The 'doggy bag' issue!

If you were in a restaurant and you had eaten your meal but couldn't finish it, would you ask for a 'doggy bag'?

In the USA it seems quite the norm to be asked if you want to take your uneaten food home with you. Apparently many nice restaurants will pack up the leftovers in a container for you, although some restaurants will bring you one and let you do it yourself. It's not considered impolite, nor is it unusual. 

Imagine doing that in Britain? I have never asked for a 'doggy bag' in my life. Quite honestly I am too embarrassed to do so. It's silly really, because I will end up paying for the food anyway so why shouldn't I take it home? Not only that but there is so much in the media right now about food waste, that it's time we changed attitudes in this country and made asking for your uneaten food normal. I have secreted away left over cake sometimes, and maybe the odd half jar of individual jam, and most definitely any bottle of drink, so why do I feel uncomfortable asking for any other food to be taken home? There are some questions to ask yourself, though. Will the restaurant have any containers? Should I have bought my own boxes? What about things like chips and gravy, not together I hasten to add?  Quite frankly I wouldn't want left over chips anyway, cold chips yuk, but someone else might. Should there be a limit to what you can take home? So many questions that need to be considered. 

I do feel some foods just can't be taken home, but things like dessert, pies, potatoes, vegetables, well why not! There are some items that restaurants probably wouldn't let you take home. Cooked rice for example. You have to be so careful with it because it can be dangerous to reheat it more than once. That makes it difficult for the people who are sensible enough to make sure they have heated it up to a high enough temperature. Health and Safety gone mad, but you can understand the restaurant not wanted any redress for a person falling sick. 

So let's contribute to reducing food wastage and take our uneaten food home. Apparently the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced that it is considering measures to force restaurants to give people the chance to take their uneaten food home with them. Goodie, I won't have to build up the courage to ask them myself then! They will also look at Supermarkets to get them to reduce their food wastage by donating excess food to Charities, although many do this already. So it looks like change is ahead and maybe it won't be so embarrassing to ask for that 'doggy bag' in the near future?

To be honest you could always lie and say it's for your dog or cat. You'll just have to take the risk that you could end up with a right old mush all mixed up together in a box!