Relish

Every once in a while a new idea strikes a chord. Sometimes that happens even when the source is the notoriously irascible food writer Regina Schrambling. A recent posting by her on Epicurious talked about taking leftovers home in what she, in an uncharacteristic bit of cute, calls kittybags. (And I say that as a cat owner.) She's for it, of course, but she also mentioned the multitude of signs New York City requires of restaurants. One of them (a non-mandatory one) particularly struck her.

It said: SAVE HALF FOR LATER.

What a good idea. Good for dieters, good for the budget, and if it might persuade us to save room for dessert, good for restaurateurs, too. Now if we can just solve the container problem and cut back on the styrofoam use. (I hear stories of people who bring their own containers.)

It turns out the slogan comes from a new, just-underway project to help curb diabetes (Hello, Paula?). But it also applies to those of us who eat out regularly, especially here in the Land of Gigantic Portions.

Save half for later.