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I scream

One of the most wonderful creations by humankind - Gelatissimo sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free Chocolate Sorbet! Oh thank the heavens for artificial sweeteners! I swear I heard the angels sing when my sister told me about the existence of this gift from the Gods. Now I can have ice-cream without worrying about the sugar content and blood levels!

Ahem. Moderation is still key though, people! Do not binge. Adieu! 

Pride vs wastage

Definitely too good to leave behind

I have been pondering about this issue for quite some time now and it has always been stewing in the back burner. After dinner with friends in a reasonably swanky place in town the other night, I've decided to have a mini discussion with all of you (if there is anyone reading this).

Now this was not one of those molecular gastronomy fine dining places but they do have a sizeable price tag for their meals. Of course, we were paying for service, ambiance and all. We were seated right in the middle of the restaurant so we could see what the other tables were having. Two things I noticed straight up were: ONE, the portions were absolutely massive and TWO, unfinished food were cleared and went into the bin (I would assume this as they never came back with doggy bags). 

So we happily breezed through the menu and placed our orders. The food was absolutely amazing. My steak was perfectly cooked to my liking and the sides were really great. Now, because I ordered a huge steak (650g of rump), I could only finish half of it. This leaves about 350g of premium beef leftovers on my massive plate. These leftovers could easily grace another table in another restaurant as a proper piece of steak. Apart from that, I've paid quite a bit of money for this meal. The question is: Can I ask for a doggy bag without appearing to be cheap? So in fear of this stigma, I tried harder to stuff a bit more protein into my already overloaded stomach and the result was an uncomfortably bloated gastrointestinal tract.

After an agonizing internal debate, I went ahead and asked the waiter to pack it away (along with my sister's two thirds of her meal leftovers). Maybe I was being sensitive but I could feel a sting of judgement from the waiter when he cleared the table. After leaving the restaurant, one of my friends (who was a local Australian) chided us on being embarrassing as people generally don't do this over here. 

Really? Well, I know you usually don't get premium steaks and king prawns in doggy bags but is it really embarrassing to have to let your food go to waste? I would think that packing the food actually showed more respect to the chef for their efforts rather than chucking it all away. I seem to recall that some chefs measure success by the number of clean plates coming back to the kitchen. And packing leftovers would ultimately mean that the place is clean, isn't it? What about the animals that were slaughtered for food? Is it respectful to just bin good food? 

There is a theory about cultural difference. Asian people are generally regarded as cheapskates and that we squeeze every drop of value out of what we pay for. I don't know about you, but I am sitting on the side of minimal food wastage, respect for good food and being money-wise. Why should there be wastage because of pride? What is the moral standards for eating out in expensive places? Would you ask for a doggy bag?