The doggiebag is not for the doggies<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): When Mrs. Susilo went to a Chinese restaurant in
\nAmsterdam in the early 1980s, she was served so much food that
\nshe could not finished it. Just as she was contemplating what a
\nwaste it was, another tourist walked in and she offered the food
\nto him. The tourist was very happy and when the waitress came to
\ntake his order, he just asked for a glass of beer. The waitress
\nscolded Mrs. Susilo and said that she had robbed her of business.<\/p>\n
\"But why did you serve us so much food?\" asked Mrs. Susilo.
\n\"You saw that there were only two people eating but you gave us
\nan order for six.\"<\/p>\n
The waitress told her that all the portions were that big,
\nthey don't have orders for just two people. \"You could have taken
\nit home, we would have been happy to wrap it for you.\"<\/p>\n
\"Take it home?\" Mrs. Susilo said, insulted. \"Who do you think
\nwe are, to take leftover food home? We don't do that in Indonesia
\nand, besides, we are not from here, we leave for the United
\nStates tomorrow and we are not allowed to bring food there.\"<\/p>\n
Whereupon the waitress, not being able to communicate further,
\nbanged plates and crockery on the table for the tourist. Mrs.
\nSusilo left but when she saw a shabbily dressed man outside the
\nrestaurant rummaging in the waste bin, she thought that she
\nshould have asked for the food to be wrapped so she could give it
\nto the poor man.<\/p>\n
While she was in the U.S., Mrs. Susilo's daughter ordered a
\nmeal for two at a Chinese restaurant and, again, the portions
\nwere so big there was still a lot left over. To her dismay, Mrs.
\nSusilo noticed that her daughter asked for a doggie bag. A big
\nargument followed but her daughter explained that it was the
\npolicy of the restaurants to serve big meals, to be able to cover
\noperation costs.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Susilo was even more surprised when the waiter came back
\nwith a bag with \"doggie bag\" printed on it and, as if to console
\nthem, some extra fortune cookies on top. When they walked through
\nthe tables to go home, she looked around to see whether people
\nwere staring at them but her daughter carried the bag as if she
\nhad 101 Dalmatians at home.<\/p>\n
\"For us students this is quite practical because it saves us
\ncooking at least one meal. After all, we have paid for it, should
\nwe just allow them to throw it away?\"<\/p>\n
After that Mrs. Susilo was converted, especially nowadays that
\ntaking leftover food home has become quite common in Indonesia.
\nShe even tries to persuade everyone else to take home the food
\nthey can't finish, as if she was the one who invented the doggie
\nbag. When she had a party at her home she had plastic boxes and
\nbags ready to wrap any food the guests wanted to take home.<\/p>\n
\"Caterers always think that people eat a lot, but in fact they
\ndon't anymore. Everybody is weight conscious and that is why
\nhostesses are left with a lot of food,\" she says. \"So, please,
\nhelp me by taking some home. It is also good for the environment\"<\/p>\n
Now that the doggie bag has gone global, restaurants in
\nIndonesia also stock plastic bags and boxes to wrap up the food.
\nThe nicest part about it is that they don't call it doggie bag or
\nda bao (wrap it) like in Hong Kong, they just call it \"take out\",
\nas if you have bought freshly cooked food.<\/p>\n
However, people still seem to be a little contrite carrying a
\nbag from a restaurant and may find excuses like: \"My son has
\nexams so he could not be here\".<\/p>\n
But the nicest excuse I have ever heard is: \"This is for my
\ncook, so she will know how good food should taste\".<\/p>\n
-- Myra Sidharta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-doggiebag-is-not-for-the-doggies-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }