Until I ordered a steak that turned out to be the size of a 33-rpm record at the bistro Savy a few years ago, I never felt the need to ask for a doggy bag in a French restaurant. Servings were almost always fairly small to allow for the consumption of entrée, plat, dessert and sometimes more courses. That is changing now, and servings seem to be getting larger and larger, I suppose because of the continuing popularity of all things American (burgers first and foremost). Maybe for the same reason, doggy bags have suddenly become a thing. The City of Paris, calling them “anti-gaspillage” (anti-waste) boxes, has gotten into the act and designed the special boxes pictured above. Click here for a list of the one-hundred restaurants using them, but don’t be afraid to ask for a “doggy bag” (everyone in Paris knows what it means when it’s pronounced with a French accent) at any other restaurant if you find that you can’t finish your meal.
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