“Go Small”

I’m travelling in the US at present, and currently at the Planright Office in Michigan. Anyway, one of the most infuriating things about the US is the size of portions of food in restaurants. The other evening I ordered a “small” pizza. What I received would have been called “large”in the UK. Though I was ravenous, I could barely finish two thirds of it, and I’d forgone appetisers (starters). Worse, I was brought up learning to never waste food, and always feel somewhat guilty about leaving anything, which means I sometimes end up eating more than I need or want.

The whole issue is quite complex. There is huge competition between restaurants, and providing good value for money is one way to stay competitive. Most restaurants allow customers to box any uneaten food and take it home with them. However, I suspect that a lot of this food is wasted ( and for visitors or travellers this is often impractical).

Anyway, I have a suggestion. Rather than “going large”, I’d like to challenge a restaurant to “go small”. For this I’d get a reduced portion size, but rather than a reduction in price, I’d be happy to pay the same amount, and the restaurant made a small contribution to charity. Their costs will be lower, so they’re not losing money, I would no longer feel overwhelmed by the size of the portions, and I’d actually feel pretty good about the charity bit.

This would be good for the consumer, good for charity and potentially offer a restaurant a competitive edge over its peers. And it would also be good for the environment – growing food which is cooked but never eaten is an obscene waste of resources.

Obviously the charity would need to be something non-controversial to avoid offending customers (WaterAid is one of my favourites from this perspective)

Any better ideas?