Portion sizes in pubs and restaurants-why are they so big?

[AlternativelyWired]

Unless of course it's somewhere very fancy.
Inspired by the calories on menus threads I was wondering why portions are so big. One place we go to does a children's pizza, chips and peas. This is just short of 900 calories. It's a Chicago town style pizza with a large handful of chips and a portion of peas. Even the adult menu has very little that's below 800 calories. Starters to share (for two people) are over 1000 calories. Some of the meat 'challenges' are over 4000 calories each! Why?
Surely if portion sizes were smaller or rather, appropriate, this would be better than stating calorie values and would help avoid food waste. Food waste induces a lot of guilt in me, and the calories do too as a former anorexic, and although eating out is a treat that we don't do often, I don't want a huge plateful of food that I won't be able to finish. I think the meat challenges are obscene but that might be my eating disordered and veggie brain speaking.
Why are pizzas so big? And burgers? Over 1000 calories for a burger and that's without the chips.
Could places offer small portions? Although even the seniors menu is a larger than normal portion.
I don't particularly want to know the calories of the dishes on offer but I do want a choice of smaller portions rather than contributing to food waste.
And while I'm at it, what happened to sandwiches on menus? In the 80s and 90s everywhere we went had a sandwich section with egg mayonnaise, prawn mayonnaise, beef, ham, cheddar ploughman's and now sandwiches don't seem to exist except in cafés. A nice sandwich with a salad garnish and maybe a handful of crisps. My mum would be so happy if they came back. And omelettes.
Bring back proper plates, the ones we had in the 80s not the huge ones we have now.

@VanGoghsDog sure, just search for the half dozen threads on the subject from this week.

" Having a huge arse on" = being really cross about, nothing to do with the size of your arse. Or maybe you were being facetious. Sorry, couldn't tell.

Restaurants should give people the choice of how much food they want to order.
You mean like a menu, with different options on it?

At the moment they have no choice, they are forced into ordering massive portions and either eating too much or wasting food, both of which are wrong.
Most decent pub menus will have a selection of sandwiches, side dishes like chips, hearty meals like fish and chips, burgers, pies, etc, a salad, starters etc, and rarely have I seen a rule that says you can’t just order a starter, or split a main course. No one’s forced to do anything. There’s even the option of not going to the pub!

@SmallPrawnEnergy (apt user name) I forgot that.

But imagine having conniptions over something you can simply ask to have changed.

@ANUsernam

Sorry, but this sounds to me like your eating disorder talking. What's wrong with an 800-900cal meal?

In general women are recommended to eat around 2000cals a day and men 2500. Even if you split your calories evenly across the day that would be around 670cals per meal for women, and 830 cals per meal for men.

Most people in my experience don't do that, they have smaller breakfasts/lunches - personally my breakfasts and lunches are normally 400-500cals. Leaving me at least 1000cals for dinner (or if I were eating out for lunch I'd just switch and have a light meal later).

@ANUsernam

2000 cals a day is too much unless you’re exercising a lot which in the uk with the sedentary work and life styles most of us are forced into, don’t. 800-900 cal meals are therefore excessive.

[quote LuckySantangelo35]@VanGoghsDog

“ I like a big meal”

Why exactly?[/quote]
Who knows?

I like lots of things and I can't exactly tell you WHY I like them.

I'm not overweight nor do I have an eating disorder if that's what you're trying to get at.

@Porcupineintherough

It's strange how many protest they are fine with eating a huge restaurant portions every now and then "as a treat" but also have a huge arse on about calories being printed on menus.

We eat food in this country that is impossible to pass as healthy unless you eat a very small amount of it. It doesn't need to be a huge portion, if I wanted to eat a "healthy" amount of restaurant pizza it would basically be a slice. I think it would be quite ridiculous to suggest anything more than a single slice of pizza is a "huge" portion.

The truth is a lot of the food is just unhealthy, so we don't really want or need calorie counters reminding us of that unless we want to just stop eating out.

Maybe what the 'rest of the week' poster is failing to mention is that her and her daughter went to eat out on a Saturday night!

Ask for a doggy bag.
" Oh no, that's what the Americans do, next thing we will be talking American, wearing jeans, watching American programmes as we sup pepsi or coke. We used to have an Empire, damme"

Aye we used to have an Hippodrome, Roxy and Goumont too - as we say in Yorkshire.

[quote Porcupineintherough]@VanGoghsDog sure, just search for the half dozen threads on the subject from this week.

" Having a huge arse on" = being really cross about, nothing to do with the size of your arse. Or maybe you were being facetious. Sorry, couldn't tell.[/quote]
You made the assertion, you need to back it up.

Your assertion was that the same posters who like large meals are complaining about calories being shown on menus. Let's see then?

@VanGoghsDog

No not implying either of those things. Just intrigued as to why someone would like a big meal as in one that’s objectively a big portion and more than they need or really want. Most people would find it a little over facing. Is it about feeling your getting value for money or something? Some people do prefer quantity over quality

You keep referring to your size when its not about that. Also people can be slim and really unhealthy, lots of fat around liver etc. Not that I’m saying you are.

*“ I like a big meal”

Why exactly?*

My response would be "I suppose you're looking for an answer more sophisticated than "because occasionally, I do".

Doesn't make her a bad person for goodness sake.

@100problems

*“ I like a big meal”

Why exactly?*

My response would be "I suppose you're looking for an answer more sophisticated than "because occasionally, I do".

Doesn't make her a bad person for goodness sake.

@100problems

Who said it made her a bad person?

[quote LuckySantangelo35]@VanGoghsDog

No not implying either of those things. Just intrigued as to why someone would like a big meal as in one that’s objectively a big portion and more than they need or really want. Most people would find it a little over facing. Is it about feeling your getting value for money or something? Some people do prefer quantity over quality

You keep referring to your size when its not about that. Also people can be slim and really unhealthy, lots of fat around liver etc. Not that I’m saying you are.[/quote]
I don't "keep referring" to my size at all.

I've always been a big eater. Always ate more than most people. So if I go out to eat and get a small portion I am still hungry. So I like a large portion. I can leave some of a large portion. I can't eat more of a small portion.

I don't force feed myself food I can't eat. I didn't have pudding out at lunch yesterday and only ate one of the two hunks of bread served as "nibbles" (weird nibbles, wedge of heavy bread, but anyway).

Because huge people want huge portions. People have in my opinion really lost the plot when it comes to portion size and it's link to obesity.

@100problems

*“ I like a big meal”

Why exactly?*

My response would be "I suppose you're looking for an answer more sophisticated than "because occasionally, I do".

Doesn't make her a bad person for goodness sake.

Quite. It feels very judgemental to be asked WHY you like something.

Remember ladies, enjoying food is bad and you shouldn't let yourself catch the scent of cooking more than once a week or you'll get stuffed full of all those evil calories in the air.

@Joystir59

Because huge people want huge portions. People have in my opinion really lost the plot when it comes to portion size and it's link to obesity.

There ya go!

Outright saying people who like food are fat. Charming.

It's perceived value, something like chips is relatively cheap and bulks out a meal- often the quantity is perceived as good value for money without adding much in terms of nutritional value. Also its easier to store and 'cook' certain foods, most of which are calorific in pub kitchens.

@VanGoghsDog

“ I've always been a big eater. Always ate more than most people. So if I go out to eat and get a small portion I am still hungry. So I like a large portion. I can leave some of a large portion. I can't eat more of a small portion.”

Fair enough.

But you can’t be surprised when you see on the new menus that your big portions contain a lot of Calories.

And lots of people who eat like you do have a weight problem. People who eat more than everyone else and who tend to eat big portion will generally weigh more than everyone else and be bigger than everyone else too. It’s simple cause and effect. Which isn’t good for their health or public health.

@CheesusWept

I always ask the restaurant to box up the leftovers and then that does me and DD for dinners for the rest of the week.

and i presume you have those with the chicken that lasts you a fortnight yes?

@VanGoghsDog

Because huge people want huge portions. People have in my opinion really lost the plot when it comes to portion size and it's link to obesity.
There ya go!

Outright saying people who like food are fat. Charming.”

She’s not saying that at all is she?

People who like huge portions generally are overweight, yes. Surely you understand that?

I happily ask to take the rest of my meal home. I say it's very good but too much for me at the moment so I want to enjoy the rest later. They're always pleased about it. Indeed, one pub owner told me he does the same.

But you can’t be surprised when you see on the new menus that your big portions contain a lot of Calories.

And lots of people who eat like you do have a weight problem. People who eat more than everyone else and who tend to eat big portion will generally weigh more than everyone else and be bigger than everyone else too. It’s simple cause and effect. Which isn’t good for their health or public health.

I'm perfectly aware of what calories are in things. I don't need to see them on menus, and haven't been anywhere that does that, but of course I won't be surprised how many calories are in things. I never said I would.

Also, your second paragraph belies your earlier post. You do assume it's fat people who like big portions. I'd say it was unconscious bias but I suspect you're fully conscious of it and pull your judgy pants right up and clutch your pearls any time you see an overweight person eat a chip.

I get the leftovers boxed up and they last DD and I for the rest of the month.

Yabu. Every pub has sandwiches near me and you get salad and a few crisps with it and you can order chips separately. You go out ad a treat, not every day.