"Is it uncommon for European restaurants to bring out another plate/silverware if asked, or just considered bad manners?"
I did this the other day in my favorite Chinese restaurant. I wasn't hungry enough to eat an entire "Chinese-style Steak" myself, so I split the meal with my brother. Anytime my family has ever asked to get an extra plate it's never been a problem. (Also, there is this tendency to treat Europe as one big country, as if the customs in France are going to be equivalent to customs in, say, Sweden!)
"...I'm curious if doggy bags imply the same connotations where you are from, as here they imply simply bringing leftovers home,..." Funny story concerning "doggy bags": I worked at a hotel once. There was a wedding on one night, and there was a huge volume of food leftover (regular occurrence, the amount of food wasted in the hotel and restaurant business is eye-opening). One guest caught my attention as I was clearing plates, and said "was there any chance that I could bag up all the leftovers". I said no problem. Turns out he had greyhounds, and was looking to save money by feeding them leftovers from the wedding food. I bagged up all the leftovers and gave them to him. I was happy to do it because it was destined for the bin otherwise. Btw we don't use the expression "doggy bags" over here, but in this case it literally was a case of the food going into a "doggy bag".
In many places it is illegal for a restaurant to use the leftover food in a meaningful way (e.g. feed it to animals). Personally I think this is ridiculous, but it's supposed to prevent diseases from spreading.
"In many places it is illegal for a restaurant to use the leftover food in a meaningful way" that really is ridiculous. If there's a law like that where I live, I would deliberately flout it. The developed world has massive problems dealing with waste and I'm sure there's far bigger threats to public health than feeding your dog leftovers.
There's some great business opportunities around waste. I've read about entrepreneurs using methane from rubbish dumps to fuel heating systems. Some great fortunes are made in the waste business (turning trash into cash to use a cliche). I remember reading a great article about one guy who converted his Hummer to run on leftovers that he collected from local restaurants. Not only did his "mpg" increase, but his cost of running the Hummer decreased enormously (he even brought food sometimes, put it in a blender, and used the chopped up food as fuel - still cheaper than a tank of traditional petrol/gasoline). It was the "Green Hummer" or some similarly named project if you wish to Google around.
It's not that every restaurant obeys this law. I know two pigs who eat Chinese every night, and they love it. Their owner gets it from a local restaurant.
Feeding your own dog/chickens/whatever your own leftovers is not illegal fortunately.
Comments
"Is it uncommon for European restaurants to bring out another plate/silverware if asked, or just considered bad manners?"
I did this the other day in my favorite Chinese restaurant. I wasn't hungry enough to eat an entire "Chinese-style Steak" myself, so I split the meal with my brother. Anytime my family has ever asked to get an extra plate it's never been a problem. (Also, there is this tendency to treat Europe as one big country, as if the customs in France are going to be equivalent to customs in, say, Sweden!)
"...I'm curious if doggy bags imply the same connotations where you are from, as here they imply simply bringing leftovers home,..." Funny story concerning "doggy bags": I worked at a hotel once. There was a wedding on one night, and there was a huge volume of food leftover (regular occurrence, the amount of food wasted in the hotel and restaurant business is eye-opening). One guest caught my attention as I was clearing plates, and said "was there any chance that I could bag up all the leftovers". I said no problem. Turns out he had greyhounds, and was looking to save money by feeding them leftovers from the wedding food. I bagged up all the leftovers and gave them to him. I was happy to do it because it was destined for the bin otherwise. Btw we don't use the expression "doggy bags" over here, but in this case it literally was a case of the food going into a "doggy bag".
In many places it is illegal for a restaurant to use the leftover food in a meaningful way (e.g. feed it to animals). Personally I think this is ridiculous, but it's supposed to prevent diseases from spreading.
"In many places it is illegal for a restaurant to use the leftover food in a meaningful way" that really is ridiculous. If there's a law like that where I live, I would deliberately flout it. The developed world has massive problems dealing with waste and I'm sure there's far bigger threats to public health than feeding your dog leftovers.
There's some great business opportunities around waste. I've read about entrepreneurs using methane from rubbish dumps to fuel heating systems. Some great fortunes are made in the waste business (turning trash into cash to use a cliche). I remember reading a great article about one guy who converted his Hummer to run on leftovers that he collected from local restaurants. Not only did his "mpg" increase, but his cost of running the Hummer decreased enormously (he even brought food sometimes, put it in a blender, and used the chopped up food as fuel - still cheaper than a tank of traditional petrol/gasoline). It was the "Green Hummer" or some similarly named project if you wish to Google around.
It's not that every restaurant obeys this law. I know two pigs who eat Chinese every night, and they love it. Their owner gets it from a local restaurant.
Feeding your own dog/chickens/whatever your own leftovers is not illegal fortunately.