The difference between American and European culture

[rimturse]

I read this in the Dear Abby column on yahoo (reference link)

DEAR ABBY: I was invited to an elegant wedding, and by the time dinner was served, I was stuffed because I pigged out on the hors d'oeuvres. At the end of dinner, I asked for a doggy bag to take home my huge untouched filet mignon. Was this a faux pas? -- HATES TO BE WASTEFUL, WABAN, MASS.

DEAR HATES TO BE WASTEFUL: Absolutely not. It's done all the time, and you have done nothing for which you have to apologize. However, let this be a lesson to you. Next time, save room for the main course.

Let's just say that in Europe or at least in the European countries I'm familiar with this would have been a HUGE faux pas.

Comments

[angrboda]

I've always wondered about those doggy bags.

I wouldn't dream about taking leftovers home from a restaurant. That's just vulgar.

ETA: Oh, and while I'm at it, I would never eat something that came in a 'doggy bag' EVER. The word gives me one association and one association only: Picking up dog poo.

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

I think "doggy bag" is a pretty old term (which they used to mean you could take it home for your dog to eat). Now mostly servers ask "would you like a box for that?" and they bring you a styrofoam box for you to put your leftovers in. I'm not sure why that's vulgar.

You can warm it up later (not in the box, obviously) and eat it instead of throwing it away. That's what the restaurant would do; so much food gets wasted that way.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

If you were raised here, you'd understand why it's vulgar. It's difficult to explain. It's a combination of asking for left-overs and half-eaten stuff, and I guess it sends a signal that you're low-class and cheap.

I do see the logic of not wasting food, though. I think part of the cultural difference has to do with portion size, though. From what I've heard, the portions in the U.S. are really big, whereas I'm rarely unable to finish a meal here, and if I'm struggling, I'll still finish it, but skip dessert.

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

Oh, that definitely makes sense, then. The portions they give here are HUGE. Really, twice what I can eat, so it always makes a nice second meal later on. I'd feel awful if I wasted it, though, and since I was the only one to have touched the food, it doesn't seem dirty to me.

Mostly, here, if you sit back and kind of stare at your half-eaten food, the server will come by and ask if you'd like a box. They know the portions are huge. Frankly, when I was a server, I was always amazed when people finished their food.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

hahahahaha HUNDEPOSE! You crack me up!

I've never asked for a doggy bag. I've been offered it twice. Once where I didn't touch my food because I did not like it and once where the restaurant owner (a Chinese) was so excited to have other Chinese visit his restaurant that he asked for free hands in the kitchen (which we gave him) and he served up a real Chinese non-European-modified wedding menu, composed of a gazillion dishes.

As he'd made enough food for a small army and there were only 6 of us, he wanted to pack the leftovers down for us. I would have taken it, but we were leaving the country early next morning to go on a 14 day vacation.

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

I think it would be rude at an elegant wedding, mostly because of having stuffed oneself with appetizers. I mean, it's not like she didn't know a big meal was coming.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

Yeah, she should have known better. I think it's okay to dull the worst hunger on appetizers, but to completely stuff oneself is just bad planning.

[darkspires.livejournal.com]

A doggy bag is a styrofoam box that most restaurants offer because they know they serve too big portions for the normal eater. This situation was entirely different, though.

Here we have a classy wedding with hors d'oevres, which Miss Piggy snorted down until she was stuffed, knowing full well there were other courses. This was a HUGE faux pas of the first water. Since one is generally expected to make polite conversation at such occasions and one can't with hors d'oeuvres continually crammed in ones yap it would be expected in polite company that one nibble so conversation could commence. It is not obligatory to finish starters, or the entree, or the dessert during such events, since the function is social rather than focused on nutritious.

What is more, Miss Piggy must have been told her manners sucked or she wouldn't be trying to seek justification from an advice column.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

*nods*

It would be interesting to know if someone commented on her pigging out - and you really have to eat a lot of hors d'oeuvres to fill yourself so completely before dinner. At such events I usually don't have time for more than two or three little pieces, because of the mingling and small- talk. Also, you don't want to stand at the table all the time, that just looks odd.