Why are US meal portions so big??

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  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
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    I figured it had to do with South Texas' proximity to Mexico and the high Hispanic population in the Valley region. I've been to a "Mexican" restaurant in Canada. They had never heard of enchiladas. Makes me wonder how far off we are on other cultures like Thai food that aren't even on the same continent.

    Canadians have never heard of enchiladas? Wow,that is so primitive! Or maybe you just meant one particular Canadian at one particular restaurant.

    I was speaking of the cooking staff at one particular Mexican restaurant in Calgary. Sorry if that wasn't clear to you.
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
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    It is always difficult to discuss, cultural differences, without offending, someone.
    In countries, where size often matters ( food consumption), I have found it can relate to Norsemen, and their Viking heritage. In the North of France, where the Vikings settled, for instance, you will find people do still eat like Vikings.
  • Zaniejane
    Zaniejane Posts: 329 Member
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    I have also lived in both the UK and the USA and feel qualified to comment. I do remember some enormous serving sizes for beer, fish and chips, and chocolate fudge cake in Cambridge. No wonder you're all SO much leaner than we are. :wink:

    I used to have fish and chips with a meat pie on the side<3. I also had a habit of pouring mushy peas all over the top:). Last summer I visited and ate belly pork, pork pies, Stilton cheese and black pudding almost every day.
  • Blitz_40
    Blitz_40 Posts: 110 Member
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    When I eat out I ask for a to-go container WHEN my food is delivered and before I take a bite, I go ahead and remove the "extra" portion for my next meal & eat what is left on my plate. I don't like to eat from partially eaten food. Just my thing.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    In...

    ...in hopes that I'm targeted next...

    ...to see if my friends will defend me or just pile on.

    (I'd guess of the 200 of them, it's maybe 50/50.)

    I would say that I'm going to read to catch up...

    ...but that would be a blatant lie.'


    ETA: And ugh on recommendations for Morgan Spurlock's Supersize Me and his bad math. Ugh. (But don't let that stop you from hating McDonald's with the burning passion of a million suns.)
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
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    Things I want after reading this thread

    1) Otter's arm definition
    2) Wheird's "trolling" powers
    3) Fajitas. Massive plates of fajitas.

    The Secrets:

    1.Be a badass and lift heavy. Also jump off cliffs into pools of water to increase your badass factor.
    2. Be unapologetically intelligent. Normies will see it as trolling because they cannot follow.
    3. Go to Houston. I hear you cannot find Mexican food on less than 3 plates!

    You're awesome. I totally enjoy you.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,636 Member
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    BECAUSE WE CAN. Our motto for most things we do here in the land of the free lol
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
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    Whierd wasn't trolling. My original post about big pharm was trolling. Whierd is honest, blunt, and quite intelligent. I like him an awful lot :flowerforyou:


    ETA: I just reread your comment. HOLY HELL! WTF are you doing insulting his appearance? He is a very good looking man, and at least put up a picture of himself. Is this thread just pulling the creeps out of the woodwork?!

    Yep
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
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    living in Japan for a year then coming back to Aus... wow the portion sizes are so different. We have clearly f***ed up big time in the west. As for America, I have a few friends who have been there and hated the food because it is a battle to get fresh, 'healthy' food when you're out and the waiters hound you for tips (thanks to stuffed up minimum wage system in US).

    Not that I can say Aus has super healthy fresh food either, but we have a lot of reasonably authentic ethnic food, so they use great fresh ingredients there :) I'm still hankering to go back and gauge on seafood in Japan though :'(
    Aaaand the America-bashing continues. I'll be the mature one and keep my inflammatory comments about your country to myself. There are plenty of nice things I can say about other places around the world because not all Americans are the arrogant, lazy, ignorant xenophobes you imagine us to be.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    living in Japan for a year then coming back to Aus... wow the portion sizes are so different. We have clearly f***ed up big time in the west. As for America, I have a few friends who have been there and hated the food because it is a battle to get fresh, 'healthy' food when you're out and the waiters hound you for tips (thanks to stuffed up minimum wage system in US).

    Not that I can say Aus has super healthy fresh food either, but we have a lot of reasonably authentic ethnic food, so they use great fresh ingredients there :) I'm still hankering to go back and gauge on seafood in Japan though :'(
    Aaaand the America-bashing continues. I'll be the mature one and keep my inflammatory comments about your country to myself. There are plenty of nice things I can say about other places around the world because not all Americans are the arrogant, lazy, ignorant xenophobes you imagine us to be.

    I want to know where on earth these people are eating. Some places are easier to get more variety than others, but it's not that hard and I have never had any waiter hound me for tips.

    Funny thing is, when I moved to the States, I was impressed by the variety of salads, and salad makings in the buffet's you could get. I am sure where I live has something to do with it, but I find it hard to believe that the rest of the country is that different. Heck, you can get salads at the main fast food places.
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    h9AC9F2EC
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
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    what the donkey said lol
  • VBnotbitter
    VBnotbitter Posts: 820 Member
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    I have also lived in both the UK and the USA and feel qualified to comment. I do remember some enormous serving sizes for beer, fish and chips, and chocolate fudge cake in Cambridge. No wonder you're all SO much leaner than we are. :wink:

    I used to have fish and chips with a meat pie on the side<3. I also had a habit of pouring mushy peas all over the top:). Last summer I visited and ate belly pork, pork pies, Stilton cheese and black pudding almost every day.

    Oooh pork pies, Stilton and black pudding. I want to go hommmmme
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
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    h9AC9F2EC

    I love this kitteh. :smile:
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    h9AC9F2EC

    I love this kitteh. :smile:

    i had 2 identical all black kittehs as a kid. their names? Xerox and Ditto. :happy:
  • Dunkirk
    Dunkirk Posts: 465 Member
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    My mother emigrated from the UK in the early 1950's. The ship stopped in the USA and my mother and her three friends went out to a restaurant for a meal. My mother's meal arrived first. She assumed it was her job to serve up the meal to the four of them, and was shocked when the other 3 enormous meals arrived at the table. It seems the rest of the western world has caught up, portion wise, to the USA.
  • joshdann
    joshdann Posts: 618 Member
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    I bring home the leftovers but if I don't eat it within 2 days it tends to go to waste. I don't mind leftover food but I don't like old food.
    Luckily I have some cats that will hoover up just about anything.
    lies! cats don't eat spaghetti. The only acceptable way to prove me wrong is to post a video of your cats eating spaghetti.
  • aliciap412
    aliciap412 Posts: 170 Member
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    h99BFE903
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
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    h9AC9F2EC

    I love this kitteh. :smile:

    i had 2 identical all black kittehs as a kid. their names? Xerox and Ditto. :happy:

    I had a black kitty as a kid too. She had the most original name "Blackie". lol
    I like the names of yours. :smile:

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