It's an age-old conundrum. You're finishing off a meal at a restaurant and a few pieces of bread remain in the basket. You know that the bread will be thrown away if you don't take it with you, but you've also been taught that it is bad manners to take leftover bread home. You're already taking the remnants of your dinner home to snack on the next day, so it wouldn't be hard to pop those last few crusts in the bag. What do you do?
I was faced with just this dilemma last Friday night. Scott and I had gone for a late dinner at an Italian restaurant in South Philadelphia. We had skipped the bread basket, preferring to wait for our meals, but the particular restaurant we were at is known for serving excellent, seeded Italian bread. Knowing that it would just get thrown away after we left, I surreptitiously tossed it into the bag that was holding the last of my delicious, brick-oven pizza.
Scott looked at me and shook his head, but I couldn't bear to let bread (especially such good bread) go to waste. I happily ate it up over several days, toasting it to restore the crumb. I don't for a moment regret making such a tacky move, but I'm curious what the rest of you do when confronted with the same situation. Save face and leave the bread or take it home, much to your dining partner's chagrin?
11-12-2008 @2:09PM Monika said... I haven't done it recently, but years ago...
I was visiting Toronto for a high school trip and we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory. My friends and I loved the bread so much that we took it with us. Me, I just wanted more bread. But they had a whole scheme to "break the bread" and have their own church ceremony since they were going to miss mass.
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11-12-2008 @3:24PM ESC said... it's bad form to take home bread??? since when???
I was never told. But then again, I had a grandma who would slip ANYTHING into her purse - extra lemon wedges, butter, whatever. I don't go that far, but I will DEFINETLY slip some extra yummy bread into my take home box! Why not? Who's going to think badly of you, the waiter???
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11-12-2008 @3:25PM Maebius said... I've never actually heard that it is "impolite" to take the unused bread if there is some leftover.
Either I've been raised "wrong" or just don't run in the same circles as most foodies. I know it will get tossed out, and thus, if I take it, it will get eaten and not wasted.
Curious where this behavior originated, or why?!
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11-12-2008 @3:42PM MissGreenTea said... I'm never one to be ashamed to take all leftovers from the table...So I say take it! It will go in the trash if you leave it anyways...and that's a bit wasteful to me.
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11-12-2008 @3:46PM NYCubsFan said... I think it may be a generational thing. My grandmother would definitely take bread. My mother would probably think it made us "look poor" to do so. If the bread is still on the table, I say go for it. If they took it to make room for the entrees then I could understand getting some odd looks if you ask them to throw some into the doggie bag, but hey, they should take it as a compliment.
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11-12-2008 @3:49PM MamaSquirrel said... I have completely gotten over any shame about taking bread home. I have chickens in my backyard, so it's always a great treat to them, and I certainly think it's better to take it than to let it go to waste.
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11-12-2008 @3:53PM Rob O. said... This isn't impolite, just frugal. Those who would snub their noses at this practice may have more money than common sense...
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11-12-2008 @9:07PM Gretchen Roberts said... If the bread is good, I take it. Never knew it was tacky! I looove bread.
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11-12-2008 @4:08PM texasannie said... If the bread is already on the table and will otherwise be thrown away, I think the diners should take it if they want it. It's wrong to be wasteful. Asking for more bread just so they can take it home does seem gauche though. I once worked in a barbecue restaurant where patrons could gets sides, sauce, bread, etc. from a "fixin's" bar, along with to-go containers for leftovers. It was astonishing how many people would grab a whole loaf of bread off the bar and immediately wrap it up to take home. THAT makes you look rude, poor, or ridiculously greedy.
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11-12-2008 @4:56PM Heather said... I have a feeling you are talking about Marra's. Am I right? I adore their pizza.
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11-12-2008 @5:13PM Kearns said... It's a sin to waste bread, and you know they're just going to toss it...
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11-12-2008 @6:51PM badfrog said... Depends on how good the bread is. There is one nearby Turkish restaurant where I usually BUY a couple of extra flatbread loaves to take home because it is so stellar. I also often order a few loaves for sit down dinners with my extended family for holidays, by request of my mother in law.
I mean, it's exceptional bread.
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11-12-2008 @7:28PM Amber said... I didn't realize it was impolite to take the bread home with you. I say if you want it, take it! You paid for it, right? How is that any different than taking home the rest of the meal that wasn't finished?
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11-12-2008 @7:52PM DanGarion said... I think it's more impolite to WASTE food.
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11-13-2008 @8:30AM Dana said... I was raised that waste is intolerable... if I have paid for it and I can find a way to re-use it, it comes home. If someone thinks that is impolite, I'll take their leftovers too. :)
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11-13-2008 @12:15PM Kate said... If it's rude or impolite to take the bread, then I've been rude and impolite for two decades. If it's GOOD bread, always, always, take the bread to have with your leftovers. If it's just "meh" bread, or will be stale and tossed later, leave it, or take it to feed the ducks and birds.
The key to good leftover bread is to actually wrap it and eat it quickly. No sense taking good bread and then tossing out the hard chunks the next day.
I draw the line when my quasi-mother-in-law (boyfriend's mother) takes everything on the table. Lemon wedges, all sugar packets, all jelly and jams, all honey packets, etc. THAT bugs me. But the bread basket? Nope. Help yourself Marisa. No one I know will raise an eyebrow at you.
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11-13-2008 @2:30PM veronica said... I never realized this was a potential faux pas, though I could see how it could be if you were dining with business associates. I love the cheesy biscuits at Red Lobster soo much but usually eat them all, and I've actually asked for more bread to-go when they pack up the rest of my food. Lol.
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11-13-2008 @5:19PM Maggie said... I have to second what Veronica said. The only reason I go to Red Lobster is for the bread, so I don't feel bad asking for extra to take home! Bertucci's bread comes home with me too; for some reason I can only think of chains where I do this.
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11-13-2008 @8:07PM Patricia said... I'll weigh-in on this: since you already had a doggie bag, it was fine to drop the bread into the bag, however, I do think it is rather gross to wrap it in a napkin and shove it into your handbag - not too sanitary or appetizing.
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11-17-2008 @2:51PM Sarah said... Most places have semi passable bread. Nothing to get excited about..but then there are 'those' places where the bread is memorable. I could care less if I look tacky taking it. Heck, I paid for it! That same reasoning would say it is tacky to take leftovers home as well. ;-)
On the other hand if I go out with son who is a bottomless pit, he loves going to Olive Garden. Last time we were there we had picked dessert to go. Our waitress returned with it and a MASSIVE bag of bread sticks for him "in case he got hungry on the way home". I was pretty much dying of laughter over that. He took his bag and then ate them all the way home.....
It would have been rude to say no and hey, he was happy ;-)
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