Restaurant leftovers

[wynrich]

My husband and I are currently walking the Ruta Cantabrica, on our way to the Camino Ingles. We had a typical generous menu for lunch with way more food than we could eat. We're staying in an Airbnb tonight that is not near any restaurant or grocery, so we knew we needed to bring food if we wanted to eat any dinner tonight. We thought about asking the waiter if he could bag up our leftovers but we weren't sure if that is something that is done in Spain. We do it in the United States all the time but I have a feeling it might be different here. We ended up bagging up some of the leftovers ourselves but not sure about that either.

We did notice the a la carte menu said "Precio Tupper €1". I looked up tupper and my dictionary translated it to Tupperware. I'm thinking that may be a word used in Spain for "to go" containers, but of course that's probably food that's ordered specifically to go, not leftovers.

Does anyone have any experience or advice about this? Thanks!

 

[lt56ny]

My husband and I are currently walking the Ruta Cantabrica, on our way to the Camino Ingles. We had a typical generous menu for lunch with way more food than we could eat. We're staying in an Airbnb tonight that is not near any restaurant or grocery, so we knew we needed to bring food if we wanted to eat any dinner tonight. We thought about asking the waiter if he could bag up our leftovers but we weren't sure if that is something that is done in Spain. We do it in the United States all the time but I have a feeling it might be different here. We ended up bagging up some of the leftovers ourselves but not sure about that either.

We did notice the a la carte menu said "Precio Tupper €1". I looked up tupper and my dictionary translated it to Tupperware. I'm thinking that may be a word used in Spain for "to go" containers, but of course that's probably food that's ordered specifically to go, not leftovers.

Does anyone have any experience or advice about this? Thanks!

I have taken food many times from bars and restaurants. "Para llevar" to ask to go

 

[Tincatinker]

Not ever a problem as I recall. A smile, a wrapping gesture and “par llevar” will probably work. ( snap: @lt56ny)

 

[Former member 107684]

Feel comfortable in asking, as it's not just optional but compulsory now after recent legislation against food waste...

https://www.thelocal.es/20220607/spain-to-make-it-compulsory-for-restaurants-to-offer-doggy-bags

 

[Icacos]

Restaurant meals are generally too large for me to manage. I learned this from a friend: if she’s going out for a meal, she brings a covered container with her. When her meal arrives she immediately transfers half of it to her container, puts it away for later use and proceeds to eat the half that’s left on her plate. That way the waiter doesn’t have to be involved and no one has to deal with ‘leftovers.’ (Carrying an extra container - or two - on the camino may be problematic, I admit.)

 

[MariaSP]

My husband and I are currently walking the Ruta Cantabrica, on our way to the Camino Ingles. We had a typical generous menu for lunch with way more food than we could eat. We're staying in an Airbnb tonight that is not near any restaurant or grocery, so we knew we needed to bring food if we wanted to eat any dinner tonight. We thought about asking the waiter if he could bag up our leftovers but we weren't sure if that is something that is done in Spain. We do it in the United States all the time but I have a feeling it might be different here. We ended up bagging up some of the leftovers ourselves but not sure about that either.

We did notice the a la carte menu said "Precio Tupper €1". I looked up tupper and my dictionary translated it to Tupperware. I'm thinking that may be a word used in Spain for "to go" containers, but of course that's probably food that's ordered specifically to go, not leftovers.

Does anyone have any experience or advice about this? Thanks!

It's perfectly acceptable to ask for them to pack your leftovers. In fact, from January 1, restaurants & bars must offer this service (many already offered it before, but it was not compulsory). Just ask 'para llevar' and they'll wrap it up for you.

 

[Kathar1na]

I had not been aware of this. Thank you to @wynrich for asking the question and to @ChrisAck and @MariaSP for the info.

And túper is apparently a word in Spanish and if the container is made of plastic you may have to pay for it.

Los restaurantes ofrecerán un túper para las sobras: ¿lo pueden cobrar?

🍽️ A partir del 1 de enero, los restaurantes deberán ofrecer un túper llevar las sobras. Te contamos cuándo te lo pueden cobrar y cuándo no...

www.consumidorglobal.com

 

[ivar]

There is a law in Spain that says that any restaurant need to offer this… “Tupper” in Spain is any plastic container to bring food home in. Not necessarily the Tupperware brand.

 

[JabbaPapa]

In both Spain and Portugal, it is standard to ask for leftovers to be taken away -- though in Eastern Portugal, it's less common for people to ask this than elsewhere.

 

[C clearly]

Just a reminder that that the Menú del Peregrino is intended as a special price for a single person and it is frowned upon to order one such meal to be shared among two people. (Unless this has changed.)

 

[Tincatinker]

Just a reminder that that the Menú del Peregrino is intended as a special price

And new Pilgrims will be led to thoughts on just how "special" they are after sampling a few

 

[lt56ny]

Not ever a problem as I recall. A smile, a wrapping gesture and “par llevar” will probably work. ( snap: @lt56ny)

You never cease to put a smile on my face.

 

[Leigh Macklin]

I always bring a butter container and a metal mug with lid for just this purpose...no side eyes from the server!

 

[wynrich]

Thanks everyone. I just wish I'd asked this question many caminos ago. Such a helpful forum.

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

I had not been aware of this. Thank you to @wynrich for asking the question and to @ChrisAck and @MariaSP for the info.

And túper is apparently a word in Spanish and if the container is made of plastic you may have to pay for it.

Los restaurantes ofrecerán un túper para las sobras: ¿lo pueden cobrar?

🍽️ A partir del 1 de enero, los restaurantes deberán ofrecer un túper llevar las sobras. Te contamos cuándo te lo pueden cobrar y cuándo no...

www.consumidorglobal.com

In Portugal as well, regardless of whether it is plastic. In most small café/restaurants, you're more likely to get a foil container with a cardboard lid and crimped edge. Many places will charge you 50 euro-cents (half a euro) or so for the container as it's considered an extra.

You may want to carry either your own plastic container or at least a plastic bag to put over the foil one. They are definitely not leak-proof (just a crimped edge over the cardboard.)

 

[Icacos]

...no side eyes from the server!

Is that the same as a hairy eyeball?

 

[Loretta Jane]

Just a reminder that that the Menú del Peregrino is intended as a special price for a single person and it is frowned upon to order one such meal to be shared among two people. (Unless this has changed.)

I never found a peregrino meal big enough to share let alone take home leftovers. After the soup or salad, the main course was a small piece of meat or fish, a few fries, and a little veg. Postre was an apple, helado or yoghurt. I used to take the yoghurt for breakfast.

 

[Kathar1na]

In Portugal as well, regardless of whether it is plastic. In most small café/restaurants, you're more likely to get a foil container with a cardboard lid and crimped edge. Many places will charge you 50 euro-cents (half a euro) or so for the container as it's considered an extra.

You may want to carry either your own plastic container or at least a plastic bag to put over the foil one. They are definitely not leak-proof (just a crimped edge over the cardboard.)

Thank you, this is very reassuring to know. How times change … I am still hesitant to ask for a “doggy bag“ (and that’s probably no longer what they are called in English) and I admit that I sometimes have furtively put a bit of my leftover food into a small ziplock bag or wrapped it up in a napkin and let it disappear in my handbag when neither guests at the other tables nor staff were looking.

 

[Former member 107885]

Thank you, this is very reassuring to know. How times change … I am still hesitant to ask for a “doggy bag“ (and that’s probably no longer what they are called in English) and I admit that I sometimes have furtively put a bit of my leftover food into a small ziplock bag or wrapped it up in a napkin and let it disappear in my handbag when neither guests at the other tables nor staff were looking.

The phrase ‘doggy bag’ is still alive and well in UK! I have never done it but many do.

Btw, Tupperware was a massive deal in the UK in 70s/80s. My mum (and her friends) would hold ‘Tupperware Parties’ where our house would ‘showcase’ Tupperware and her friends would come round, view and buy, and have a couple of glasses of sherry! Commission, presumably in the form of free Tupperware, was paid. In those days it was an exclusively female event, and the men would have to disappear!

 

[Bradypus]

Btw, Tupperware was a massive deal in the UK in 70s/80s.

A bit of an aside but the company is in the news this week - massive financial trouble which could see it closed for good.

Tupperware warns it could go bust without emergency funding

Shares in US firm have fallen almost 50% this week and stock exchange says it is in danger of being delisted

www.theguardian.com

 

[Hans-Georg Goebel]

My husband and I are currently walking the Ruta Cantabrica, on our way to the Camino Ingles. We had a typical generous menu for lunch with way more food than we could eat. We're staying in an Airbnb tonight that is not near any restaurant or grocery, so we knew we needed to bring food if we wanted to eat any dinner tonight. We thought about asking the waiter if he could bag up our leftovers but we weren't sure if that is something that is done in Spain. We do it in the United States all the time but I have a feeling it might be different here. We ended up bagging up some of the leftovers ourselves but not sure about that either.

We did notice the a la carte menu said "Precio Tupper €1". I looked up tupper and my dictionary translated it to Tupperware. I'm thinking that may be a word used in Spain for "to go" containers, but of course that's probably food that's ordered specifically to go, not leftovers.

Does anyone have any experience or advice about this? Thanks!

in Germany, this is quite common. To avoid unnecessary waste, more and more restaurants are offering a deposit-based container for leftovers. You pay up to €5 and can either keep the cleaned container or return it to many other places. This is called environmental protection

 

[El Cascayal]

Feel comfortable in asking, as it's not just optional but compulsory now after recent legislation against food waste...

https://www.thelocal.es/20220607/spain-to-make-it-compulsory-for-restaurants-to-offer-doggy-bags

Thank! So interesting and no extra cost:
”The Spanish Cabinet on Monday approved the country’s first Law for the Prevention of Food Losses and Waste as a means of putting a stop to the more than 1 billion kilos/litres of food that go to waste every year in Spain.

Among its standout clauses is that all restaurant, café and bar customers will have the right to take their food with them, except in all-you-can-eat establishments such as buffets.

Any leftovers, sobras in Spanish, will have to be placed in recyclable packaging if the customer requests it, and at no additional cost to them, with fines of €2,000 for establishments that fail to do this.”

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

A bit of an aside but the company is in the news this week - massive financial trouble which could see it closed for good.

Tupperware warns it could go bust without emergency funding

Shares in US firm have fallen almost 50% this week and stock exchange says it is in danger of being delisted

www.theguardian.com

Was just about to comment on this myself. Their biggest factory in Europe (one of three; I believe also Belgium and Greece) is just down the road from us in central Portugal, near Constancia on the Tejo (Tagus). The local community is freaking out because they think they'll lose about 250 factory jobs that have been there for the last 40 years or so. Quite a serious issue in a smallish rural town. The Greek plant was shut down this week. Multinational fallout!

 

[nicoleinthedesert]

I have a great story! I used to live in Santiago. One of my friends was visiting from America and went out to dinner. He had left overs and asked for a "Doggy Bag" at the end of the meal. The waiter looked at him funny but agreed. When he got back to his hotel room he opened it up and it was all sorts of random scraps for a dog....not just his leftovers. Make sure to not call it a doggy bag if you are asking for it to take away! Imagine the conversation in the kitchen when the waiter asked for dog scraps!

 

[Goyo]

Is that the same as a hairy eyeball?

Or one of these…?

 

[Icacos]

...no side eyes from the server!

Is that the same as a hairy eyeball?

Or one of these…?

No, it’s not! Perhaps we should find out first what are ‘side eyes.’

 

[Icacos]

side eyes meaning - Google Search

hairy eyeball meaning - Google Search

 

[Camino Chrissy]

He had left overs and asked for a "Doggy Bag" at the end of the meal.

I'm not sure how long ago your hilarious story happened, but I haven't heard, nor used the term "doggy bag" for many years. In restaurants I simply ask the waiter or waitress for a "box" for my leftovers. Often they will instigate first themselves by asking me if I would like a box for any leftovers I would like to take home.
My biggest problem is I sometimes forget to take the box when I leave.

 

[Former member 107885]

I'm not sure how long ago your hilarious story happened, but I haven't heard, nor used the term "doggy bag" for many years. In restaurants I simply ask the waiter or waitress for a "box" for my leftovers. Often they will instigate first themselves by asking me if I would like a box for any leftovers I would like to take home.
My biggest problem is I sometimes forget to take the box when I leave.

The term ‘doggy bag’ is still well used in the UK.

 

[Goyo]

side eyes meaning - Google Search

hairy eyeball meaning - Google Search

Fair enuf! Learn something new todos los dias, at least about the “side eyes”. I’m familiar with the hairy eyeball reference, however, having been the recipient of said look on more than one occasion

 

[Mycroft]

Restaurant meals are generally too large for me to manage. I learned this from a friend: if she’s going out for a meal, she brings a covered container with her. When her meal arrives she immediately transfers half of it to her container, puts it away for later use and proceeds to eat the half that’s left on her plate. That way the waiter doesn’t have to be involved and no one has to deal with ‘leftovers.’ (Carrying an extra container - or two - on the camino may be problematic, I admit.)

Just so. For pilgrims, tossing into our packs a lightweight food grade silicone pouch works well on such occasions

 

[David Tallan]

side eyes meaning - Google Search

hairy eyeball meaning - Google Search

So they both mean disapproval, but side eyes shades to contempt while hairy eyeball shades more to disgust.

 

[makingtrax]

Restaurant meals are generally too large for me to manage. I learned this from a friend: if she’s going out for a meal, she brings a covered container with her. When her meal arrives she immediately transfers half of it to her container, puts it away for later use and proceeds to eat the half that’s left on her plate. That way the waiter doesn’t have to be involved and no one has to deal with ‘leftovers.’ (Carrying an extra container - or two - on the camino may be problematic, I admit.)

Carry plastic bags.

 

[Icacos]

Carry plastic bags.

Plastic bags would work for some things, for sure. But there are other things I know I wouldn’t want to get smushed.

 

[Pilgrim1717]

My husband and I are currently walking the Ruta Cantabrica, on our way to the Camino Ingles. We had a typical generous menu for lunch with way more food than we could eat. We're staying in an Airbnb tonight that is not near any restaurant or grocery, so we knew we needed to bring food if we wanted to eat any dinner tonight. We thought about asking the waiter if he could bag up our leftovers but we weren't sure if that is something that is done in Spain. We do it in the United States all the time but I have a feeling it might be different here. We ended up bagging up some of the leftovers ourselves but not sure about that either.

We did notice the a la carte menu said "Precio Tupper €1". I looked up tupper and my dictionary translated it to Tupperware. I'm thinking that may be a word used in Spain for "to go" containers, but of course that's probably food that's ordered specifically to go, not leftovers.

Does anyone have any experience or advice about this? Thanks!

And another thought on leftovers… I like to carry a package of tortillas. I can then wrap my leftovers and have a burrito for lunch!

 

[David Tallan]

And another thought on leftovers… I like to carry a package of tortillas. I can then wrap my leftovers and have a burrito for lunch!

I've had plenty of tortillas on my Caminos, but never one I could wrap leftovers in!

 

[Goyo]

I've had plenty of tortillas on my Caminos, but never one I could wrap leftovers in!

And where I live, we do it all the time

 

[Bradypus]

And where I live, we do it all the time

Two nations divided by a common language. Good to know it is not just Brits and Americans who have that problem!

 

[Robo]

My husband and I are currently walking the Ruta Cantabrica, on our way to the Camino Ingles. We had a typical generous menu for lunch with way more food than we could eat. We're staying in an Airbnb tonight that is not near any restaurant or grocery, so we knew we needed to bring food if we wanted to eat any dinner tonight. We thought about asking the waiter if he could bag up our leftovers but we weren't sure if that is something that is done in Spain.

In a few places on my most recent Camino, this reached epic proportions.
Normally so as not to appear rude, I would try to eat the meal.
But when faced with a first course of Ensalada Rusa that was sufficient for 4 people.........I just gave up!

I should have thought of a 'doggy bag' !