# Huge American portion size: Fact or Myth? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 12, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689 "2006-01-12T18:08:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/81 "2006-01-16T16:32:31Z")
> [@Necros](#): > > The meatloaf at Cheesecake Factory? Not even three normal Americans could, or would want to, finish that of. Ditto the chicken and dumplings with country gravy. Only a true _gourmand_ like me can polish that off and have room for cheesecake. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/82 "2006-01-16T16:56:14Z")
As I understand it, a big part of the difference between American and European weights can be traced back to what we have for breakfast. Americans ahve cereal and milk. Europeans have cigarettes and coffee. Ain’t no diet food like a cigarette! I eat out fairly often here in the states, at least once a week. Most of the time, I end up taking food home, having enough for a meal the next day. I’ve got some pizza sitting in the fridge at home; lunch yesterday was leftover vegetable paella. However, when I eat fried food (fish and chips, say), I end up trying to eat most of it: you can’t take fried food home with you unless you want to eat concentrated nasty, and I don’t want to eat concentrated nasty. I therefore don’t eat fried food very much. I rarely order soda with a schmancy meal, but it does go well with a fried meal, and it also works well with sandwiches, if I’m not having coffee. At lunches, I’ll often have a diet soda: we Americans don’t usually have alcohol at lunchtime. Being semi-vegetarian may help: the double-cheese-baconburger isn’t on my list of acceptable foods. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Canadiangirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Canadiangirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadiangirl)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/83 "2006-01-16T16:56:57Z")
As a Canadian visiting friends in U.S. often, there are distinct differences. I’m not saying it applies to all but to use rough fridge content from last visit examples and, believe me, I’m not health food nut: my fridge: milk, orange juice, pear juice, one bottle of pepsi (to mix with hubby’s rye when he comes home from work, just one), head of lettuce, bag of carrots, cheese, oranges, grapefruit We drink 2-3 glasses of milk with dinner and juice at least twice per day, on the weekends. my friend’s fridge: small carton milk, pepsi, coke, orange blended drink mix, iced tea, packaged sliced cheese, three bags of cookies, and one entire section of door shelves allocated to pop (soda) of some kind. She drinks 5-6 sodas per day along with several glasses of iced tea. Milk is seldom served at dinner, mostly sodas and iced tea. We also notice a distinct different in meal contents: her, mostly casseroles containing packaged or canned foods along with many cookie jars, out and full, all the time. We tend to have 2-3 meatless meals a week, fresh vegetables at least twice, salad once or twice, the closest I’ve got to packaged, prepared food is soup two nights ago. We’ve checked the prices in the grocery store there and it doesn’t seem to be that much higher than ours. In fact, packaged, prepared foods are often more expensive than fresh, both here and there. I don’t know if this is true everywhere, but certainly is in our experience. lifestyles are similar; she works in office, he is tradesman. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not criticizing, simply observing. ---
**Author:** ![Canadiangirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Canadiangirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadiangirl)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/84 "2006-01-16T17:02:56Z")
As a Canadian visiting friends in U.S. often, there are distinct differences. I’m not saying it applies to all but to use rough fridge content from last visit examples and, believe me, I’m not health food nut: my fridge: milk, orange juice, pear juice, one bottle of pepsi (to mix with hubby’s rye when he comes home from work, just one), head of lettuce, bag of carrots, cheese, oranges, grapefruit We drink 2-3 glasses of milk with dinner and juice at least twice per day, on the weekends. my friend’s fridge: small carton milk, pepsi, coke, orange blended drink mix, iced tea, packaged sliced cheese, three bags of cookies, and one entire section of door shelves allocated to pop (soda) of some kind. She drinks 5-6 sodas per day along with several glasses of iced tea. Milk is seldom served at dinner, mostly sodas and iced tea. We also notice a distinct different in meal contents: her, mostly casseroles containing packaged or canned foods along with many cookie jars, out and full, all the time. We tend to have 2-3 meatless meals a week, fresh vegetables at least twice, salad once or twice, the closest I’ve got to packaged, prepared food is soup two nights ago. We’ve checked the prices in the grocery store there and it doesn’t seem to be that much higher than ours. In fact, packaged, prepared foods are often more expensive than fresh, both here and there. I don’t know if this is true everywhere, but certainly is in our experience. lifestyles are similar; she works in office, he is tradesman. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not criticizing, simply observing. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/85 "2006-01-16T17:03:24Z")
My fridge is something like this: Cranberry juice, orange juice, and tomato juice (the first for mixing with seltzer and/or rum, the second for drinking, the third for making soups) Seltzer (for mixed drinks or straight) Skim milk Half-and-half Heavy cream (I keep meaning to make caramel sauce with it–something I make once or twice a year, and lasts us for a month or so) Pickles Scallions Parsley Ginger, half an onion, and garlic Blocks of cheddar and parmesan Butter A little bit of hummus Tahini (for making more hummus) Leftover pizza A lot of condiments (mustards, oils, hot sauces, horseradish, etc.) A third of a bottle of syrupy blackberry wine that someone brought to a party and that I keep meaning to finish off mixed with seltzer and cranberry juice, or else throw away ---
**Author:** ![Canadiangirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Canadiangirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadiangirl)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/86 "2006-01-16T17:13:53Z")
Sorry for the double post - also something else I’ve noticed, that you tend to get more fatty foods in restaurants there. my favourite place to visit there is Eat N Park (sp?). they have a great breakfast buffet and I can eat whatever I want. But, for example, on our breakfast buffet in our town (can you tell breakfast is my fave), we have fresh fruits, whole wheat, rye bread, lots of salads, etc. Eat N Park has sausage gravy(?), lots of sweet things, pancakes, syrups, cereals like Fruit Loops, etc. Now, my two faves on the Eat N Park is fried sausage patties (which we don’t get here) and their porridge! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/87 "2006-01-16T17:17:01Z")
> [@Canadiangirl](#): > > lots of salads, etc. For breakfast? Blech… ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/88 "2006-01-16T17:18:16Z")
I think a lot of the large portions are because many of us are going to a one meal a day system. At least in IT I notice it. Most guys either skip lunch, or grab a little yougurt or a small bag of chips from the vending machine, then eat a huge ass dinner after work. Or go and eat a double whopper for lunch, then work late, go home and collapse in front of the TV. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/89 "2006-01-16T18:33:27Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > … but I just read that Splenda is two molecules of sucrose and three molecules of chlorine (closer to pesticide than salt they say), and that’s reason enough for me to avoid it. That’s a silly reason to avoid something. To paraphrase a wit from a different thread, cheese is one molecule away from cynanide, if you add a cyanide molecule. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/90 "2006-01-16T18:37:01Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > [Moderator Underoos on]If you wish to debate the merits/demerits of artificial sweeteners, do so elsewhere(Great Debates comes to mind).[/Moderator Underoos on] Whoops, sorry. :o ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/91 "2006-01-16T21:24:43Z")
What, a talk about large portions in American restaurants and nobody’s mentioned [Claim Jumper](http://www.claimjumper.com/) yet? The restaurants where the portions are super-\*duper-\*sized by default, and the potatoes are bigger than a child’s head? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689/92 "2006-01-16T21:39:20Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > What, a talk about large portions in American restaurants and nobody’s mentioned [Claim Jumper](http://www.claimjumper.com/) yet? The restaurants where the portions are super-\*duper-\*sized by default, and the potatoes are bigger than a child’s head? Hmmm. Illinois isn’t _that_ far from Vermont. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-american-portion-size-fact-or-myth/339689.md?page=4)