287441 Fri Aug 03 12:26:15 -0700 2001 7 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1546209 I live near a Italian restaurant that serves great food in huge portions. Usually, I find the greater the portions the more quality suffers. But, not at this place. Yet, something always seems lacking. Then it dawned on me. When I am served such large portions I automaticly rush to finish the meal, which I can never do in this restaurant. I tend to approach large meals as a challange instead of slowly enjoying them like I do in most normal portion restaurants. I discovered this the other day while eating at an "all you can eat" Chinese buffet. I was racing to eat like someone was about to take my plate away. Does anyone ever experience the same thing? Fri Aug 03 12:26:15 -0700 2001 0 Shoeman 1 1546210 Same thing happened to me this morning. I ordered pancakes and scrambled eggs, and the waitress misunderstood and brought me a stack of three big pancakes, plus the egg breakfast complete with home fries and toast. Good thing my spouse was there to help. ;-> But somehow, instead of slowly savoring my food, I found myself attacking it as if it were to be my last meal for weeks. Was I afraid my spouse would eat up my food? Not really; he refused an offer of pancakes, and anyway, he had his own plate of locanico and eggs to attend to. Maybe I just didn't want anything to get cold? I did slow down a bit when I noticed I was going into feeding-frenzy mode, but all the same I managed to eat up my pancakes and eggs and make serious inroads on the potatoes, and the life partner, after cleaning his own plate, took care of the toast. Guess we can skip lunch today. Good day for it -- it's blazing hot out. I'll stick to water until dinnertime. Fri Aug 03 13:55:01 -0700 2001 1546209 0 C. Fox 2 1546219 There's a Steakhouse down here in Austin that serves impossibly large servings in a setting that revels in its' customer's obesity. It's call Ray's Steakhouse. They serve platters of White Castle - like cheeseburgers for appetizers. The Chicken Fried Steak has to weigh in above 30 oz. The lobsters are all over 2.5 lbs. You can have any size steak cut and from what I hear, they're almost all above 20 oz. During a opening promotion, they put a huge scale inside the the front room. You got discounts for being over your ideal weight and the heavier you were, the bigger the discount became. No, I haven't been and it's not on my list. I'd much rather have quality than quantity. Ray's celebrates the size of the diner and the size of the dinner. Interestingly, he is successful enough to have just opened a second Ray's. I'm sure he'll be the first place to be shut down by the food police. Right now, I think the concept is hilarious. Fri Aug 03 15:47:17 -0700 2001 1546210 0 Greg Spence 3 1546225 I can't imagine anything more humiliating for any woman, no matter her size, than getting on a scale in a public place! So is this place full of men only? Fri Aug 03 17:29:41 -0700 2001 1546219 0 LBQT 1 1546266 What did you say your weight was? Sun Aug 05 14:14:55 -0700 2001 1546209 0 2chez mike 2 1546313 What does a person's weight have to do with this posting? If you're trying to be funny, you're not. Maybe some improv classes would help you develop a sense of humor that people other than you could understand and enjoy, 2chez mike. Tue Aug 07 10:25:23 -0700 2001 1546266 0 Greg Spence 3 1546346 Thanks Greg! I've been sitting on this one for a couple of days also trying to eek out some humor. The fact is I weight about 185 lbs and run 50 miles/week and have completed 6 marathons in the top 10%. All of which still has nothing to do with my orginal post, but I did not want this guy to kick my scrawny ass. So again, thanks for the dirty work. Tue Aug 07 15:58:18 -0700 2001 1546313 0 Shoeman 1 1546292 Going to "all you can eat" Chinese buffets never really bothered me. I really didn't discover big portions until I ate at the Cheescake Factory at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. I don't mind a generous portion of food but this place was a complete turnoff. It was TOO much food. Growing up in a household where my mother constantly admonished my brother and I not to waste food and to clean off our plates, CF made me anxiety ridden about eating. Even my husband who can tackle any sized meal walked away from this place completely grossed out. It's true that large portions tend to be a challenge rather than something to be savored. Mon Aug 06 15:51:40 -0700 2001 1546209 0 Amy in NJ