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Saudi Diners Charged If They Don’t Finish Their Plates!

September 18, 2011

arab food
In a bold move to stop food wastage, the Marmar Restaurant in Dammam, Saudi Arabia will charge you fines if you don’t finish your food.

Super-sizing it is still really an American patent, even though large portions of food are still the norm in the Middle East. Now to curb food wastage even further, there is a new food savings trick we like: A Saudi restaurant has started charging diners if they order more than they can eat, according to an article in Gulf News.

It seems that restaurant eaters were ordering extravagant amounts of food to impress their guests. Fahad Al Anezi, the restaurant owner said: “There are many clients who make large orders in order to impress the people around them and boost their social prestige.”

The fine is more of a symbolic one, and meant to hurt the ego of diners whose eyes are bigger than their bellies. The move has been endorsed by Saudis. And Green Prophets everywhere.

::Gulf News, via Freakonomics

Image via Gorski

Karin Kloosterman http://www.greenprophet.com

Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]