Do you eat all you order or take at the buffet?

[ottmar]

Just curious. We are old people from Europe now living in the US and see so much food waste. There are kids portions on the menu but when we walk through the buffet and see the enormous plates of uneaten food being cleared by the staff, my wife has a fit despite my telling her that wasting food by ordering everything and only eating what tastes best is what cruising is all about since doing that in a restaurant on land would break the bank, it is the opportunity to do it for free.

[caribbean dreams]

I also always see the plates piles high with food and wonder how they will ever eat it all.

If there is something i want to try, i just take 1 spoonful of it, if i like it, i go back and eat more.

Although i do agree, if there is any place to pile your plate, it is a cruise ship.

[kakalina]

I also will generally try a "taste" of interesting things, especially something new. I have never been able to eat a lot at one sitting anyway, I am more of a nibbler. Except for lobster night, that is the exception to the less is more rule.

[ma_in_ak]

I hate wasting food, so as long as it tastes good, I always try to eat what I take. Although sometimes my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I think that is the problem a lot of people have - everything looks so good and they want some of everything and they just take too much of it all.

[okiemom]

Something can look so good on the buffet but when you taste it, it is awful. I'm not going to eat something that has no flavor or too much salt etc... I don't want to waste but sometimes you just can eat the food because of taste (for me anyway). I don't personally take a bunch but I sure if you add everyones little portions up it would be big.:eek:

[celbercrz333]

I don't know about cruise ships, but I saw a program on tv about how the leftover food in Las Vegas from all the restaurants gets sent to a pig farmer who boils it and does things to it and feeds his pigs! How's that for not wasting? Of course, cruise ships have their own ways of disposing of everything on board. I just don't know how they use leftover food....I have NEVER seen a pig on board!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Ok, I know at least one person has something to reply to that!!)

[Lovethe water]

I read somewhere the other day that leftover edible food is thrown overboard for the fish to eat.

[Twice_a_year]

eat what you take. Is the old Army saying.

 

We try to stay away from the buffets and order a single serving in the dinning room.

 

But, damn, those buffets are oh soooooo good.

[u4ea]

I also eat all I take. However, they just dispose of the leftovers, I don't mean just what is left on someones plate, all of it goes to the incinerator. It's sad:(, but from the buisness point of view, it's not much of a loss. With a big food operation, it doesn't cost much per plate/person. My guess, like $5-$10 per person per day or like 10% of the base fare (mainstream lines). It's not practical for them to be frugal with leftovers.

Shouldn't be surprising though, there is a lot of waisting in the (Western) world.

I try not to think about it when I'm on a cruise;)

 

Mark....

[Sally Forth]

With a lot of people, it's just laziness. They don't want to go back through the line and they don't want to take a chance on not being full.

 

You'd think we'd all lived through wars, famines, and plagues and had to vow, like Scarlett O'Hara, that we'd never be hungry again!

 

 

Viv

[Spikesgirl]

I think a lot of it has to do with the 'more is better' attitude of people these days. Like so many here, i am always careful to only take what I want and eat all of it. Not cleaning my plate wasn't an option growing up, nor was not eating something because it tasted funny. If it hit the plate, I ate it.

 

Waste not, want not was my Dad's battle cry and more people on cruise ships would do well to operate by that a little more.

 

Charlie

[memphislonghorn]

I am a picky eater, so I only take what I know I like. I will take a bite of new things to try them, but not enough so as to waste it. My favorite new food discovered on a cruise is roast lamb with mint jelly. Mannnn, its gooooood!!!

[vacation luvver]

I have always cruised solo, and the problem with buffets when you are alone is that if you realize that you forgot to take a spoon, or you want seconds or another glass of water, you can't get up and go back to the buffet, or else when you get back to your table, you'll find out that all of your food was taken away. I have learned to be very careful about taking enough silverware, and sometimes I take too much food to avoid the problem of not being able to go back for seconds.

[sultan_sfo]

Although I travel with others, quite often I am alone in the buffet. And I have also faced that problem of instant vanishing of my plate! But as a general rule, the buffet area is so crowded that I end up joining some others at a larger table. And DW and I often join a single person (with permission) just to chat. /Sultan

 

 

I have always cruised solo, and the problem with buffets when you are alone is that if you realize that you forgot to take a spoon, or you want seconds or another glass of water, you can't get up and go back to the buffet, or else when you get back to your table, you'll find out that all of your food was taken away. I have learned to be very careful about taking enough silverware, and sometimes I take too much food to avoid the problem of not being able to go back for seconds.

[andrea63]

I don't know about cruise ships, but I saw a program on tv about how the leftover food in Las Vegas from all the restaurants gets sent to a pig farmer who boils it and does things to it and feeds his pigs! How's that for not wasting? Of course, cruise ships have their own ways of disposing of everything on board. I just don't know how they use leftover food....I have NEVER seen a pig on board!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Ok, I know at least one person has something to reply to that!!)

 

I saw the same show also! The cruise lines are pretty good at reusing food. It starts out as prime rib and ends up as taco meat, or some other filler. As far as the left overs on plates, I think that is just a part of cruising and human nature!

[0ldog]

I grew up with the words "Finish your supper, there are millions of starving people in China who would want that." and "Clean your plate or no dessert."

 

I still follow those suggestions today.

[CorbinCatFan]

Usually always finish what I get on the buffet but I take small portions on a cruise. By the end of the cruise, I can't believe that I will ever be hungry again.

[suezyq50]

I like to try new things from the buffet, therefore I take bites. I usually have DH finish my dining room foods. I hate to see waste, but than again not good to see it on the waist.

 

Hey CorbinCatFan: Lived in Corbin for 6 yrs. Had a DS and DD graduate from CHS. DS, DDIL, and DGS still live there.

[Wait&SeeMom]

I always think "Only take what I will eat" when I go through the buffet line, knowing I can go back again if I am still hungry. I take what looks amazing and what I'd love to try. I don't like to waste food.

 

However, once I sit down to eat, I try to remember that "I'd rather it go to waste, than go to my waist". If I'm not hungry I stop eating. I don't want to gain 10 pounds when on a cruise.

 

I try to teach my 12 year old the same principals (ie. Don't waste food by taking too much, but don't force yourself to eat things you don't like, or once you are full). My hubby & I have been on one cruise so far. We leave for our first cruise with our daughter in 5 days (she doesn't know about it yet!! SURPRISE!!) We'll see how we do with the buffets...

[klct39lg]

As others have said, I take small amounts of food and eat what I take... unless I absolutely don't like it. I only get seconds of something that I really love (like the fruit tarts at the Princess buffet :D ).

[WKM]

klct39lg

Husband got his degree at IU. Lived in Bloomington for a year. Nice town. Beautiful Campus.

 

I usually go for the soups and salads... .. ..Hamburgers and fries :rolleyes: but have found not to pile up. You can always go back if your still hungrey.

Going on the Princess in March where did you say those fruit tarts are?

[klct39lg]

I just graduated from IU last month, woohoo! I was a "nontraditional" student which translates to "old".

The tarts are usually at the buffet during lunch. They have a nice cookie crust with some sort of custard filling topped with thinly sliced fresh fruit (strawberrys, kiwi, melon, or very large blackberries or raspberries) layered over the top. We found them in the dessert section; they go very fast! Here in town we have to pay around $4 for a single tart. Sometimes we skipped dessert in the dining room to get tarts at Horizon Court.

[WKM]

klct39lg

Old is good!

Do you still go to the 500. It has been so long since we were there all I remember is the bicycle races were called 500 or little 500.

Thanks for the info on where the tarts are. I will be looking for them.

[Too blessed to be stressed]

I get a little of everything that looks good, but if its bad I will not eat it, I only eat my favorites,then get seconds on the best.

[rebeljohn]

The wife and I also grew up, hearing about the 'starving kids in Africa' , so 'clean your plate' stuff. We usually adhere to that, and only take what we 'think' we can eat. As always, our eyes can be bigger than our stamachs, and things get left.