Can I have a doggy bag, please?

Rather than promote doggie bags in restaurants I’d prefer to have sensible portions and order only as much as I want to eat. It’s otherwise an expensive way of eating. But I do like the idea of shops selling near-date goods at reduced prices, selling small quantities at pro-rata prices, and the “lucky dip” bag is interesting; on the way back from the weekly school sports day I passed a bakers that sold “penny buns” – a small bag of damaged small cakes. Not healthy (but it didn’t kill me) but a nice treat.

We should start using all produce, not discarding “mis-shapen” veg for example. Providing it is perfectly eatable why chuck it out in the name of uniformity?

Sell-by dates seems one of the big obstacles. How much gets thrown away because we fear that having gone past its labelled date we dare not eat it? How can we deal with this waste? Perhaps the FSA could look into this (if they haven’t).The EC have linked to some interesting initiatives:
ec.europa.eu/geninfo/query/resultaction.jsp?QueryText=food+sell+by+date&sbtSearch=Search&swlang=en

I do not object to using a doggy bag if I cannot finish a meal, particularly an expensive one and most restaurants do not object. I do think we should do away with 3 for 2 or BOGOF, as these just encourage spending, but not saving and when it comes to fruit and such like, it usually goes off before it can be eaten, such a waste. I also think we should be prepared to eat misshapen fruits or vegetables if they are not damaged at all, it just costs the farmer such a lot and is very wrong and wasteful. If the world economy goes the way it looks as though it might, we shall all be grateful to eat, never mind the shape!

The first time I heard of doggy bags when my wife told me when living in America in the late 50,s as they supply large portions many Americans ask for doggy bags to put excess food in ,this was more for personal consumption when they got home . It is only in recent decades that this is applied to Britain . While I have a big appetite (but dont get very fat ) the only time I took food home was in Indian restaurants when they had a set price and you could eat as much as you wanted . I noticed this was popular with University students who were trying to save money , not for the cost of their accommodation but for the amount of beer they could buy. It wasnt the only thing they used their excess cash to buy , we were sitting in the next booth in a University town Indian restaurant and that sweet smell of –you know what drifted over to us ,and no it wasnt excess gas after eating a curry.

I don’t relish the thought of spaghetti bolognaise in a doggy bag but maybe the remainder of an Italian pizza might be a better option!

I have always been a slow eater and am inclined to get too involved in conversation when eating out that I have been known, much to the annoyance of other diners, to be the last and only one still eating when everyone else has finished their meal and waiting for the next course to arrive, so I have left the remainder of the meal on the plate declaring I have had sufficient. Slow eaters apparently eat less anyway as it takes the brain 20 minutes to register and tell you when your stomach is full which means they put on less weight.

I much prefer lots of interesting small courses when eating out depending on the venue and the company I am with, so no, a doggy bag if it wasn’t included on the menu I wouldn’t ask for one 🙂

The first time I encountered the Doggy Bag it flashed though my mind to ask why carry a dog about in the first place? But spare food in shops and restaurants is wasteful, and not always an easily resolved situation. Many years ago a pal and I used to take part in Charity collections, which meant we were given a list of the major food retailers to cover each evening around 10 minutes before closing time to collect their ‘donations’. The problem we encountered was that we could only collect during the very limited time before they closed, and most of the major foot outlets closed at the same time. We might make two shops but never more, so what happened to their donations I have no idea.

I think if legislation were to be proposed regarding doggy bags then really the more practical approach would be to place statutory limits on serving sizes. For many reasons that will never happen, but Beryl’s astute observation regarding slow eating is important: slow eaters do feel satiated after having eaten less than gobblers, and places like Ramsey’s take around two and a half hours to serve a simple five course meal, so you’re losing your appetite, weight and the will to live by the time they’ve finished, the end result of which is that you’re healthier, Ramsey’s is wealthier and the dog hungrier. So wins all round, then 🙂

In the UK, the use of “doggy bags” is well established at Pizza Hut. In fact my experience is that they usually offer the facility to any customers who end up with unfinished pizzas.

In most other UK restaurants, I’d be reluctant to ask for a doggy bag – but, when the servings are limited to sensible portions of tasty food – there won’t be any leftovers.

The term doggy bag has unfortunate connotations for me. For years I’ve known them as the small plastic bags that responsible pet owners carry whenever they take their canine friend(s) for a walk.