Can I take their leftovers? – Chicago Tribune

Dear Eric: Often, when I eat in a restaurant or cafe, I notice that half-eaten food is left on other tables and needs to be thrown away. In these situations, I'm tempted to either ask if I can have the leftover food or just take it from the empty table. I don't like food waste and I'm not at all bothered by the idea of ​​food and germs sharing.

Will this ever be acceptable? If so, in what situations or types of restaurants? Besides, how could I ask for food?

-Are you going to finish this?

Dear Finish: I doubt there is any restaurant that would facilitate such an exchange between customers due to the potential liability. So, you can be on your own.

Even one-on-one, this will probably be a tough sell to some people, but if you're not worried about sharing food and germs, then the potential social awkwardness will be a no-brainer. I don't mean to sound flippant, but if you need food, the best route might be to simply tell people you're trying to prevent food waste and want to take their food home. If you are experiencing food insecurity and it is about meeting your needs, you can say that too.

However, if food waste is your main concern, there are ways to make a bigger impact. For example, Food Waste Prevention Week (foodwastepreventionweek.com) lists many starting points for addressing food waste at the neighborhood or community level and beyond. See if there are options you like. Addressing the problem from this perspective can preserve your health and maximize your impact.

Dear Eric: I have a truly wonderful husband and five older sisters who all live out of state.

I used to have “confrontations” with one of my sisters-in-law, I’ll call her Tanya.

Earlier this year my wonderful mother passed away from Alzheimer's and I have suffered and am still suffering, but I rely on my husband and siblings for support.

The morning my mom passed away, I sent a text message to all my sisters-in-law letting them know of her passing. Several of my sisters-in-law responded to my text message immediately and I thanked them.

However, Tanya decided to send me a separate letter. I don't read email very well and I had no intention of reading any emails that day.

When I couldn't sleep that night, I saw the first email Tanya sent. I answered her immediately. But then I saw the second email that Tanya sent many hours later, it was very nasty and Tanya sounded like I had come out to her sisters and not to her. I was stunned and angry because Tanya had made her the worst day of my life.

We will be with our daughters-in-law and their extended family at the upcoming big gathering. I don't know how to deal with this. I want to avoid her at all costs, but usually we all sit at the same table. I just hate to think about it. I don't even want to go.

My husband knows about all this, as well as about past skirmishes, and also avoids Tanya.

How do you think I should proceed?

– Tense family matter

Dear family: As you probably already know, Tanya is completely wrong here. While I would normally suggest having a frank conversation with her about your grievances ahead of time, it sounds like she's not in an ideal position to be reasonable and so it might be a waste of your time.

But it would be a shame for her to drive you away from a pleasant time with your family. Depending on the size of the table, you might purposefully choose seats furthest from her so as not to get drawn into the conversation, or you might just decide that there are at least four other people you can interact with instead. If Tanya tries to make contact with you, calmly tell her, “There are some things we need to talk about before we can move forward. Let's have some fun tonight and I'll set up a time to talk later.” You are not obligated to clarify the situation with Tanya, especially if she does not take the initiative. But you don't have to please her either.

Dear Eric: As a 73-year-old man with many aches and pains, I have a suggestion for “The Cup Is Half Full” whose group of friends have been plagued by medical complaints. My group of friends and family humorously refer to these types of conversations as “Organ Concerts.” We limit our organ recitals to 15 minutes per group visit and then move on to other topics.

– Sick Lady