I met with a friend over a drink. My friend asked the bar attendant about their glass sizes and then ordered a beverage in a small-size glass. "Oh we only do that in a 400ml size" was the bar attendant's reply.
Like me you were probably taught as a kid to eat everything on your plate. "The poor starving kids in Africa would appreciate it", was often the response if we grumbled. Especially when we were dining as guests in someone else's home we were expected to eat everything put in front of us. It would be rude not to. I do think that it is appropriate to teach our children this when we are the ones controlling the type of food served and the portion size, but there is a time and a place....
In the Documentary, "That Sugar Film" Damon Gameau takes viewers to America to demonstrate the problem there with portion control with all their jumbo and up-sized serving options. While the problem seems to be worse in America it's going on here in Australia too. The traditional Aussie Pub meal with a steak or schnitzel that fills the whole plate, and it seems we consider it quite "macho" for men at least, to consume such a big meal! Then when those "macho men" dine at a much fancier restaurant where the portion sizes are far more sensible because the focus is on quality, not quantity, (but for some reason they serve the meals on huge plates?) they can be heard saying, "Where's the other half?" Yes, you know who you are!
In Michael Pollan's Documentary "In Defense of Food" based on his book of the same title, they conducted an experiment where they gathered a group of people together for a smorgasbord meal. After everyone had served themselves suddenly they were stopped. An excuse was made about the food. I don't remember exactly what that was but they brought out more food and asked everyone to serve themselves again. This time the plates supplied were smaller. When everyone had returned to their seats for the second time, their attention was drawn to the lesser amount of food they had each served themselves when given a smaller plate.
Getting back to the bar attendant who told my friend that her chosen beverage could only be served in a 400ml size; it's not the bar attendant's fault. There is probably only a charge code on the register for the one size of that beverage. But this is part of what makes it difficult for us to control portion sizes.
When I go out to a restaurant I tend to feel obliged to eat everything on my plate. It probably stems from what I learned growing up but also because I, or someone I am dining with, is paying for the meal and it would be wasteful not to.
But my thinking is changing. I want to control what I put into my body, so now I give myself permission not to eat everything on my plate if it means that I am going to stuff myself silly to do so.
Until we can change the culture of the food service industry, we need to be bold and ask for alterations to a meal, ask for a smaller serving, even if it means still paying full price, and feel comfortable about leaving some food on our plate if it's too much.
Sources:
"That Sugar Film" http://thatsugarfilm.com/film/watch-now/
"In Defense of Food" http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/in-defense-of-food/m
Until we can change the culture of the food service industry, we need to be bold and ask for alterations to a meal, ask for a smaller serving, even if it means still paying full price, and feel comfortable about leaving some food on our plate if it's too much.
Sources:
"That Sugar Film" http://thatsugarfilm.com/film/watch-now/
"In Defense of Food" http://www.pbs.org/food/shows/in-defense-of-food/m
~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~
This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.
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