Remember the Doggie Bag?

I do, but I don't remember when they stopped calling them "doggie bags" and started saying, "You want a box for that?" I believe there was a transitional phase when they called them "people bags" instead of "doggie bags". Nowadays it's mostly Styrofoam boxes, but they still have bags for bread and stuff like that. I don't think anybody pretends anymore that the surplus food they carry home from a restaurant meal is intended for their dog, although I'm pretty sure the dogs do end up with at least some of it.

Be that as it may, I don't remember ever having a problem with a waiter or waitress wanting to take my plate before I was finished with it. Maybe it's a Chicago thing. The custom around here is that, as long as the plate is right in front of you, they leave it alone. If you push it off to the side, however, that's a signal that you're done with it but, even then, they will politely ask before they snatch it away from you and, if there is a lot of food left on the plate, they will ask you if you want a box to take it home with you.  

Legs Inn is a famous Polish restaurant in Cross Village, some 30 miles from here. It's been in the Smolek family for several generations now. Last I heard, it was being run by George and Kasha Smolek. The building is not insulated, so they close it up and go off to Chicago for the winter. Maybe you've heard of them. Their motto is "If you leave here hungry, it's your own fault." Some years ago, I was eating there with some people, one of whom was my friend's sister. She had been born and raised here, but had spent most of her adult life living on one of the Coasts, which might explain her unusual behavior. She had ordered this hearty Polish meal and only eaten about 1/4 of it before pushing the plate off to the side. The waitress asked her if she wanted a box for the remainder of the food, and she said no. She then asked if there was something wrong with the food, and the sister said that it was fine, but she had eaten all of it she wanted of it and had no desire to take the rest home with her. I don't believe I've ever seen anybody do that before or since. Like I said, it must be a coastal thing.