American food !

[KICKSTART]

I know a lot of you are from the USA so i would like to know ..how come when you eat out you are so generous with portions? You get re-fills of coffee, huge sandwiches etc ,with great big side dishes to go with them. Over here our food out is small portions , mean , no refills and not cheap , you want another coffee , you pay for it, you want a side salad , you pay for it. Oh how i wish i could come over there at meal times !!!!

[Sluff]

Oh but you can!! Our door is always open. 

[Chicken Little]

Competion for customers is what drives the portions.  People want to feel like they are getting a lot for their money.   You'll find the super sizing more in the chain/casual restaurants.  The portions in fine restaurants are much smaller.

[KICKSTART]

Oh but you can!! Our door is always open. 

If only   

[goofynina]

Quick Question Kickstart,  What is the statistics like for childhood and adult obesity? I know over here it is a growing problem (Lord, dont i know it)   They are having huge debates over this very subject (the supersizing, king sizing, jumbo sizing)  they are trying to get rid of all of those, i know McDonalds no longer SuperSizes, so that is a start.  Not that i blame them, there are many people who can eat an abundance of food and not gain any weight, but then there are people like me, who smell the food and gain weight instantly, So, quantity isn't always a good thing for some people, even though they think it is, it is doing more harm than good.  I would love to trade places with you and see how green your grass is (you know the saying)    But unfortunately to get there i would have to fly, and i will never step foot in an airplane, 

[George Jung]

I despise the portion sizes of restaurants here in the states.  It is not only found in fast food joints, but in the vast majority of all eateries in the U.S.  It seems to me that the only restaurants that do not over portion are of French influence or some sort of Fine dining (four star dining, how often do I get that opportunity).  I rarely clean my plate when dining out and the waste is nothing less than disgusting.  If I want to eat two meals I would order two meals!

[KICKSTART]

Goofynina , dont know about statistics over here tbh , i guess we have our overweight people same as other places , if people want to eat i guess they will ! We dont really have 'supersize etc over here , you just get a standard portion so to speak !

George ..when i was refering to the size of portions , what i really meant i guess was for eg , if you order a sandwich over here , you would get bread ,2 slices or a barm cake (bread bun) brown or white or possibly granary!! If it was ham you might be lucky and get 2 slices , mostly you would just get one to cover the suface of the bread , salad would consist of a slice tomato, cucumber, onion and a bit of lettuce , if you want mayo , or any other dressing , you have to pay extra!! So i'm not really talking all junk food or fast food , but even a nice sandwich with salad is more than generous compared to here!! dont you work in the food trade ? What would be an example of a sandwich/quantity over there ? But also like i mentioned earlier , you get your coffee refilled , never done here !!

[George Jung]

Yep, I think I understood what you were talking about KICKSTART.  Sandwiches are too big, salads are too big (although I like a big salad) and most places charge for anything extra as well.  I am not just talking fast food (I don't even like fast food!).  Yes I do work in the food and beverage industry and the oversized portions have always disgusted me (except for maybe when I was in highschool listening to Bob Marley )  It is possible to find a nice sandwich shop that doesn't go over the top but they are far and few between.  As for beverage refills, they are giveaways.  You just dropped 8 to 10 bucks on a sandwich that you can't finish (or shouldn't) so the food cost is taken care of and if a customer wants another cup of coffee or a Coke it isn't any big deal, keep em happy and keep em coming back.

[Jill D.]

Meal portions in America are directly related to the obesity problem...along with processed convenience foods and giant sodas! It's not just the food that's excessive either...we drive big vehicles, build big houses, have big appliances, etc. I think most of us Americans would be better off downsizing or living a simpler life where possible, but that's just my opinion!

[thegrammalady]

i used to manage a sandwich place. our large sub was 12 inches long had 8 oz of meat on it, cheese, dressing lettuce, onion and tomato. it cost around $7.50 purchase and my food cost was around 1.50. free refills are not everywhere in the states. when we were in new york for lion king they don't refill drinks. refills are a loss leader - a soda that you pay 1.50 or more for in a restaurant costs the restaurant around 15 cents.

[okarol]

I hate when I have ordered food and the waitress brings a GIANT plate filled with food. I don't want to eat til i am sick, and the waste makes me crazy.

[thegrammalady]

i take a "doggie bag" home almost everytime i eat out.

[George Jung]

Americans in general want more than they need.  Unfortunately most do not realize that LESS IS MORE.  Greed, Gluttony, Envy, seem to take controll.  You can deny it if you want to but the truth of the matter is that we live in a world of "sin".

[jbeany]

I think we eat out so much that supersize portions look normal to us.  Spend a few days measuring out real portions of food, and you start flinching when they serve you in a restaurant.  McDonald's got rid of the supersizes because of the bad press generated by that documentary movie where the guy ate at McD's for a whole month of meals and gained a lot of weight.  But it's all about choices, anyhow.  (Someone else made a movie where they ate at MCd's for a month and lost weight.  It all depends on what you order and how much of it you eat!)

The supersize thing is still going on with all kinds of other food.  Check out the candy in the checkout aisle - it's all in bigger and bigger portion sizes.  I indulged my chocolate craving the other day and bought a pack of m&m's.  I grabbed the brown bag as usual and tossed it on the conveyer belt with the rest of the groceries.  When I unpacked it at home and got ready to eat it, I noticed it seemed awfully heavy.  Apparently, the newest idea from the company to keep off the radar of the people complaining about portion control is simply to label the bag a "Tear & Share" pack.  It looked to be three times the size of the regular bag, so even if you really do share it, you're still getting more than before.  And still the same price as the little bag. . . .

[goofynina]

I saw that documentary Jbeany, it was interesting but my first thought was, I wonder if he had to pay for all that food, lol, see how my stupid mind works, i am more worried about the cost than the circumstances, lol,  But it was still an interesting documentary.  So Jbeany, did you "tear and share" or did you eat the whole thing?       I dont like the brown bag but give me the yellow bag with nuts and stand back, cuz me luvz me M&M's with nuts and HELL NO i am not sharing!!!

[jbeany]

I shared - way too much for me to eat at once!

[goofynina]

Damn, i wish i had your willpower Jbeany, i would've ate the whole thing, or saved 1/2 for the next day, but it would've definetly been eaten by ME   Good for you..

[glitter]

   I think food is very abundant and so cheaply priced here in this wonderful country, we are very fortunate to have such a huge variety of food available year round. Americans are very lucky and I think most of us appreciate that. If you come to visit us, you will find along with our generous portions we are also generous in friendliness, and compassion, and kindness....thats why so many people want to come here-and no-one wants to leave!!!
   

[meadowlandsnj]

What would be an example of a sandwich/quantity over there ? But also like i mentioned earlier , you get your coffee refilled , never done here !!

I worked in a deli and managed it for a while.  We made sandwiches and we had to put on 3-4oz of meat for a regular sandwich, wich is like 1/4 lb of meat.  We didn't charge for cheese. tomato, lettuce, onion, ect.  Plus you got a side of mac potato or coleslaw for 50 cents extra.  A Hero was about 2 dollars extra.  That was a 12 inch roll with about 1/2lb of meat on it.  In order to make the sandwich look bigger we'd slice the meat very thin and pile it up on the roll.   

Donna

[George Jung]

I think food is very abundant and so cheaply priced here.....

Food is cheap?

[glitter]

I think food is very abundant and so cheaply priced here.....

Food is cheap?

I think it is- and I have a family I shop for- now, I do not buy truffles or many specialty ingredients, and I do shop at walmart alot, but I can buy fresh produce for a family of four for 50.00 a week, and its enough for us to have multiple fruits and veggies, fresh, everyday. Plus we are meat eaters- I recently bought 40 lbs of chicken for .47 cents a pound. Breasts for .99 cents a pound, ground beef ,  .99 a lb. If your not buying loads of convenience foods-you can have a large variety of food for decent costs. maybe not t-bone, but its all relative. You CAN spend tons of money on food-but that is a choice-you do not have to - to eat a healthy and varied diet. Just my opinion of course.

[George Jung]

It is my opinion that although you can find certain food items at respectively low prices, food in general is not cheap.  I have shopped for myself since I was 16 (now 31) and I have bought more food for restaurants than any family will buy in their lifetime.  I know what food costs and it ain't cheap.  I will say that a smart shopper can minimize the expense.

[Zach]

Meal portions in America are directly related to the obesity problem...along with processed convenience foods and giant sodas! It's not just the food that's excessive either...we drive big vehicles, build big houses, have big appliances, etc. I think most of us Americans would be better off downsizing or living a simpler life where possible, but that's just my opinion!

Good idea Jill D.  Many of us need to make lifestyle changes.

i take a "doggie bag" home almost everytime i eat out.

Another great idea!

I do shop at walmart alot, but I can buy fresh produce for a family of four for 50.00 a week, and its enough for us to have multiple fruits and veggies, fresh, everyday. Plus we are meat eaters- I recently bought 40 lbs of chicken for .47 cents a pound. Breasts for .99 cents a pound, ground beef ,  .99 a lb. If your not buying loads of convenience foods-you can have a large variety of food for decent costs. maybe not t-bone, but its all relative. You CAN spend tons of money on food-but that is a choice-you do not have to - to eat a healthy and varied diet.

Like in the old days, when we always ate at home on the weekdays.  And maybe on Saturday or Sunday we'd go out.

[glitter]

It is my opinion that although you can find certain food items at respectively low prices, food in general is not cheap.  I have shopped for myself since I was 16 (now 31) and I have bought more food for restaurants than any family will buy in their lifetime.  I know what food costs and it ain't cheap.  I will say that a smart shopper can minimize the expense.

not to argue, but resteraunt quality food is not what most people have in their kitchen....for you cooking is your 'art' and profession. I have worked as a cook-not in a high dollar resteraunt, but in a diner- and the food cost in a diner and say - Lumiere, is vastly different-like comparing apples and oranges-

that being said- I wish you could cook for me too!!! I had my version of your burgers the other night- with the hickory bacon and sharp cheddar cheese and grilled onions-it was a treat instead of eating out-and it was expensive to make them-  but the way we afford higher quality is by justifying it instead of eating out- for our anniversary next month-instead of eating out and spending a lot, I buy beef tenderloin, and lobster and shrimp, and we eat a fabulous meal at home for about 100.00 but that is not normal food either.