A national pastime: Overeating
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| Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs |
How gluttonous are we as a nation that before we even consume our next meal that we start thinking about the one for the next day? And it isn't like this is a fast food chain. When did it become customary for upscale casual restaurants to start offering BOGO deals?
I just wanted a regular bowl of spaghetti and meatballs but as an added bonus, I also received a tinfoil container of 'Momma's Lasagna.' I thought because the restaurant was providing a free entree, the portion size of the one you received at the table would be smaller. NOPE. There was so much spaghetti that I had to pack up the rest of my meal that night to take to go as well. Consequently, I spent today carbo loading and haven't even touched the lasagna yet.
And this is all in advance of the greatest eating holiday of the year. Because all I need to do is slip into those stretchy pants a few days early and begin practicing my food coma skills.
I need to go on a run. For the next three days.
I think you live where I live. I love that restaurant at the Domain. Great food. Great price. Lots of leftovers.
ReplyDeleteHahaha- was it Maggiano's? It was Maggiano's wasn't it? I went there for the first time this year and was a bit shocked by their "policy". Still, I've been meaning to go back every since!
ReplyDeleteLOL yeah I've heard of that. I was surprised by portion sizes when I went back to the States. I mean, I knew they were big...but did they get even bigger? My husband and I often had to split meals or pack things to go because it simply was not possible to eat that much. I remember one time we got gourmet burgers. I didn't finish mine, but Toby did eat his. He was in pain the whole rest of the evening! Craziness.
ReplyDeleteAn Italian chain restaurant made me sick over the weekend--it was takeout LASAGNA!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the BOGO offer. Like you, I usually end up taking home a good portion of my dinner. It's a built in two-meals-for-one. I don't need three meals (or four).
Ha! Like Santa, I'm going to guess that it was Maggiano's, OR Olive Garden. We just went to Maggiano's for girls night on Friday (one of my girlfriends had a gift card), and it was exactly as you described - brown bag with another whole meal inside waiting to be taken home. It's a vicious cycle. America seems to be full of them.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't sound too bad to me actually. I don't know of any restaurants in Australia that does this, but a free takeaway means I won't have to buy lunch the next day!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds strange but this kind of thing (along with enormous portions) really annoys me! And then you feel obliged to eat it because it was 'free' and before you know it, you need stretchy pants permanently!
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how we seem to have food 'forced upon us' by ridiculous offers yet everybody then tells us that we should all be skinny at the same time - how is that supposed to work? If I go to a restaurant I want it to be a treat - I certainly don't want to take the food home for the next day as it just seems to cheapen the whole experience... xo
ReplyDeleteit's more of an American thing, isn't it, and I've never understood where it's coming from. in most of Europe the idea of doggy bags is frowned upon...
ReplyDeletePortion size in these parts can be a tad humiliating. It was all the worse when my Danish friend came for a visit--after returning from a mission trip in Uganda. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteHoly crumbs! That's a lot of pasta.
ReplyDeleteI never been to a place that offers a second dish to take home but if it's good food why not? I love to eat ;) At some restaurants I already have a problem finishing my portion and take it home to eat the next day...
ReplyDeleteOhmygosh! I guess it's no wonder a lot of us North Americans always worry about our weight! Damn these restaurants!
ReplyDeleteUgh. We are such a wasteful society as it is, this just makes it worse! So the original portions are already large enough to either make you a) take home half your meal or b) get fat because you always feel like you have to eat it all. Then on top of that, they send you home with even more food than you need??
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of going out to eat recently with a few people visiting the US for the first time (from Scotland). After brunch at a little diner with American-sized portions, one of them asked if that was a normal amount of food and whether Americans eat that much at every meal. I was actually a little embarrassed to answer because, compared to chain diners, it was a fairly reasonable serving!
Do they offer the same promotion with the salad? because I could literally just make a meal out of that for a week and call it a day. It's so good!
ReplyDeleteYou're so funny. But yep - agree 100% with "How gluttonous are we as a nation that before we even consume our next meal that we start thinking about the one for the next day?"<--- becoming a global pandemic!
ReplyDeleteSwedes don´t celebrate Thanksgiving - but let me tell you that our skills within the overeating area show themselves to the fullest during Christmas..! I´m constantly in the "can´t breathe" state at the end of December! :-D
ReplyDeletei am trying to figure out the marketing behind this . . . i don't get it.
ReplyDeleteits amazing how it is permisible to do this just because it is a holiday... i tend to sin a it much on a good stuffing... haha!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea which restaurant you went to, but it sounds like you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner ready until Thanksgiving. Then you can switch to turkey and turkey accessories for your meals.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Thanksgiving!
Wow! That's pretty crazy -- I haven't heard of a place doing that before. And here I am thinking about all the food I'm going to cook & eat for Thanksgiving... I feel almost ashamed and wanting to go for a 10 mile run or something.
ReplyDeleteI admit, I was completely amazed at the large food portions (and a million 'side dishes') in the US when I visited. I'm not a big eater, so I didn't even make a dent in most meals. Everyone asked me if I was on a diet! I said, no, this is how I eat :)
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