will splurge and have mine as well. It is a splurge for him because he is diabetic and the rice counts for his carb portions for that day so we do account for it in his daily intake but it is a nice treat for him on that particular day. Ironically when we have Chinese food he does not eat the rice, go figure.
I see it all the time at restaurants. Sometimes there's half a plate or even more of unfinished food. All that food is thrown out, when there are people starving in Africa.
The very very rare occasions I've done that I've over-estimated how much I could eat, or I was surprised by a meal that was too big. But I think, in general, you should be able to estimate how much you can comfortably eat. Also you can probably see how big the sizes are from what other diners are eating. If you really aren't that sure and the portion sizes seem large ask the waiter. If you're not really hungry, don't order a full meal, steak and chips or something, just to 'fit in' or something, order an entree! (edit: going to America I found out 'entrees' are main meals there, so I guess I mean appetizer or snack).
I understand we can't always finish our meals, and it's excusable if we go to an unfamiliar place and don't realise how big it is, but usually others will be happy to finish off your leftovers. If I have a lot of leftovers I often ask them to pack it to take home.
But I'm annoyed because I see it so often and it's such a waste.
Maybe portion sizes are partly to blame? In America especially portion sizes are too big. I've been told it's not good to feel 'stuffed' after a meal. I'm all for having the OPTION of smaller portions at a cheaper price.
It's annoying because of the waste that goes into producing food that no one will eat, over-consumption, and the fact that food could go to feed the poor.
if someone pays for food and then chooses to not eat it and throw it in a garbage, i dont see how thats anyone else's problem. i personally dont do it and i may think its a waste of money, but its not my money being wasted.
i dont think there is any logic behind relating that to starving in africa or even the local poor. by spending the money on the food, those wasters are probably helping keep the food producers in business and help increase the overall supply of food for everyone.
I was recently in Jack in the Box, and a woman came in with a child who apparently had been asking for food. She ordered herself a sandwich, along with something for the child. She ate one or two bites, and then threw of her sandwich in the self-trash container. I immediately went and retrieved it and took it home to eat later. She can buy me lunch whenever she wants.
When my son started first grade and got his first exposure to school lunch, I asked him about it. He said there aren't many vegetables, but nobody else eats theirs, so he cleans up their plates. We weren't vegetarian, he was just raised in an eating environment where everything is presumed to be good by default, including other people's leftovers, and nothing is wasted.
Ive never heard of this before, and I think you're wrong. Explain more. I suppose you are a 100% "foodie" who just eats for the love and taste vs. food as a necessary means of survival.
I think food should be for both, but more so leaning on the survival/energy aspect rather than for enjoyment. I always looked at people that ate soley for the taste a bit like , you are seriously paying extra and eating as a hobby while people in many other parts of the world can't even afford to enjoy a "nasty" cup of ramen noodles?
Eat your food, believe me its not wasted. Turn it into energy, use that energy somehow. Maybe go run to the food bank and help those that can't afford to eat lavishly with that extra energy you have from the food you thought about leaving on the plate and "wasting".
There is nothing more wasteful than to continue eating. Simply visit the toilet to see exactly how much waste there is.
One thing you are right about, is that when I put a plate with food still onit in the trash, I don't care a bit about some loser in Somalia who doesn't have anything to eat. Too bad for him.
I agree that it is often very strict state and local laws that force a lot of decent food to be wasted. The laws and regs get passed in the interest of "safety" but they really don't address anything unsafe, and they lead to more and more food waste.
There used to be a charity based in Philadelphia that I donated money to all the time. They would go around to restaurants and take the uneaten (but fine to eat) food from the kitchens at the end of each night and take it to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, etc. Foods that restaurants were getting rid of that were still packaged would go to food pantries.
Then a law changed, and the same charity is still in existence, they still work to feed the poor, but they aren't allowed to use discarded food from restaurants anymore. Guess what? I stopped donating. What I had liked about them was that they were making good use of the tons of food that gets wasted all over the Philly region.
There are places where you can't even buy "day-old" baked goods anymore. I buy a fresh loaf of bread today, and I'm certainly not going to eat it all by tomorrow. So I end up eating bread that's one day, even several days old. It's not stale, it's fine. It's in my kitchen right now, in my bread box. It can sit in my kitchen for several days, but not in a store or bakery for several days. When I was a kid, (I'm not THAT old) you would go to local bakeries and buy day-old bread and rolls for a really low price. Now in a lot of cities, that's not allowed.
Pret a Manger give all the left over food at the end of the day to homeless shelters.....I guess Pret gets around the law because the food is packaged for sale that day and what is unsold goes that evening to shelters etc..... The difference in the restaurants is maybe that the food hasn't been necessarily prepared than day and its not labelled etc... Just a guess though.
I think portion sizes are a big problem in the U.S. That's why I don't eat at chain restaurants very often. I weigh what I should, so I'm not going to consume 2000 calories worth of food in one meal! But if I go to a restaurant and it's just too much, sometimes I'll take it with me and sometimes I leave it. The waste isn't on my end, it's on the restaurant's end for giving me enough food to choke a horse! Restaurants like Claim Jumper and Cheesecake factory are horrible offenders where they give you twice the food a normal person needs. Of course if you look around those restaurants, you'll see mostly obese people.
I also don't force my children to "clean their plate". I try to give them little bits and then give them more if they want more to avoid waste (they're only 3), but I have an obese friend who has always been big on "cleaning your plate" and now she has three obese teenagers.
I was recently in Jack in the Box, and a woman came in with a child who apparently had been asking for food. She ordered herself a sandwich, along with something for the child. She ate one or two bites, and then threw of her sandwich in the self-trash container. I immediately went and retrieved it and took it home to eat later. She can buy me lunch whenever she wants.
When my son started first grade and got his first exposure to school lunch, I asked him about it. He said there aren't many vegetables, but nobody else eats theirs, so he cleans up their plates. We weren't vegetarian, he was just raised in an eating environment where everything is presumed to be good by default, including other people's leftovers, and nothing is wasted.
You took a stranger's food that they bit into out of the trash and ate it???
I think portion sizes are a big problem in the U.S. That's why I don't eat at chain restaurants very often. I weigh what I should, so I'm not going to consume 2000 calories worth of food in one meal! But if I go to a restaurant and it's just too much, sometimes I'll take it with me and sometimes I leave it. The waste isn't on my end, it's on the restaurant's end for giving me enough food to choke a horse! Restaurants like Claim Jumper and Cheesecake factory are horrible offenders where they give you twice the food a normal person needs. Of course if you look around those restaurants, you'll see mostly obese people.
I also don't force my children to "clean their plate". I try to give them little bits and then give them more if they want more to avoid waste (they're only 3), but I have an obese friend who has always been big on "cleaning your plate" and now she has three obese teenagers.
The only time I ate at Cheesey cake factory I ordered a tenderloin steak and a side salad instead of fires, It came with a mountain fries AND a side salad. I guess they thought the tenderloin was not enough food. I told the waiter who said no problem - we won't charge you extra and when I pointed out I had no intention of eating the fries regardless he just shrugged. Although it doesn't happen a lot there are occasions where I have been given the wrong food through no fault of mine and I've been told I can have it for free.
This sloppy attitude to waste upsets me.
When I cook at home I usually cook enough food for 4/6 portions if I am making curry, chill, stews etc (there are just 2 of us) we have a small portion each and some more if we feel like it. The rest I freeze so I always have a supply of home cooked food that can be ready quickly if need be. That way we don't feel bad if not everything gets eaten....
There is nothing more wasteful than to continue eating. Simply visit the toilet to see exactly how much waste there is.
One thing you are right about, is that when I put a plate with food still onit in the trash, I don't care a bit about some loser in Somalia who doesn't have anything to eat. Too bad for him.
We'll I'm glad I don't know any people like you or with your attitude in real life. However, if you ever were starving and it was brought to my attention, I would know what it feels like to not care about someone not having anything to eat. Too bad for you.
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, you are seriously paying extra and eating as a hobby while people in many other parts of the world can't even afford to enjoy a "nasty" cup of ramen noodles?