Smaller portions to save the planet, our health and our wallets

Last night I went to a restaurant in Brussels. The food was delicious, the customer service was very good, the company as well, we sat outside without freezing or rain. A very pleasant experience. If it hadn’t been for the first world problem I encountered when I went to sleep; my stomach was so full I could hardly lie down. I am sure that you are thinking “eat less then”. The thing is that we didn’t even manage to finish our dish, and we didn’t order a starter or did the classic mistake of eating bread before the food arrived. It’s a first world problem I know. However my uneasiness comes from 1. my growing up with a mom who was born in 1945 and constantly told us to finish the food we had on our plate 2. my first-world-millennial struggle not to waste more than I already do.

So this morning when I woke up with a stomach that has not fully recovered from the effects of overproduction I thought: “couldn’t the solution be smaller portions for a smaller price?” This would also solve the issue of restaurants in Brussels reaching insanely high prices, so high than in comparison Geneva doesn’t seem so expensive to me anymore (note that the minimum wage salary in Switzerland is twice as much).

Moreover, our health ministers should incourage smaller portions, we definetely don’t need to go to bed with a hurting tummy.

If we restaurants would offer smaller portions, some customers would probably complain about the quantity, being used to big portions, despite the price. No problem, they could just order something else. which it’s what’s happening in Italy for example, where traditionally people would order a ‘primo’ and a ‘secondo’ dish, but the choice of having only one exist.