Portion Sizes

One of the favorite topics for Japanese students learning English is portion sizes in the west (usually America) vs. Japan. Every student who has traveled abroad, has enjoyed that moment when they ordered pasta at a restaurant and the waiter returned with enough food to fill a whole family. I have yet to take home leftovers in Japan.

The easiest place to see this difference is at your local McDonalds. An 'L-size' beverage in Japan usually compares with a small in America. Delicious treats like the fruit and yogurt parfait seem halved in size. However, the hamburgers are unafraid of being massive. The Tamago Double Mac has bacon, two beef patties, a large fried egg and special sauce. Likewise, Japan had briefly adopted the infamous Mega Mac with four beef patties and extra cheese into their McDonald's. According to Wikipedia the portion sizes of regular Bic Macs are about equal in Japan and America, although the Japanese burger is slightly healthier.

After eight months in Japan I have learned that portion sizes may be smaller, but people often eat multiple courses. And with a diet that includes miso soup, rice and fish for the majority of their meals, they can afford to indulge in a Big Mac, McFlurry, fries and a Coke once in a while. I love going to dinner with Japanese friends, because you will usually end up eating multiple courses of absolutely delectable (sometimes unrecognizable) food. However, I do, on occasion, miss having an American sized coffee.