Sharing Meals
 

In the states my dh and I usually split a meal. How does that go over in Europe or is it frowned upon?

Sharing Meals
 

Maybe way back but not anymore. Splitting the bill is quite the norm with a lot of people.

Sharing Meals
 

Do you mean actually sharing one plate of food, rather than splitting the bill?

It's not the done thing in Europe!

Sorry, yes, I meant sharing a meal. It saves money and cuts down on portion size. I'm not talking upscale restraurants but casual places.

Sharing Meals
 

How big are European servings? Mega sized like in the US? My husband and I regularly share a meal when dining out because the servings are so large (US based). Jeesh, last night we split a 'small' pizza & barely got through it.

Sharing Meals
 

Portions in EU are smaller compared to US. You can't split a meal here between 2 unless you are very light eaters.

Sharing Meals
 

Not only the servings are smaller, but in some countries like France it is definitly frowned upon in most places. Sharing appetizers is ok, but any meal other than some kind of cote de boeuf where the menu clearly states it's for two, is rather a no-no. And at crowded cafés, everyone has to order (consider it the admitance fee).

Sharing Meals
 

My wife and 4yr old daughter ordered a dish to share at a restaurant in Rome. Even though we said that they would share one plate, they charged us 1.5x the cost of one plate. The portion was larger. I was surprised because we ordered two appetizers and two entrees.

Thanks for the feedback and sharing personal experience. More than likely, we'll just have one meal a day out and plan on both of us ordering!

I suggest you visit grocery stores for lunch and have a reasonably priced picnic. A tried and true "trick" for travel.

Or for dinner ;)

I've only visited a few countries lately, and in Spain, Slovakia, Czech Republic and also believe in Austria lunches at a restaurant were significantly cheaper. In many places these specials ran until 3 p.m., and were not available for dinner @:-)

Come to think of it not unlike US and Canada :)

Over the years, MrFrizzy and I have used the "supermarket dinner" to save on (occasional) meal costs in Europe. Many supermarkets in Germany and Austria have hot food at their deli counter, but even if they don't, you can put together a perfectly tasty cold meal of salads, beans, fruits, ham/sausage, you name it, to enjoy either as a picnic or in your hotel. And as for portion size, you generally don't get "too much" at restaurants in Europe. Should it nevertheless happen, you can always ask for the excess to be packed up and taken home. And for eating in a restaurant, do try the daily lunch specials, usually advertised on a board on the street. Usually good value and seldom too voluminous. Oh, and it's not frowned upon at all to share a dessert.

Two appetizers + two entrées = 4 appetizers ;) :D

OP here. Nice to know there are some similarities to the states with lunches being less expensive. We'll plan on a late lunch with that being our meal out. Great tip on the supermarket dinner! Neither one of us are that particular, so that will work quite nicely. :)

Continuing the low cost food tips ....

Wipe off and stick in your carry-on the set of plastic utensils from your last airplane meal, or bring a set from home.

Better yet, buy yourself a titanium "spork" and bring it along. Amazon has them, and yes, TSA has let me through with mine several times. The less expensive plastic ones won't last quite as long, but are very serviceable also.

Pack several zip-lock bags of various sizes. Handy for any excess food in those airline meals.

It took me a while to figure out, but European big city grocery stores are often in the basements of department stores. And they do carry lots of individual-serving items. When I haven't been able to find one, I've stopped little old ladies clearly carrying bags of groceries and asked where the store is.

Romelle