I put that in the same category as those who take 6 yogurts, 3 bagels and a carton of milk from a buffet hotel breakfast for a meal on the road. I watched one lady at a La Quinta who emptied a bowl of hard boiled eggs into her soft-sided personal cooler disguised as a purse. That's stealing. And stealing is very low class.

My grandmother, whom I mentioned above as the woman who'd scoop up butter and jelly packets at the diner, would not just save 10 cents of food. She'd save the container it came in. She never bought a piece of Tupperware in her life. Instead, she'd wash and reuse the tubs that margarine and Cool-Whip came in. She never bought Ziplock bags, either. She'd save the bag her Wonder Bread came in, along with the twist-tie wrap, and use it at least one more time.

Whether or not it's respected for being frugal in the US depends on how far you take it. It seems that most people here agree with me in being mildly scornful at my grandma for scooping up butter and jelly packets at restaurants and dropping them into her purse. Ultimately it is a class issue. Among the working class my grandma's habits may be acceptable. Among the well heeled asking for a take-home box for the last 3 bites of a good steak would seem d�class�.

i have no shame in taking anything home. even if it's just leftover bones from a steakhouse for my dogs to chew on i will take them home.

You probably haven't been to Germany, then.

I agree too; taking home one's own leftovers is one thing; taking home complimentary condiment packets is another.
Isn't that the purpose of the polite fiction of calling it a "doggie" bag? *I* wouldn't dream of eating leftovers, but now, that bit of prime rib would be a nice treat for my dog.

Funny you say that, I'd never heard of that term until yesterday when I told my Mom about this thread and she told me the story.

My grandmother was just like that. If there was one piece of bread left in the bread basket, she'd wrap it in her napkin and take it with her!
LOL, that was my grandmother too. She'd save and wash every container, reusing them. She'd wash and reuse all Ziploc bags and bread bags.

Wait...you'd never heard the term doggie bag?!

A friend of mine once was refused to be allowed to take the remainder of his ramen dish from a place here in Manhattan. He had only had about 1/3 of it. So, he went to the corner store and bought a container, poured his ramen into it, paid and told them they could try to take it away but it would get messy.

Sorry, I'd heard the term, just not the ORIGIN of the term, my mistake.

I think the way our grandmothers act is typical of the society they lived in, and is still typical of society in many parts of the world. The wasteful American consumer culture of today is an anomaly, not the norm.

I reuse Ziploc bags as well, and I am in my 20s. Why throw them away just to buy more?

I live in NYC, and go to all kinds of restaurants on a regular basis (even some of them-thar high-falutin' ones ). I am also rather on the petite side, and am, well, not able to finish a meal, usually. It's been my experience that waitstaff will ask if the meal was to my liking, and when I reply that it was good, and that it was simply too much, they ask whether they should wrap up the remainder for me. I don't think to accept is rude at all, and I am neither too proud nor too rich to refuse a meal of good leftovers the following day.

Doesn't everyone? Most are equal quality to new ones, and recycling is always good.

Some upscale restaurants provide very nice boxes for doggy bags. Others create aluminum foil swans and other sculpture for the leftovers that proudly sit on the table until one is ready to leave.

I've been pleased to see the wine doggy bag laws that are being adopted by many states. Basically, the idea is that you have a right to take home the remainder of a bottle of wine from a restaurant meal, with the establishmnet providing a special sealed bag for it that can be taken in a car without violating open container laws. The goal is to discourage people from drinking up that wine that they've already purchased and then driving after having a bit too much.

Funny!
This reminds me of an experience 2 years ago, also involving a lawyer.
I was attending a conference in Florida. The lawyer, (I have known for a couple of years) invited me and a colleague to dinner at a steak restaurant.
I couldn't finish my meal, and there was about 20% of the steak, plus some sides left on my plate. He asked for a takeout box, then explained that he was taking it back to his hotel for his wife.
My colleague and I still laugh about this to this day!

Nothing says love like bringing the partially eaten piece of meat from a stranger to your spouse!