Why are US meal portions so big??

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  • Lmans77
    Lmans77 Posts: 58 Member
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    For the record, I ate tex mex at my favorite spot in Houston, and I had my order on 3 dishes, and that didn't include my tortillas in their own basket. Lol
  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
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    Actually I was in California for 15 days and ate out three meals a day for 12 of those days, breakfast, lunch and dinner in diners cafes and restaurants. The only time I felt comfortable with a meal was the last three days when we ate with (other) friends in their home.

    I'm a native Californian and my mother always told me that eating at restaurants a lot makes people gain weight. Why? Because you tend to order richer food than you normally would, the portions tend to be generous (unless gourmet) and dessert is easy to add on. My brother and his gf put on an easy 30 pounds each this way.

    When I started making my own food again, I lost 15 pounds astoundingly quickly.

    That said, there are some amazingly light and great restaurants in California. Carne asada tacos on corn tortillas (not friend) are a great choice, along with any grilled/roasted vegetables -- but most people aren't ordering those meals. They're ordering the "wet burrito" and other things.
  • EmmaOnTrack
    EmmaOnTrack Posts: 425 Member
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    I'm Australian, have been to the USA numerous times and have an american stepfamily. There is a massive difference in portion sizing between our two countries. Its not something to get cranky and defensive about. Its not 'america bashing' either, so calm yer tits, everyone.


    Some personal experiences of portion differences:
    - I ordered a 'small' meal at McDonalds in New York and the chips & drink were the equivalent of large size for Australia.
    - We went to a cinema and the smallest popcorn was still massive. Normally called 'family sized' here.
    - I ordered ribs at Planet Hollywood and was presented with a half-metre long rack.
    - Appetizer pasta in USA = main pasta in Australia.
    - My stepfather has complained so many times about how we don't have "Big Gulp" drink dispensers at our petrol/gas stations. You have to buy individual bottles/cans of pre-packaged Coke, either 390ml or 600ml. No 1.2L big gulps here.


    So cranky Americans. Chill. Embrace your giant portions. Its good value for money. That giant plate of ribs cost me about $15-20 (can't remember!) --- here in Australia you'd be looking at $30 for 1/3 size.



    edit: oh my god I forgot pizza. You guys do GIANT PIZZA <3

    I think I might love you.

    Talk about panties getting bunched!
  • fireflyz2
    fireflyz2 Posts: 14 Member
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    Not denying US portions are often oversized, although it is much less true of finer restaurants than in chains, but from what I've seen portions in comparable restaurants in the UK are very similar sizes, and Australia isn't much behind. Don't even get me started on the "traditional " UK breakfast: two eggs, two sausage, two big hunks of bacon, two toast, beans, roasted tomatoes, and sometimes even potatoes....yikes! Sausage links (ie one inch wide three inches long, two of them) AND bacon.
  • fireflyz2
    fireflyz2 Posts: 14 Member
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    My memory of gelato and pizza in Italy is pretty much the same as yours. I remember asking for small gelato and not being able to finish it.
  • manda1978
    manda1978 Posts: 525 Member
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    I'm Australian, have been to the USA numerous times and have an american stepfamily. There is a massive difference in portion sizing between our two countries. Its not something to get cranky and defensive about. Its not 'america bashing' either, so calm yer tits, everyone.


    Some personal experiences of portion differences:
    - I ordered a 'small' meal at McDonalds in New York and the chips & drink were the equivalent of large size for Australia.
    - We went to a cinema and the smallest popcorn was still massive. Normally called 'family sized' here.
    - I ordered ribs at Planet Hollywood and was presented with a half-metre long rack.
    - Appetizer pasta in USA = main pasta in Australia.
    - My stepfather has complained so many times about how we don't have "Big Gulp" drink dispensers at our petrol/gas stations. You have to buy individual bottles/cans of pre-packaged Coke, either 390ml or 600ml. No 1.2L big gulps here.


    So cranky Americans. Chill. Embrace your giant portions. Its good value for money. That giant plate of ribs cost me about $15-20 (can't remember!) --- here in Australia you'd be looking at $30 for 1/3 size.



    edit: oh my god I forgot pizza. You guys do GIANT PIZZA <3

    Agree! I'm an Aussie and when we were in the States the serving sizes were massive. I also had a small McDonalds meal and it was our large. I made the mistake of ordering a main sized pasta, it was on a freaking platter. It looked like I hadn't touched it even though I was so full. You could have fed 3-4 people with it easily.

    You have the value for money thing thats for sure. A 6 inch at Subway is $5-$10 here. An equivilent of your apetizer sized pasta would be $20 at least while I paid $12 for a platter size.

    Not having a go at you, its just astounding!
  • Canman51
    Canman51 Posts: 41
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    I'm Australian, have been to the USA numerous times and have an american stepfamily. There is a massive difference in portion sizing between our two countries. Its not something to get cranky and defensive about. Its not 'america bashing' either, so calm yer tits, everyone.


    Some personal experiences of portion differences:
    - I ordered a 'small' meal at McDonalds in New York and the chips & drink were the equivalent of large size for Australia.
    - We went to a cinema and the smallest popcorn was still massive. Normally called 'family sized' here.
    - I ordered ribs at Planet Hollywood and was presented with a half-metre long rack.
    - Appetizer pasta in USA = main pasta in Australia.
    - My stepfather has complained so many times about how we don't have "Big Gulp" drink dispensers at our petrol/gas stations. You have to buy individual bottles/cans of pre-packaged Coke, either 390ml or 600ml. No 1.2L big gulps here.


    So cranky Americans. Chill. Embrace your giant portions. Its good value for money. That giant plate of ribs cost me about $15-20 (can't remember!) --- here in Australia you'd be looking at $30 for 1/3 size.



    edit: oh my god I forgot pizza. You guys do GIANT PIZZA <3

    Spot on. It's quite funny to see some people here getting all defensive about a simple statement of fact.
  • runlilyrun
    runlilyrun Posts: 140
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    Cooking at home is always your cheapest and best option.

    Wrong.

    Oh, sure, I understand what you're *trying* to say with this comment, but it's still wrong as is.

    OK, I'm only an actuary so maybe these concepts are too complicated for me. Let's assume a restaurant can buy equivalent ingredients 10% cheaper. Even if they added no additional costs and charged only for ingredients, I'd have to pay a tip on top of that so it would cost just about what I pay at home. Except that restaurants pay rent, taxes, advertising, wages, utilities, and some profit for the owner. All of that is added into the cost of the food. Unless you're comparing the 80%-lean (that means 20% fat) burger from the shins of the cow on a crappy refined white-flour bun from McDonald's Dollar Menu with the one Iowa-cut pork chop that feeds both DH and me, I don't know how it can ever be cheaper to eat at a restaurant.

    How about when I worked at McDonalds and was given a free meal every day in my lunch/dinner break? That was very cheap!
  • runlilyrun
    runlilyrun Posts: 140
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    Not denying US portions are often oversized, although it is much less true of finer restaurants than in chains, but from what I've seen portions in comparable restaurants in the UK are very similar sizes, and Australia isn't much behind. Don't even get me started on the "traditional " UK breakfast: two eggs, two sausage, two big hunks of bacon, two toast, beans, roasted tomatoes, and sometimes even potatoes....yikes! Sausage links (ie one inch wide three inches long, two of them) AND bacon.

    You forgot the black pudding ;)
  • lynnerack
    lynnerack Posts: 158 Member
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    I'm Australian, have been to the USA numerous times and have an american stepfamily. There is a massive difference in portion sizing between our two countries. Its not something to get cranky and defensive about. Its not 'america bashing' either, so calm yer tits, everyone.


    Some personal experiences of portion differences:
    - I ordered a 'small' meal at McDonalds in New York and the chips & drink were the equivalent of large size for Australia.
    - We went to a cinema and the smallest popcorn was still massive. Normally called 'family sized' here.
    - I ordered ribs at Planet Hollywood and was presented with a half-metre long rack.
    - Appetizer pasta in USA = main pasta in Australia.
    - My stepfather has complained so many times about how we don't have "Big Gulp" drink dispensers at our petrol/gas stations. You have to buy individual bottles/cans of pre-packaged Coke, either 390ml or 600ml. No 1.2L big gulps here.


    So cranky Americans. Chill. Embrace your giant portions. Its good value for money. That giant plate of ribs cost me about $15-20 (can't remember!) --- here in Australia you'd be looking at $30 for 1/3 size.



    edit: oh my god I forgot pizza. You guys do GIANT PIZZA <3

    Spot on. It's quite funny to see some people here getting all defensive about a simple statement of fact.
  • lynnerack
    lynnerack Posts: 158 Member
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    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!
  • Trisha_Williams
    Trisha_Williams Posts: 33 Member
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    bump
  • kbcara
    kbcara Posts: 105 Member
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    Have to agree - been to Miami, Orlando, Key West, Las Vegas, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, New York ate out every night in each location in variety of types/standards of restaurants and the portions are beyond huge. Have learnt can never have 3 courses like I would here - have learnt just an appetiser (easily same size as a main here:UK), and sharing a dessert (as was 2-3 times the size of desserts here) is plenty of food ... or to order what you fancy and have a little of each and use take-out boxes and save the rest for lunch next day! The only restaurants here that match in size of portions are American restaurants or Sunday Carverys (pile'em high). The example of curry (or chinese) given earlier is not true - though many order several dishes/side dishes etc., the individual portions are not large.

    Some things I think are much better in the US however:
    - the use of take out boxes is standard for leftovers - here it would be an out of ordinary request and many could restaurants not cater for this - great as makes you think differently ... don't need to scrape plate clean in one sitting to get value out of the meal
    - the willingness to adapt recipes - it is becoming more common here, but in the US it's pretty standard to be able to switch fries for salad, request grilled or steamed instead of fried, ask for sauces to be 'on the side', ask for low fat dressings etc.

    At the end of the day it's up to us to take control...
  • DCruz83
    DCruz83 Posts: 99
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    My idea is that moving more food is somewhat better for them, means they use more, buy more, and perhaps in the end it's cheaper for them to buy larger quantities. And the consumer usually assumes more is better, especially if the price seems good enough, so in the end, everyone wants bigger portions. Plus they make larger options not too much more expensive than small ones to make you feel like you're getting a better deal (which it is, just doesn't mean you should eat it all in one go!) so naturally they sell more of the bigger portions and if someone starts to offer more, everyone follows to not be left behind and lose customers so it just keeps getting worse!
  • tonyrocks922
    tonyrocks922 Posts: 172 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.

    I see this talked about a lot, but never see anyone do it. I'd be pretty embarrassed to dine with someone that boxes up food as soon as it's delivered.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Interesting...I travel to the UK every couple of years to visit my wife's family...I've always thought their portions to be roughly equivalent to U.S. portions. Everytime I leave the pub after some fish 'n chips or some bangers and mash I feel like I'm going to bust a gut.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    It's called consumerism and capitalism baby go big or go home. Value for the dollar.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    I'm Australian, have been to the USA numerous times and have an american stepfamily. There is a massive difference in portion sizing between our two countries. Its not something to get cranky and defensive about. Its not 'america bashing' either, so calm yer tits, everyone.


    Some personal experiences of portion differences:
    - I ordered a 'small' meal at McDonalds in New York and the chips & drink were the equivalent of large size for Australia.
    - We went to a cinema and the smallest popcorn was still massive. Normally called 'family sized' here.
    - I ordered ribs at Planet Hollywood and was presented with a half-metre long rack.
    - Appetizer pasta in USA = main pasta in Australia.
    - My stepfather has complained so many times about how we don't have "Big Gulp" drink dispensers at our petrol/gas stations. You have to buy individual bottles/cans of pre-packaged Coke, either 390ml or 600ml. No 1.2L big gulps here.


    So cranky Americans. Chill. Embrace your giant portions. Its good value for money. That giant plate of ribs cost me about $15-20 (can't remember!) --- here in Australia you'd be looking at $30 for 1/3 size.



    edit: oh my god I forgot pizza. You guys do GIANT PIZZA <3

    Spot on. It's quite funny to see some people here getting all defensive about a simple statement of fact.

    that's what I say for $15 I can get about 3 meals.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
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    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:
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
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    gluttony

    OK, I'll play.


    lust

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