Do You Take The Tiny Food Jars from Restaurants?

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been in a situation once or twice when I’m dining at a restaurant and couldn’t resist the urge to take the tiny ketchup jar home with me. I do this mostly when I travel and where tiny and individually packaged food items might come in handy and are not usually readily available in supermarkets. However, whenever I do take something I do it stealthily, looking left and right then sneaking in the tiny cute wonder without other diners noticing. 

I’m not sure why the stealth part, I am paying for those things after all so its not really “stealing”. It’s not like I was taking the china, utensils, or the cute salt shakers. I just think its more of a pride thing, being seen taking something with you and not wanting to attract unnecessary attention, or being perceived as “cheap” or something. I always wondered if other diners did the same thing or, if they did would they feel the need to sneak in the items they take? it too or am I the only one who does?

Then one day as we sat with friends on this posh restaurant a friend of mine exclaimed how good their ketchup was -it came in a little tiny jar, it was not Heinz-. I know the brand of the ketchup she was talking about, I know its sold in the UK but I’ve never seen it in Kuwait so most likely it was imported specifically for that restaurant. As we dined she asked the waiter for two more ketchup jars while she raided the one originally placed on the table. When we were done dining, she had every intention of taking the two extra ketchup jars home and she simply, breezily, calls the waiter, asks him for a small bag to use for her ketchup jars, and the waiter smiles and brings the bag and if memory serves me right even places the jars inside the bag, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

I was impressed!

I’m not sure what the etiquette rules are regarding taking/sneaking/asking to take something you use for dining home from a restaurant, but I would never thought in a million years that I could handle the matter with such classy nonchalance! I wish I had the confidence to do that, does it all boil down to confidence? Perhaps it does, but technically you are indeed paying for those tiny cute jars, what difference does it make to eat them at the table or take them home with you, especially if you are on the move and have a long day of walking and sight seeing ahead?

What do you think? Did you ever sneak something from the restaurant table to take home when you thought no one was seeing? Or do you usually take the confidence route and ask for a bag straight away like my friend? Do you think the situation would differ for, say, an untouched complimentary bread basket or is it all the same?