Why are US meal portions so big??
Replies
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I tried to ignore this but yes I've travelled far and wide, at least 8 countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Namibia, Ghana; Asia including China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand x 2 and Kazakhstan; South America including Argentina and Ecuador; Costa Rica x 2 and all over Europe of course. Haven't reached Australia and New Zealand yet but they're on my list. On all my travels I've never seen portions as large as the US and it wasn't a criticism, I was more worried about the waste but this has been explained to me, ie doggy bags to take home, not easy for me when I was travelling and staying in hotels!Hooray! Thank you! I 'm the original poster and I have been dismayed by the venom in some of the replies to my post. But perhaps it has made people think!
Just another post by a little traveled xenophobe making generalizations about an entire nation from eating in tourist traps and high-volume troughs.
It's OK, I've seen Americans do the same thing.
We have xenophobes too.
No worries. :flowerforyou:
what were people saying before about nasty name calling...? I'm pretty sure this would fall into that category. 'little traveled xenophobe... eating in high-volume troughs' -- completely uncalled for nasty assumptions. She's probably travelled more than you, pet.
but hey if we put an emoticon in that makes everything a-ok right?
But I'm happy this morning, the 2lb I put on whilst visiting the US has gone this morning as I'm doing the 5:2 diet. I expect now I 'll be criticized for that too!
:laugh:0 -
I have travelled a lot for work and spent a fair bit of time in the US, and yes the portions are big. One time, a male colleague and I shared an appetizer as our main meal and we still didn't finish it....
One of the things I struggled with when in the US, was just getting a meal with regular plain old veg i.e. not creamed corn/spinach etc.
I think the portions are big when you go to the chain type restaurants. The independently owned restaurants seem to offer a more realistic portion size (IMO).
FWIW, this isn't just a US issue, I have seen the same in pretty much every European city I have visited (Stockholm, Berlin, Brussels, Paris, Dublin to name a few). However, whilst the portion sizes may be huge, you control the portion you eat
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come to CANADA, where we are healthy0
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I tried to ignore this but yes I've travelled far and wide, at least 8 countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Namibia, Ghana; Asia including China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand x 2 and Kazakhstan; South America including Argentina and Ecuador; Costa Rica x 2 and all over Europe of course. Haven't reached Australia and New Zealand yet but they're on my list. On all my travels I've never seen portions as large as the US and it wasn't a criticism, I was more worried about the waste but this has been explained to me, ie doggy bags to take home, not easy for me when I was travelling and staying in hotels!Hooray! Thank you! I 'm the original poster and I have been dismayed by the venom in some of the replies to my post. But perhaps it has made people think!
Just another post by a little traveled xenophobe making generalizations about an entire nation from eating in tourist traps and high-volume troughs.
It's OK, I've seen Americans do the same thing.
We have xenophobes too.
No worries. :flowerforyou:
what were people saying before about nasty name calling...? I'm pretty sure this would fall into that category. 'little traveled xenophobe... eating in high-volume troughs' -- completely uncalled for nasty assumptions. She's probably travelled more than you, pet.
but hey if we put an emoticon in that makes everything a-ok right?
So you're a "reasonably" traveled xenophobe. That's just dandy.
Look, I get it. I've worked with my share of British xenophobes, and in several countries. Trust me. You're not the only one. Of course, we have had our own brilliant travelers write about Europe and Asia too. I can't tell you how many times I've had friends come back from the U.K. to tell me how absolutely inedible the food was. :flowerforyou:
If you can't learn to stop taking limited experiences and writing them large, then there is little anyone else can do to change your attitudes. I have eaten at those type of places a handful of times. The food is usually awful, the portions huge, and they are decidedly aimed at a certain market. If you want to leave the cheap and fake "Italian" places, the TGIF Fridays, and the "Chinese" buffets and go to real restaurants, you will have a different experience. But, meh . . .0 -
If I go to the US I expect big food! It's one of the best things about the country - $7 for a pizza that would cost me £15 here in the UK, it's awesome. A 'starter' plate of nachos as big as me. I can't find these things where I am, they are delicious, and they are amazing. If it's wasted then of course that's a shame, but I'm certain your average american isn't eating giant pizza at the pool hall every night, just like I don't go to the local Indian for a giant curry, naan bread, fried samosas every night.
Now, one thing I didn't understand and maybe someone could clarify - I went to a conference and there didn't seem to be any milk to be found with tea/coffee, it was always labelled 'cream'. Is this usual?0 -
When I started my diet to lose weight I noticed the same thing. Portions are way too big, and packed with calories and fat. Alot of restaurants just don't offer light meals either. It's hard to go out and eat. I mainly picked out a few restaurants that I know have healthy choices and try to just stick with them.0
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If I go to the US I expect big food! It's one of the best things about the country - $7 for a pizza that would cost me £15 here in the UK, it's awesome. A 'starter' plate of nachos as big as me. I can't find these things where I am, they are delicious, and they are amazing. If it's wasted then of course that's a shame, but I'm certain your average american isn't eating giant pizza at the pool hall every night, just like I don't go to the local Indian for a giant curry, naan bread, fried samosas every night.
Now, one thing I didn't understand and maybe someone could clarify - I went to a conference and there didn't seem to be any milk to be found with tea/coffee, it was always labelled 'cream'. Is this usual?
The cream is for the coffee. Tea in the States is more often drank black with honey or lemon, or iced. 'Two with moo' is uncommon here (and most places I've been outside of the UK, now I think of it). In a restaurant they'll give you some milk if you ask for it. I find that the water served with the tea is rarely hot enough to brew a decent cuppa, though.
On a general note about traveling and cultural differences -
Problems with portions and tea, etc... Are just classic examples of culture shock - viewing another culture through your own cultural expectations. We'd all do well to remember a quote I once saw - "Other cultures are not failed attempts to be you".0 -
A few years ago I worked for Bread Garden ( Vancouver Canada) and helped open their first US location - First one in Denver. I was shocked with the fact that our company had to increase all the recipes to yield HUGE single portion meals because that is what the expectation for portion size was in the US. Ridiculous portions!
Also, I do find it is apparent that there is certainly a weight issue going on south of the border when I'm down there...so many large, overweight people as compared to what I see in other countries...including my own.0 -
I'm a Brit who has lived in North Carolina and Texas for a year each. US meal sizes ARE big. It was much more noticeable when I was there in the early '90s. It was especially the all you can eat breakfasts with muffins and maple syrup that stunned me...I soon got used to it though. Now I think that our UK portion sizes are expanding too and there are more 'all you can eat' places around. However, I felt that it was cheaper to eat out in US and the differential between cooking at home and eating out was less so I ate out more often. Great for if you're on holiday but self control has to be practiced more carefully I think if you're living with that temptation. Now I want a pancake stack with all the sides
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The cream is for the coffee. Tea in the States is more often drank black with honey or lemon, or iced. 'Two with moo' is uncommon here (and most places I've been outside of the UK, now I think of it). In a restaurant they'll give you some milk if you ask for it. I find that the water served with the tea is rarely hot enough to brew a decent cuppa, though.
Makes sense - reminds me of an old advert we had here about british stereotypes (can't remember what company) - 'You take a delicious oriental infusion and dump cow juice in it!'0 -
Hey - I'm American and lived abroad for awhile, including the United Kingdom. And even I find American sized portions to be *huge* in restaurants (about the equivalent of ordering a Sunday roast for every meal). Next time you come to the states, order an appetizer - it's about the right meal size.0
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If I go to the US I expect big food! It's one of the best things about the country - $7 for a pizza that would cost me £15 here in the UK, it's awesome. A 'starter' plate of nachos as big as me. I can't find these things where I am, they are delicious, and they are amazing. If it's wasted then of course that's a shame, but I'm certain your average american isn't eating giant pizza at the pool hall every night, just like I don't go to the local Indian for a giant curry, naan bread, fried samosas every night.
Now, one thing I didn't understand and maybe someone could clarify - I went to a conference and there didn't seem to be any milk to be found with tea/coffee, it was always labelled 'cream'. Is this usual?
The cream is for the coffee. Tea in the States is more often drank black with honey or lemon, or iced. 'Two with moo' is uncommon here (and most places I've been outside of the UK, now I think of it). In a restaurant they'll give you some milk if you ask for it. I find that the water served with the tea is rarely hot enough to brew a decent cuppa, though.
On a general note about traveling and cultural differences -
Problems with portions and tea, etc... Are just classic examples of culture shock - viewing another culture through your own cultural expectations. We'd all do well to remember a quote I once saw - "Other cultures are not failed attempts to be you".
^ I like that quote. One does not travel to a couple of destinations in a country, eat at a handful of restaurants, and then pretend to understand that country and it's food culture, or for that matter come to any conclusion about a country's culture in general, particularly when that country is as large as the United States. Or, at least one should be wise enough to resist the temptation.
We saw another one of these threads several weeks back. Someone posted an old article written by an American trailing spouse who spent a year in France and then decided that the French do not "snack" and that her family would thereafter also stop snacking. That devolved into discussions of what "snacking" and "snack food" meant. A couple of francophiles loved it, several others of us saw it for what it was.
I have traveled to a good number of countries, but I do not pretend to understand them. The only country of which I've formed definite opinions, other than my own, is Japan. I lived there for almost 6 years, and yet, I still work hard to bite my tongue. Why? Because, it is very difficult to judge an entire nation after living in one neighborhood, in one part of one city, and only traveling around that country for a few days or weeks at a time. And it is particularly difficult when I come from a culture that is so very different. It would be easy to conclude that the Japanese are just "different," and many have written such nonsense, because people love to generalize. Of course, when I speak to American and Australian friends of mine that have lived in Japan for 15, 20, and even 30, years, they often tell me that my assumptions were/are wrong and to take individuals as individuals. Do I jump up and down and tell them that I'm right and they're wrong? No. I listen to what they have to say. Of course, for countries with a common language, there is an entirely different problem. American food culture is not British. It is an amalgamation of many cultures, and quite a few of the immigrants left starvation and deprivation in their own countries.
And yes, after seeing this so many times, I question motives when I see someone start generalizing about a county that is not their own.0 -
The meals are larger because the market responds to what the consumers want,
dear whierd, I don't think i agree with you here, and i've heard enough of 'blame the fatties for their problems' i see the restaurants that are 'pushing' large portions as just like drug dealers, tempting their customers to buy more and more. Of course nobody else puts the food in our mouth, but it's not that simple and I think there is an addictive element to processed food. I speak as one who used to eat pizza, burgers etc. daily, now that I cook all my food at home I no longer crave my old diet. I still eat a lot - but it'smore nutritious. There is a british journalist called Jacques Peretti who's made some documentaries, you can find on you tube, about 'The Men Who Made us Thin' . The obesity epidemic cannot have started because people suddenly got greedier, it has to be the environment we're living in. What do you think?
wow, just wow ..did the restaurants tie people down and force these portions down peoples mouths? It is all about choice. when I go to a restaurant and they try to push whatever appetizer, dinner combo, etc on me, I say "no, thank you" and I proceed to order what I want and typically it is a healthier option and not a large portion, and if it it is a larger portion I have ate less earlier in the day in anticipation of enjoying my meal. At the end off the day it is the consumers choice what they want to eat - large portion or small....Everyone is always so quick to blame some restauranteur for their obesity problem...amazing.0 -
as a side note, when I went to Italy it seemed like all we did was eat. And when you order dinner it is literally a three to four course meal, you actually make four selections..salad, then pasta, then a small meal, then the actual meal, and then they ask if you want dessert....I would argue that some places in Italy are serving more food then some places state side...just my observation...0
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If I go to the US I expect big food! It's one of the best things about the country - $7 for a pizza that would cost me £15 here in the UK, it's awesome. A 'starter' plate of nachos as big as me. I can't find these things where I am, they are delicious, and they are amazing. If it's wasted then of course that's a shame, but I'm certain your average american isn't eating giant pizza at the pool hall every night, just like I don't go to the local Indian for a giant curry, naan bread, fried samosas every night.
Now, one thing I didn't understand and maybe someone could clarify - I went to a conference and there didn't seem to be any milk to be found with tea/coffee, it was always labelled 'cream'. Is this usual?
The cream is for the coffee. Tea in the States is more often drank black with honey or lemon, or iced. 'Two with moo' is uncommon here (and most places I've been outside of the UK, now I think of it). In a restaurant they'll give you some milk if you ask for it. I find that the water served with the tea is rarely hot enough to brew a decent cuppa, though.
On a general note about traveling and cultural differences -
Problems with portions and tea, etc... Are just classic examples of culture shock - viewing another culture through your own cultural expectations. We'd all do well to remember a quote I once saw - "Other cultures are not failed attempts to be you".
^ I like that quote. One does not travel to a couple of destinations in a country, eat at a handful of restaurants, and then pretend to understand that country and it's food culture, or for that matter come to any conclusion about a country's culture in general, particularly when that country is as large as the United States. Or, at least one should be wise enough to resist the temptation.
We saw another one of these threads several weeks back. Someone posted an old article written by an American trailing spouse who spent a year in France and then decided that the French do not "snack" and that her family would thereafter also stop snacking. That devolved into discussions of what "snacking" and "snack food" meant. A couple of francophiles loved it, several others of us saw it for what it was.
I have traveled to a good number of countries, but I do not pretend to understand them. The only country of which I've formed definite opinions, other than my own, is Japan. I lived there for almost 6 years, and yet, I still work hard to bite my tongue. Why? Because, it is very difficult to judge an entire nation after living in one neighborhood, in one part of one city, and only traveling around that country for a few days or weeks at a time. And it is particularly difficult when I come from a culture that is so very different. It would be easy to conclude that the Japanese are just "different," and many have written such nonsense, because people love to generalize. Of course, when I speak to American and Australian friends of mine that have lived in Japan for 15, 20, and even 30, years, they often tell me that my assumptions were/are wrong and to take individuals as individuals. Do I jump up and down and tell them that I'm right and they're wrong? No. I listen to what they have to say. Of course, for countries with a common language, there is an entirely different problem. American food culture is not British. It is an amalgamation of many cultures, and quite a few of the immigrants left starvation and deprivation in their own countries.
And yes, after seeing this so many times, I question motives when I see someone start generalizing about a county that is not their own.
And a few fracophones like myself found it silly.
I too see the questionable motives - the OP has not hesitated to label America as "wasteful" both in the OP and in a post or two.
I travel a lot and my daughters at their early age have lived in 3 countries and have travel "in their DNA" - my oldest put it memorable in her graduation speech (and a multi-country school) -
"There are those of us that will enjoy a lot of travel but if we fail to get past the generalities and do not just experience the complexity of other places without judgement we are not travellers, just tourists. Tourists judge from their home experience, travellers reach insights from the new. You choose: tourist or traveller?"0 -
I was thinking the same thing. If I can get an extra sandwich for 25 cents then I will. That's a 1/4 sandwich for myself and each of my kids, or if we all got an extra sandwich that's lunch the next day (take the tomatoes out and put them on the side to avoid the bread getting soggy).
It's the same with restaurant meals. I tend to order the bigger portions and take at least half to three quarters home for my husband's lunch. I usually eat my whole salad, and have them pack the entrée before it gets to the table. Soggy salad is just yucky.
As I type this it occurs to me that we share almost everything we order.0 -
I tried to ignore this but yes I've travelled far and wide, at least 8 countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Namibia, Ghana; Asia including China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand x 2 and Kazakhstan; South America including Argentina and Ecuador; Costa Rica x 2 and all over Europe of course. Haven't reached Australia and New Zealand yet but they're on my list. On all my travels I've never seen portions as large as the US and it wasn't a criticism, I was more worried about the waste but this has been explained to me, ie doggy bags to take home, not easy for me when I was travelling and staying in hotels!Hooray! Thank you! I 'm the original poster and I have been dismayed by the venom in some of the replies to my post. But perhaps it has made people think!
Just another post by a little traveled xenophobe making generalizations about an entire nation from eating in tourist traps and high-volume troughs.
It's OK, I've seen Americans do the same thing.
We have xenophobes too.
No worries. :flowerforyou:
what were people saying before about nasty name calling...? I'm pretty sure this would fall into that category. 'little traveled xenophobe... eating in high-volume troughs' -- completely uncalled for nasty assumptions. She's probably travelled more than you, pet.
but hey if we put an emoticon in that makes everything a-ok right?
So you're a "reasonably" traveled xenophobe. That's just dandy.
Look, I get it. I've worked with my share of British xenophobes, and in several countries. Trust me. You're not the only one. Of course, we have had our own brilliant travelers write about Europe and Asia too. I can't tell you how many times I've had friends come back from the U.K. to tell me how absolutely inedible the food was. :flowerforyou:
If you can't learn to stop taking limited experiences and writing them large, then there is little anyone else can do to change your attitudes. I have eaten at those type of places a handful of times. The food is usually awful, the portions huge, and they are decidedly aimed at a certain market. If you want to leave the cheap and fake "Italian" places, the TGIF Fridays, and the "Chinese" buffets and go to real restaurants, you will have a different experience. But, meh . . .
Have you actually read my original post? It seems not! I asked a question, that was all.
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:0 -
If I go to the US I expect big food! It's one of the best things about the country - $7 for a pizza that would cost me £15 here in the UK, it's awesome. A 'starter' plate of nachos as big as me. I can't find these things where I am, they are delicious, and they are amazing. If it's wasted then of course that's a shame, but I'm certain your average american isn't eating giant pizza at the pool hall every night, just like I don't go to the local Indian for a giant curry, naan bread, fried samosas every night.
Now, one thing I didn't understand and maybe someone could clarify - I went to a conference and there didn't seem to be any milk to be found with tea/coffee, it was always labelled 'cream'. Is this usual?
The cream is for the coffee. Tea in the States is more often drank black with honey or lemon, or iced. 'Two with moo' is uncommon here (and most places I've been outside of the UK, now I think of it). In a restaurant they'll give you some milk if you ask for it. I find that the water served with the tea is rarely hot enough to brew a decent cuppa, though.
On a general note about traveling and cultural differences -
Problems with portions and tea, etc... Are just classic examples of culture shock - viewing another culture through your own cultural expectations. We'd all do well to remember a quote I once saw - "Other cultures are not failed attempts to be you".
^ I like that quote. One does not travel to a couple of destinations in a country, eat at a handful of restaurants, and then pretend to understand that country and it's food culture, or for that matter come to any conclusion about a country's culture in general, particularly when that country is as large as the United States. Or, at least one should be wise enough to resist the temptation.
We saw another one of these threads several weeks back. Someone posted an old article written by an American trailing spouse who spent a year in France and then decided that the French do not "snack" and that her family would thereafter also stop snacking. That devolved into discussions of what "snacking" and "snack food" meant. A couple of francophiles loved it, several others of us saw it for what it was.
I have traveled to a good number of countries, but I do not pretend to understand them. The only country of which I've formed definite opinions, other than my own, is Japan. I lived there for almost 6 years, and yet, I still work hard to bite my tongue. Why? Because, it is very difficult to judge an entire nation after living in one neighborhood, in one part of one city, and only traveling around that country for a few days or weeks at a time. And it is particularly difficult when I come from a culture that is so very different. It would be easy to conclude that the Japanese are just "different," and many have written such nonsense, because people love to generalize. Of course, when I speak to American and Australian friends of mine that have lived in Japan for 15, 20, and even 30, years, they often tell me that my assumptions were/are wrong and to take individuals as individuals. Do I jump up and down and tell them that I'm right and they're wrong? No. I listen to what they have to say. Of course, for countries with a common language, there is an entirely different problem. American food culture is not British. It is an amalgamation of many cultures, and quite a few of the immigrants left starvation and deprivation in their own countries.
And yes, after seeing this so many times, I question motives when I see someone start generalizing about a county that is not their own.
And a few fracophones like myself found it silly.
I too see the questionable motives - the OP has not hesitated to label America as "wasteful" both in the OP and in a post or two.
I travel a lot and my daughters at their early age have lived in 3 countries and have travel "in their DNA" - my oldest put it memorable in her graduation speech (and a multi-country school) -
"There are those of us that will enjoy a lot of travel but if we fail to get past the generalities and do not just experience the complexity of other places without judgement we are not travellers, just tourists. Tourists judge from their home experience, travellers reach insights from the new. You choose: tourist or traveller?"
You are certainly doing something right to have a daughter so wise beyond her years.0 -
Because Murica! that's why.
Our big gulp soda's are huge. Our super-size fries are delicious...but unnecessary (I know...I know...flog me!). I can spend an extra .30 and get a super size? Yes please!
A good chunk of us also just eat 3 huge meals instead of breaking it up into smaller meals throughout the day. I think our portions in restaurants and fast food places are why we have such an issue with obesity. The biggest reason? It sells. Consumer demand.0 -
I'm not going to quote Beach because it's so long, but I wanted to add my thoughts.
I have never and will never understand people who travel or move to another country and then spend all their time complaining about how it's not like where they came from. I have a friend from Italy and every time I talk to her, I hear about how the US should do XYZ "like in Italy."
Well then, go back to Italy!
The US is HUGE. People barely even speak the same language from place to place. I mean, the difference in slang and uses of certain terms between the Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, West (and even from city to city in those regions) is as different at American English vs. British English.
What we eat and how we eat it varies by geographical area, as well. There are foods you can ONLY get in Buffalo, NY, and the immediate surounding suburbs. Try to find beef on weck anywhere outside of that very small area. No one will have even heard of it (and that's only one example). Who outside of New York state and Michigan has ever heard of sponge candy?
So, yeah, judging an entire country/culture on one very small experience is silly.
I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to travel much, but it's a goal. My goal is to get myself into a position where I can go live other places. I don't want to be a tourist and just see the sites and experience a little bit of other places. I want to be a citizen of those places at least for a few years at each place because I do want to experience those places and not just visit.0 -
I've just returned from a holiday in California and was amazed at the portion sizes on all the meals I had when eating in restaurants. I mentioned this to an American friend and he just replied that the US was the land of plenty and they had to support their farmers. He then left half of his stack of pancakes and it was thrown away - what is the sense of that?? Portions in the UK are much smaller and yet we have a weight problem here too.
I went to Hawaii a couple of years ago and had a similar experience. I'm sorry Americans on this thread, but this was true of all of the restaurents I visited! I ordered a side salad in one, and it was bigger than a salad I would have as a main course in England. With that and the humungous steak I had to get a doggy bag! I never went to any fast food restaurents either, so this is not a case of huge amounts of crap food.
I'm sure there are restaurents in the US that don't give you huge portion sizes, just as there are restaurents in the UK that give you large portions. However, when my entire restaurent experience of the US is huge portion sizes, you can't blame me for drawing the conclusion that US portion sizes are huge! Especially when many of my friends have found the same thing....
Also, there is high fructose corn syrup in practically everything. Even bread. To the point where I really didn't enjoy eating bread because it was too sweet. With that amount of sugar it must be really hard to keep calories down.
On the plus side of American nutrition, I think it's a really good idea to add vitamin D to milk. We don't do that in the UK, even though most UK citizens probably don't get enough vit D due to Britain's famous lack of sun!
Edit:
A lot of people have mentioned waste here. Personally, I think the UK, US, Europe and most countries where there is more food available than people need are guilty of wasting food in one respect or another. However for me it's often a choice of wasting food when the portion is too large or overeating. The fact that food is so plentiful is probably the single biggest reason for obesity in my opinion. There have been studies that show that humans are programmed to put on weight in times of plenty, to store it up for lean times when they would lose the weight. This is common to many animals. However, we are in a permanent time of plenty!0 -
I ordered a side salad in one, and it was bigger than a salad I would have as a main course in England
And I've had side salads in many, many, many American restaurants that were tiny.
Last week, I met a British man in Jacksonville. He spends six weeks there every year, he said, and has been doing it for many years. He kept telling us about how in Britain, you can drive so much faster on the highways (motorways there, apparently). He went on and on about how the speed limits there are 70mph.
I-10 runs right through Jacksonville and most of I-10 in Florida is a 70mph speed limit. Parts of I-95 are 75mph.
I kept telling him that and he kept ignoring me.0 -
I tried to ignore this but yes I've travelled far and wide, at least 8 countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Namibia, Ghana; Asia including China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand x 2 and Kazakhstan; South America including Argentina and Ecuador; Costa Rica x 2 and all over Europe of course. Haven't reached Australia and New Zealand yet but they're on my list. On all my travels I've never seen portions as large as the US and it wasn't a criticism, I was more worried about the waste but this has been explained to me, ie doggy bags to take home, not easy for me when I was travelling and staying in hotels!Hooray! Thank you! I 'm the original poster and I have been dismayed by the venom in some of the replies to my post. But perhaps it has made people think!
Just another post by a little traveled xenophobe making generalizations about an entire nation from eating in tourist traps and high-volume troughs.
It's OK, I've seen Americans do the same thing.
We have xenophobes too.
No worries. :flowerforyou:
what were people saying before about nasty name calling...? I'm pretty sure this would fall into that category. 'little traveled xenophobe... eating in high-volume troughs' -- completely uncalled for nasty assumptions. She's probably travelled more than you, pet.
but hey if we put an emoticon in that makes everything a-ok right?
So you're a "reasonably" traveled xenophobe. That's just dandy.
Look, I get it. I've worked with my share of British xenophobes, and in several countries. Trust me. You're not the only one. Of course, we have had our own brilliant travelers write about Europe and Asia too. I can't tell you how many times I've had friends come back from the U.K. to tell me how absolutely inedible the food was. :flowerforyou:
If you can't learn to stop taking limited experiences and writing them large, then there is little anyone else can do to change your attitudes. I have eaten at those type of places a handful of times. The food is usually awful, the portions huge, and they are decidedly aimed at a certain market. If you want to leave the cheap and fake "Italian" places, the TGIF Fridays, and the "Chinese" buffets and go to real restaurants, you will have a different experience. But, meh . . .
Wow.... :huh:
A little stunned by that exchange. :noway:
To make the OP look like she is somehow ignorant or narrow minded by pointing out the bleeding obvious that US portion sizes are fe**in mahoossive???? That's so close to being a universal truth it's not even worth debating....
I take it you weren't around for the "no more free refills" (can't recall the exact title but that was about the gist of it). Well there was a blimmin riot by a lot of folk going nuts when it was suggested they might get rid of free refills for coke etc at fast food restaurant... Free drink refills are pretty much unheard of anywhere else.0 -
as a side note, when I went to Italy it seemed like all we did was eat. And when you order dinner it is literally a three to four course meal, you actually make four selections..salad, then pasta, then a small meal, then the actual meal, and then they ask if you want dessert....I would argue that some places in Italy are serving more food then some places state side...just my observation...
I can't say much concerning Italy "vs" USA, as I was to the states only once and that was to visit relatives in the middle of nowhere. But the thing with Italy... Italy is a Southern European country and in my experience, they offer that much food because you're only supposed to take a few bites of each. It's the same in France (at least concerning the places I've been to - and I lived in France for almost year).
Plus, the vacationing aspect is BIG in Europe, as far as I know. I mean, when I go on vacation (although admittedly it's usually Turkey) in a resort or hotel complex with "all inclusive" I've noticed that I myself tend to kind of... I don't know, exist to walk from eating opportunity to eating opportunity? I do not do this back home. I got this fat because of sweets and not moving at all, not because of the actual amount of 'regular' food. So basically you'd wake up at 9am --> breakfast. 12pm --> brunch-y thing. 2pm --> lunch. 4 pm --> coffee and cake. 7pm --> dinner. And after that, well... midnight snack or whatever.
Concerning portion sizes in Germany, oh well. I have NEVER finished a plate in a restaurant, I think. It's always so much. So I don't know, I think it's too easy to generalize here. But then again, the stereotypical German eats a lot, drinks a lot of beer and wears a "Lederhose", right? :P0 -
If you want to leave the cheap and fake "Italian" places, the TGIF Fridays, and the "Chinese" buffets and go to real restaurants, you will have a different experience. But, meh . . .
Heh I just came back from a two week vacation in the US (atlanta and washington) and had the same question as the OP.. and we were dining in real restaurants (compared to Iceland/Norway they are so much cheaper so might as well dine out proper ). Our favourite was to find a "brewery and steakhouse" though, cause then each person could order a different type of beer and pass it along for tasting.. but that is another thing.
We learned quickly to share the starters, and the desert if we had room for it. At one steakhouse in washington we were planning to have a cheese plate as an appetizer and asked the waiter how large the portion was (having by then learned that it would probably be too big to be just an appetizer for one person) and he first said we should get the "full plate" for three people.. I told him we were from Scandinavia/Europe and he quickly changed his advice to "half-plate" - and he was right, the half-plate was perfect
I did notice that at Red Lobster almost everyone went home with a "doggy bag" but since we were on our way to the airport we had to order wisely and leave our food
another thing I noticed was everything was so SWEET.. as if someone had taken the food and dumped a spoonfull of suger on it.. even fresh strawberries and lemonade.. I couldnt drink the Coke, felt like I could just as well drink melted sugar. And finding portions with higher protein than suger content in the breakfast tables in hotels was impossible (those that offered "continental breakfast")
I wont claim to say its for ALL OF THE USA but it was everywhere we went on those 2 weeks, that includes driving between Atlanta and Washington and stopping on the way.0 -
Large portion sizes in the chain restaurants may vary from country to country , but what is more worrying is how there are more obese people than ever in America and the UK. I can remember when I first moved to London 30 years ago and you could spot the american tourist as they would be HUGE , nowadays there are less american tourists (due to both 9/11 and the collapsing american economy) but plenty of HUGE british people. I have never seen so many fat people walking around and it seems to be completely accepted, in my childrens lifetime ie the last 20 years it has exploded, fat people used to be the exception not the norm.
I also have noticed the super sized portions almost everywhere that sells food in America, Canada has normal sized, healthy food. Those are just my personal subjective observations, theyre not digs at american people nor cultural differences, just my own opinions stated without malice0 -
I'm with you all the way Lynne! (and well done for your loss).
I tried to ignore this but yes I've travelled far and wide, at least 8 countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Namibia, Ghana; Asia including China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand x 2 and Kazakhstan; South America including Argentina and Ecuador; Costa Rica x 2 and all over Europe of course. Haven't reached Australia and New Zealand yet but they're on my list. On all my travels I've never seen portions as large as the US and it wasn't a criticism, I was more worried about the waste but this has been explained to me, ie doggy bags to take home, not easy for me when I was travelling and staying in hotels!Hooray! Thank you! I 'm the original poster and I have been dismayed by the venom in some of the replies to my post. But perhaps it has made people think!
Just another post by a little traveled xenophobe making generalizations about an entire nation from eating in tourist traps and high-volume troughs.
It's OK, I've seen Americans do the same thing.
We have xenophobes too.
No worries. :flowerforyou:
what were people saying before about nasty name calling...? I'm pretty sure this would fall into that category. 'little traveled xenophobe... eating in high-volume troughs' -- completely uncalled for nasty assumptions. She's probably travelled more than you, pet.
but hey if we put an emoticon in that makes everything a-ok right?
But I'm happy this morning, the 2lb I put on whilst visiting the US has gone this morning as I'm doing the 5:2 diet. I expect now I 'll be criticized for that too!
:laugh:
Me, I've not only travelled, but lived overseas, ranging from a few months up to four years - Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, the Middle East, every major country in Europe and yes, most of the USA and Canada, including some pretty remote non-tourist places.
Food portions in the USA? HUGE!
Not a criticism, not xenophobic, not ignorance, just plain, simple fact.
Sadly in recent years the UK has been following this trend. Now which emoticon can I pop in here, to make this sound cuddly?
:ohwell:0 -
1. Perception of value - more food=money well spent
2. They want more food - greedy *****es :laugh:0 -
The meals are larger because the market responds to what the consumers want,
0 -
Large portion sizes in the chain restaurants may vary from country to country , but what is more worrying is how there are more obese people than ever in America and the UK. I can remember when I first moved to London 30 years ago and you could spot the american tourist as they would be HUGE , nowadays there are less american tourists (due to both 9/11 and the collapsing american economy) but plenty of HUGE british people. I have never seen so many fat people walking around and it seems to be completely accepted, in my childrens lifetime ie the last 20 years it has exploded, fat people used to be the exception not the norm.
I also have noticed the super sized portions almost everywhere that sells food in America, Canada has normal sized, healthy food. Those are just my personal subjective observations, theyre not digs at american people nor cultural differences, just the bare facts
So how did you identify people were tourists or not? Did you speak to every "HUGE" person? What about the not "HUGE" people? Did you poll everyone?
This thread is absolutely ridiculous. I can't even begin to address some of the non sense I've seen.
While my Europe experience is limited I have travelled a bit in the US.
ETA - in case not clear - I am not from the US0
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