Who regularly shares meals

[punkin]

And lastly, Chinese food and things like that are more like a buffet and also don't really count.

I am not ignorant about Chinese food however, and eating at a Chinese buffet is not really eating Chinese food.

I am talking about a real traditional sit down Chinese restaraunt where all the Chinese people eat and share their entrees and each diner gets his own bowl of rice.

 

[frayedend]

OK. Here's my problem. A serving of meat is approximately 4 ounces, so if I order a 12 oz steak (which I never do), I can feed 3 people with it.

I also see some of you order 22 ounce porterhouse steaks. All I can say is WOW!!!. I would die having to eat a steak that size. Tell me the weight includes a VERY large bone (I know next to nothing about steaks, forgive my ignorance).

Well, the weight first off is before cooking. Secondly, the porterhouse does have a bone (it is a T-bone steak with a bit of filet mignon on one side of the T). A 16 oz prime rib at outback is boneless. And I eat it all. And I am not obese (though I could lose a few pounds). And maybe a weight watchers serving is 4 oz, but I bet you would laugh if you saw a 4 oz steak and thought it was supposed to be dinner. But everyone is different, so that's why I started this thread. I actually was gonna make it a Poll, but I messed up and it posted before I added the poll.

 

[frayedend]

I am not ignorant about Chinese food however, and eating at a Chinese buffet is not really eating Chinese food.

I am talking about a real traditional sit down Chinese restaraunt where all the Chinese people eat and share their entrees and each diner gets his own bowl of rice.

Honestly, I am ignorant when it comes to that. We have really nice Chinese restaurants around here. But usually we order Appetizers as the meat of the meal, and then rice and chow mein or something. It all gets put on the table and we all share it. It isn't a buffet, but I guess it is more Family Style. It would work the same if we ordered the Entrees instead of the Appetizers. It still isn't the type of meal I was asking about. I really wondered about places like a steakhouse. Like, how many people actually order 1 Ribeye steak that comes with one potatoe and one veggie and then they split the steak, potatoe, and veggie onto 2 plates. I just don't see people doing that.

...but maybe in Florida at the early bird dinner it is more common

 

[punkin]

Honestly, I am ignorant when it comes to that. We have really nice Chinese restaurants around here. But usually we order Appetizers as the meat of the meal, and then rice and chow mein or something. It all gets put on the table and we all share it. It isn't a buffet, but I guess it is more Family Style. It would work the same if we ordered the Entrees instead of the Appetizers. It still isn't the type of meal I was asking about. I really wondered about places like a steakhouse. Like, how many people actually order 1 Ribeye steak that comes with one potatoe and one veggie and then they split the steak, potatoe, and veggie onto 2 plates. I just don't see people doing that.

...but maybe in Florida at the early bird dinner it is more common

Here's the problem then. When you ask about sharing, you envision a huge steak with a potato-hard to share. When I answer about sharing, I see a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs or singapore mei fun-easy to share. We (your family and mine) obviously eat differently (which is great-variety is the spice of life) but we have to be on the same page when participating in a discussion.

Some people on this board (not you at all) have been rather nasty to those of us who do share, calling us all kinds of names. Frankly, I see no problem sharing with my family while you order huge steaks and refuse to share with yours.

 

[ryanally]

OK. Here's my problem. A serving of meat is approximately 4 ounces, so if I order a 12 oz steak (which I never do), I can feed 3 people with it.

I agree. That's why we Americans have a problem with obesity. No one needs a 12 ounce piece of meat that probably comes with a starch and veggie AND an appetizer AND a dessert. Our family shares outside of the World and we plan to share inside it too!

 

[bicker]

I think the size of the meal is really a red herring. The meals are that large because the cost of food ingredients is pretty small compared to the cost of actually getting a customer into a seat in a restaurant. With as expensive as things are, there is a need to project the perspective that it is you won't go hungry. If the intent was to feed a family, then the prices would be per family, and meals would be served family-style.

 

[Kellyscrapbooks]

In regards to sharing... I rarely share with my husband. We will of course have "tastes" of each others meals and he will often finish something if I get full. That being said, after I had my son I did weight watchers for a year and lost 60 pounds.In that time I learned that a "serving" of red meat is approximatly the size of a deck of cards. I never eat 1 "serving" of meat at a time and just figure it in appropriately, but a large steak is still entirely too much food for me. It is very common for me to share with my picky picky kids. Usually one gets a kids meal and one shares with me and steals a couple of fries or something from the other and we order the "sharer" a salad or side of their own. If they are really hungry, or we are somewhere that I know they will eat the meal they each get their own and we end up with leftovers.
America has a horrible obesity problem as well as hideous amounts of food waste and huge portions are partially to blame.
On vacation I probably would eat larger portions (cause I'm on vacation!) and my kids would want to eat "Disney food" so it wouldn't be an issue. We also will most likely NEVER do the dining plan so I don't think it will be an issue for us.

 

[Beckysc]

I share an entre with my DH often when we go out. Usually if we go to a Mexican resturant, we share a single order of fajitas. With the chips and salsa that is served, it is more than enough food.

Usually if we go to some where like Olive Garden or Red Lobster, it is with my in-laws and we get an appitizer for the whole table to share. DH and I will usually share a sampler platter. The portions are large enough that it's not an problem.

At Outback, he gets a steak and I get the coconut shrimp as my meal and he eats his salad and gives me the baked potato.

We don't go to really high end places.

 

[bicker]

America has a horrible obesity problem as well as hideous amounts of food waste and huge portions are partially to blame.

It's actually the lack of waste that is the problem. People had it beat into them, oftem by their mothers , that leaving food behind on their plate was a bad thing. One of the first things obesity experts teach their patients is that those mothers were wrong. You eating every last bite on your plate is not going to help starving people one iota. People have to come to grips with the fact that if there are 12 oz of steak on your plate, then there should be 8 oz of steak left when your plate is cleaned off the table.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I think that those, like you, who don't often/ever do it, do not see this as an issue, therefore don't participate on the threads/debates here. JMO.

Thank you for deciding who should post in a thread and who should not.

 

[frayedend]

It's actually the lack of waste that is the problem. People had it beat into them, oftem by their mothers , that leaving food behind on their plate was a bad thing. One of the first things obesity experts teach their patients is that those mothers were wrong. You eating every last bite on your plate is not going to help starving people one iota. People have to come to grips with the fact that if there are 12 oz of steak on your plate, then there should be 8 oz of steak left when your plate is cleaned off the table.

I have this problem. I have to finish everything. Not only that, I eat in a hurry. I think this comes from the fact that the first person done was sure to get more, so if you hurry you can have a second helping. I'm not sure about that but I do know that I won't leave anything on my plate no matter how much steak is there. I have been lucky to have a fast metabolism, but at 36 it is slowly starting to catch up with me. (but I have to say that I would never be satisfied from 4 oz of steak).

 

[mickeyfan2]

I am not ignorant about Chinese food however, and eating at a Chinese buffet is not really eating Chinese food.

I am talking about a real traditional sit down Chinese restaraunt where all the Chinese people eat and share their entrees and each diner gets his own bowl of rice.

I eat at these Chinese restaurants too, but they are served family style so sharing is the norm. The OP is talking about plated meals and those we do not share.

 

[punkin]

I eat at these Chinese restaurants too, but they are served family style so sharing is the norm. The OP is talking about plated meals and those we do not share.

Well, we do. Plated, family style, whatever. We share almost all our meals.

 

[Henlady]

Just one more "side"/opinion on portion size & sharing.
I can/will eat a 12 oz steak, however my only "side" will be some broccoli or other veggie (and my colesterol levels are very normal). I do not eat potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, heavy/sweet salad dressings or desserts. Therefore a small veggie side and the whole steak are what it takes to fill me up. So you see, it is all up to individual needs. Not all of us are the same and we have different eating habits and that does not make ANYONE a "bad guy". DH and I don't share entrees because we have different tastes, we may share an appetizer from time to time. But, heck, if you can get away with sharing 2 meals between 4 people, go for it, it's definately cheaper.

 

[Lisa_Belle]

I am not ignorant about Chinese food however, and eating at a Chinese buffet is not really eating Chinese food.

I am talking about a real traditional sit down Chinese restaraunt where all the Chinese people eat and share their entrees and each diner gets his own bowl of rice.

Well at a "real traditional" Chinese restaurant, they tend to eat more "parts" than we Americans do - namely chicken heads (don't mock me, I have photos from a "real traditional" Chinese restaurant - in China ) So no matter how much (or how little) I get, I will be more than happy to share the chicken head with anyone. Anyone? Anyone? OK, next poster, the chicken head is yours. Now THAT's the way to kill a thread

 

[punkin]

Well at a "real traditional" Chinese restaurant, they tend to eat more "parts" than we Americans do - namely chicken heads (don't mock me, I have photos from a "real traditional" Chinese restaurant - in China ) So no matter how much (or how little) I get, I will be more than happy to share the chicken head with anyone. Anyone? Anyone? OK, next poster, the chicken head is yours. Now THAT's the way to kill a thread

I've never had a chicken head, but I LOVE chicken feet. They are so gelatiny and sweet. Sorry, what were we discussing?

 

[Lewisc]

I'll sometimes share. Generally appetizers and/or desserts. Many of the appetizers are clearly designed to be shared. Look at the cheese fries and bloomin onion at Outback if you need an example. I understand restaurants aren't pricing a meal based on the cost of the food. I willingly pay any sharing fee. I've been to some restaurants that won't let customers share if they order from a special price fixed menu.

 

[LadyOmega]

Ugh....that reminds me of my husband's sister and her hubby. When we go to Outback with them, they BOTH get a Bloomin Onion, both get the largest prime rib entree available, AND both get a dessert!! And both eat the whole thing, I mean cleaning the plates!! It completely grosses me and my hubby out to sit there and watch it, which we have to do since we rarely even get one appetizer or dessert, and have a hard time finishing entrees anyway, so there's a lot of time spent waiting on them to finish......ICK!!
All this talk of differences in eating habits reminded me of that......
Anyway back to the sharing topic.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Outside the "World" we don't usually share...but it's because we never order appetizers or dessert (and normally just get water to drink). I'm afraid the DDP will have us behaving like kids in a candy store with all the options available.

 

[traviesojmt]

My DH and I do not share meals alot, but there are times that we will. At one particular restaurant, for example, we love the BBQ chicken nacho appetizer. It is huge. We order that for an appetizer and share. Then we order a chicken/ribs platter for an entree and share that as well. We are both extremely full and usually cannot finish it all. As it turns out, our bill is about the same whether we share or not. If we chose not to share, we do not get the appetizer. It wasn't until I started reading this board that I even knew that there were anti-sharers out there. I pretty much believe that when I chose to go to a restaurant to spend my money, I am at liberty to order what I would like to eat or not.