The Challenge / Trivialities

[skorpionuk]

I was going to start this edit with "I've just got back from lunch", but as it turns out, I've actually been back at my desk for about half an hour. Curses to K8 and Michelle, your emails take up all my time ;-)
Anyway, I had lunch with luctamina, and it were ace. We ended up having a really excellent and useful conversation, and as a result of it, I now

Comments

[stiggle]

The problem with leaving food is that the UK throws away about 40% of the produce we buy/grow as spoilt & wasted food. Its a condition of the "more is better" mentality. Everyone seems to think that bigger portions is somehow better. Leave a larger portion and ask them to bag it up for the dog.

[kekhmet]

In the US, where huge portions are the norm, taking home your leftovers is also the norm.
Which gives me an idea for a really good way to learn portion control...
try to leave enough of various foods that are compatible with being eaten (together or separately) as leftovers later to make for a real addition to a later meal.

[kekhmet]

(which is something I've always done, but I never thought about it from the POV of intentionally doing it as away to eat less at a given meal - more as a way to have food for later. Being poor for so many bits of my life == just tossing food unless it's really *yeuuck* bothers me)

[skorpionuk]

Good points also! And that might help with restaurant meals.

Part of the problem for me is that I don't like making a fuss, so asking for things to be bagged up may be hard for me. Won't know till I try, though!

[simon_exile]

that is a frankly stupid idea :)

the real challenge is to cook/buy just the right amount such that you neither have to leave any, nor waste any.

[skorpionuk]

Well, yes, that would be ideal; however, it doesn't always work out that way, so it's a case of figuring out how to behave for all sub-ideal situations :-)

[skorpionuk]

Fine; doesn't deal with eating out, does not get anyone out of the "must clear plate" mindset, either.

If you only ever eat as much as you need, then congratulations, well done. Wendy and I had a bit of a lightbulb moment when we realised that we both eat for reasons other than hunger, namely, because it's been drilled into us that we must clear our plates, and therefore over-eat. Maybe this could be something that contributes to our weight issues (maybe not, but you know, no way to know until we try it, right?). In my case, my sister was a faddy eater when a child, and so she was self-limiting in what she'd eat, whereas I would eat everything, and it didn't matter how large the portion was.

[strangelover]

I rarely managed to finish my plate when living in London, now that I live in Greece it is simply an Impossible Task, so I've taken to ordering starters only and it's still a struggle.

[minnietheminx]

"Every time you have a meal ... leave something at the end, even if it's just a pea."
I always leave the peas, peas are the spawn of satan.
Can I add 'no peas' to my dietary requirements please.