To ask for a half slice of cake?

[GretaGip]

Ive got disordered eating, sometimes eating something with no low nutritional value (but plenty of pleasure) will start me off on a binge.

I'd done slimming world and lost a lot of weight but am now in the sad position of having put half of it back on.

So im trying a different approach. Using my fitness pal im slowly losing 1 pound a week. Currently 14 down since November.

I bloody love cake. The conception, construction, the aesthetic, and to a lesser degree, the consumption.

Quite often im happy just looking at cakes and have no yearning to eat them, intellectually I know there's better calories out there. I don't feel deprived.

Occasionally I just really really want cake. It's hormonal im sure. So I have some, but want it to be controlled.

I tend to share with very accommodating friends. This will be considered in my calories for the day.

I'm in a lovely cafe on my own and really fancied cake, so I asked for half, and said I was happy to pay full price.

The staff member gave the impression that they thought I was very odd.

Wibu to ask?

@GretaGip

Just wanted to ask all those saying your preference is smaller portions.

Have you ever NOT bought a slice because it was too big?

If cafes realised they were losing out on revenue because their portions were overwhelming, maybe they'd start to offer half sizes and increase sales?

Absolutely! In fact probably most times I enter a cafe. I look at the cakes and think "oooh, lovely, I fancy one of those", then look at the portion size and think "bloody hell, no way could I eat something that huge!" so I don't.

I literally never go to cafes, I don’t drink hot drinks and I rarely eat shop bought cake.
But I can’t imagine for a minute that it’s putting anyone out to just cut a slice of cake in half - give you the half you want and dispose of the other half however they like.
It might not be a daily request in their shop but it’s not difficult in any way. Op was paying full price, she didn’t want a discount.
Mil sometimes takes my dc somewhere and they stop for cake. The cafe there does a ‘slim slice’ so that people can have half a slice for less money. Dc always have a full slice but mil has the half.
She likes that cafe and goes there most often because they offer the option, there’s less waste and it’s just the right amount for her.
Op the cakes in your photo look delicious and I’d have gone for the raspberry filled macaroon looking thing!
I think I might have to make a cake tomorrow.

I have never worked in a place where half a slice of cake or any other pre-set portion of something, reduced before it is sent out to the customer, would not be consumed by staff or sold to someone else in some way.

In the pub I portered at this happened a lot, we had a lot of older visitors who couldn't manage a full portion.

Half a portion of chips, a single slice of beef instead of two, half a slice of cake - all no problem.

The paid for yet un-served chips, beef etc would stay in the bain marie trays/on the joint.

Desserts were pre-portioned but a half slice of cake would likely be fought over by kitchen staff along with any other left over yet unserved food.

No one is chucking perfectly good food that hasn't been out to a customer, in the bin.

YANBU at all. Cake slices seem to get bigger and bigger. If you buy a slice of cake to have with morning coffee, it isn't supposed to replace lunch!

I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all.

Is it any different to ordering a full cooked breakfast but asking “no mushrooms”??

I imagine it's an unusual request, rather than a 'wrong' one. As you are paying full price no problem.
My sister who had anorexia as a teen doesn't trust herself (50 years later) and only buys those single serving cereals or one small pastry. She keeps hardly any food at home.
I'm using MFP too and I can't have any tempting food in the house otherwise it's in my stomach!

The 'hardship' is in making custom requests to a staff member who might not know what to do with it. Does this person want a 50% discount? Do they want the other half boxed up for them? Is their friend coming along shortly to buy the other half? well if they'd listened, as I'm sure they did, Op told them she wanted to pay full price for half cake and didn't want the other half. If understanding that (after confirming with the customer) and either binning it or asking boss if they can eat it is beyond them, I imagine they're struggling in the job anyway. What happens when someone doesn't want butter with their tea cake or wants an extra shot of coffee in their latte or a cup of hot water instead of tea?

Is my boss going to come along and ask why I sold half a slice of cake to that woman and charged her full price? if their boss won't listen when they say it's what she asked, I confirmed it's what she wanted but she def only wanted a smaller slice of cake and then punishes them I doubt that's the only issue they're having in their job and their boss sounds like a dick

It makes that minimum wage person's job just a teeny bit harder. and it makes the customers life a lot easier. That is how the service industry runs right. I don't fetch my own coffee cake in Starbucks cos it'll make the servers life easier. I don't order whatever the chef likes to cook too name hours life easier. It's a small amendment that any cafe should be capable and happy to make

@singme

I don’t think you are being unreasonable at all.

Is it any different to ordering a full cooked breakfast but asking “no mushrooms”??

According to some on here, that must be totally unreasonable And the chef is left in the back rocking and sobbing over what to do with the mushrooms

I rarely have cake when out as I don't need or want a huge slab for £5 or so, and half a slice for £3 would be far more tempting.

I realised a long time ago that surplus food is as wasted being stored on my hips and butt as it is ending up in the bin. I don't eat more than I need/ enjoy and that keeps me at a sensible weight with little need to conciously manage my weight in a restrictive way.

OP's request was sensible and easily managed.

@Thethreecs

Once you're paying for full slice I wouldn't give it any more thought about what they think. They'll probably be delighted to have the other half themselves. You should come live in Ireland, the cake portions are tiny here. 😂

I'm in England, in the SE, cake portions are small here too, they be struggling to cut a piece in half!

@GretaGip. As you had so many options, why didn't you go for one of the ones with smaller pieces?

Cake here NE is generally grim, too sweet and tasteless. Shame because I loves me some cake

I might have been slightly confused by your request and worried that I misunderstood. If you'd explained that you're on a diet, then the request would have made much more sense to me (but I also fully understand that you might not want to share that info).