‘Le doggie bag,’ s’il vous plaît: French may embrace leftovers
PARIS – Diners in French bistros and cafés who want to take home leftovers are often met with bewildered looks. That could soon change with a proposed law requiring small restaurants to provide “le doggie bag” to any customer who asks.
Though doggie bags are common in the United States and Asia, where they are viewed as a compliment to the chef, Europeans often consider it gauche to take home uneaten food.
“In Paris and large cities, people tend to eat out more. But in the rest of France,
food is something that is mostly consumed at home,” said Paris sociologist Anne Lhuissier. “We go to the restaurant for special occasions or as a special treat, so taking food home feels bizarre.”
The practice is so unusual in this food-obsessed country that people say “le doggie bag,” because there is no equivalent term in French. The hotel and restaurant industry union UMIH tried to promote the more chic “le gourmet bag.”
“It’s a smart move,” said Emmanuel Dumas, 36, in Paris. “If the food is good, you won’t have any leftovers. And if you have leftovers, you are still getting what you have paid for.”
A recent government survey found that 70% of French people have never taken home leftovers but that 75% of the respondents were open to the idea of doggie bags.
Bérangère Abba, a member of Parliament who proposed the law, calls it a “common-sense measure” aimed at reducing food waste that will find wide acceptance. She said the vote on the bill is expected by the end of May.
“Most consumer associations and the majority of restaurateurs have welcomed the bill,” Abba said. She said some critics complained that supplying containers to the public would be an extra burden on restaurateurs.
In the past few years, this country known for gourmet food and fine dining has made huge strides toward cutting food waste in half by 2025. It banned supermarkets from throwing away unsold food, ordering that it be donated to charities. In 2016, the government required restaurants that serve more than 150 customers a day to provide doggie bags if requested. The new measure would expand the rule to all restaurants, since most French eateries are smaller than that.
Grass-roots initiatives such as food-sharing apps and community groups that donate unwanted food also have helped spread the message.
The French have a special relationship with food, said Lindsey Tramuta, author of the guidebook The New Paris. While portions are growing, she said, France still largely lacks supersized meals and retains a culture where slow dining and enjoying good food every day is normal.
“I think the French in general know their limits and order what they can realistically eat,” she said. “In which case they won’t even need a doggie bag.”