When I was a little kid, I used to get embarrassed when my beloved Mom Mom (grandma) would take a few Sweet-n-Low packets home with her from whatever food establishment we were visiting. I'd roll my eyes and swear that I'd never be the woman who would do that.
Fast forward to today. Not only am I that woman, I've raised the bar.....
Last night I was invited to join Jeff and his co-worker/friend for dinner. His friend had flown in and the two of them had training meetings in the city this week. They asked if I'd like to join them for dinner most likely as a preemptive strike, as I tend to complain loudly when Jeff goes out for nice dinners for work while I eat mac-n-cheese with the kids.
At any rate, when our plates arrived, all three plates were beautifully decorated with branches of rosemary. And I do mean branches. You'd pay out the nose for this stuff at the grocery store.
I sat there for a little while and contemplated what to do. I certainly wasn't going to let that beautiful rosemary garnish go to waste. But what would his co-worker think if I rolled it up in a napkin and stuffed it in my purse?
Could I do it discreetly? Maybe he'd go to the bathroom and I could shove it in my purse while he was gone. Would he even notice if I plucked his rosemary off his plate during his absence? His branch was even heartier than my own. Oh, the rosemary chicken I could make with that baby! But that didn't work out either. He has a large bladder, apparently.
Finally I just spat it out and asked if anyone would mind if I took the rosemary home with me since clearly nobody was going to eat it. Jeff looked at me like I had twenty heads and two dozen snakes sticking out of my scalp. His buddy didn't even hesitate. He plucked the garnish out of his dish and passed it across the table while Jeff shook his head.
I have become that woman.
I told them that I was actually being eco friendly and environmentally conscious. Recycling, repurposing, upcycling, being green, and any other earth friendly term I could muster to justify my questionable dinner behavior. Really, they should thank me for my thoughtfulness.
Oh, and just so you know. If you leave rosemary in your purse overnight, your checkbook will smell like it spent the week in Tuscany without you even having to spend a penny. You're welcome.
How about you? What's the strangest thing you've ever brought home from a restaurant?
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31 comments:
Oh my God, too funny!!! Good for you though for having the guts to do it! You know it would have simply ended up in the trash, and what a waste! I think that's awesome.
You name it, I take it with me. Creamers, ketchup, jelly etc. I only take home the things that I know would be thrown out if I didn't. I am not the kind to empty the jelly holder or sugar caddy!! All though....... lol
Melanie, I love it! I take a bunch of stuff home too but luckily I grow my own rosemary. I pick it up at my local nursery for about 75 cents and it gets huge and lasts me forever. I pick up a bunch and plant it all around so I can snip some whenever I want and get to smell it all the time when the windows are open. It's so easy to grow. You should pick up a plant and see how it grows up there.
Haha I never thought of doing that.
When I worked at a local restaurant here may things followed me home by accident. Really. Between the money and the ordering pad my apron was always heavy so I wouldn't notice when I left work that I had left things in it. I would get home at 4 in the morning and realize I had pepper or salt shakers or little ketchup bottles that I had moved to refill or clean lol.
From actually eating somewhere, I've only taken the mini disposable syrup bottles they give you with your pancakes.
I will take Splenda packets....I also have been known to stuff Olive Garden breaksticks in my purse :o
Priceless.
I don't take stuff home from restaurants other than my leftovers. Rosemary counts as your leftovers definitely!
Bravo! You are too funny.
lol I do the same thing. Try eating at Pickity Place sometime...herbs galore!
Dh asked me to bring home pats of butter (this was years ago) because I never bought him real butter. I made a big mess in my purse when it melted. He jokes about bringing home butter every time we go out to eat.
Well, your story definitely trumps mine of taking cookies home from Ryans (blah - I can't believe I thought that place was good) when I was a kid! ;o)
Thanks for the laugh!
Tshanina
lmao - can totally see this unfolding. Have witnessed first hand that look from Jeff.
I always bring home those little bottles of maple syrup. My kids will only eat REAL maple syrup and those suckers are a good $1.50-2 a pop. Liquid gold. If any is left, you bet it goes into my purse. Only once did I forget and have a sticky mess to deal with later.
Laurie W.--MA
Too funny!! In our family, we all have stories about our mother absconding with food/condiments/toiletries. And she could buy/sell whatever place she was taking them from. But she is a "Child of the Depression" and can't let it go.
However, Mel--I have some rosemary (almost a bush) that I've been growing for a few years and bring in for the winter (not pretty-but useful!) and I'd be thrilled to send you LOTS of cuttings. I live on the Cape and they would probably reach you in a couple of days.
Love, love, love it!! This is why I continue to follow your blog. Thanks for giving me a chuckle today. And by the way, I would have totally done the same thing!
Amy V. - MA
I haven't taken anything from a restaurant but my mother, after her wedding to my father in a church(they eloped in the 70s), happy with wine, stole a carafe and glass of Chianti. She was out the door and in the car before I could stop her. Thankfully my father was driving.
Does a Bar count? I was out with my girlfriend and there was a TON of change on the floor- I'm talking dollars and quarters, so I bent over and picked it up. We all know what we can do with a few quarters and a stack of Qs :).
Love this! I too, have turned into my grandmother.
I was at Buffalo Wild Wings where they have a little cannister of wet wipes and I always get an extra for my purse. You never know when you'll need a wet wipe!
I have taken Splenda packets and wet naps. When my son was raising guinea pigs for a Boy Scout badge, I used to ask everyone at the table if I could have the decorative cabbage leaves on their plates. One day people from some of the surrounding tables dropped off their leaves on their way out. I guess I asked too loudly, Ha,ha. I grow my own rosemary, I just make sure that I bring it indoors before the first frost. Pick it as I need it. The blue flowers in the summer are absolutely beautiful.
You go girl ! I would have done the same thing. Can't let good herbs go to waste :)
LOL.. loved the story. I'd have taken the rosemary too. It doesn't do well in the NE in the winter.
As an "adult" I can't say I've ever taken anything along those lines. Nope.. as a staving college student working full time - that lived in a 1 bedroom apt with 3 girls, I took two egg rolls once from an all you can eat Chinese buffet. Got soo "bagged". I'm not sure I'm over it to this day. In my defense, I didn't eat much and they probably owed me two egg rolls. I didn't have food for lunch the next day. Payday was the next day. To be 17 yrs old again :) :) :)..
jlondon
Ok that is rock star awesome. I love it and I love the way you tell the story. My hubby and I were at a family wedding once and his grandmother needed to get something out of her teeth. So she turned to the Sweet-n-Low packets to start flossing her teeth with. I watched (cause how do you not) and figured as a bonus she could just take the packets home with her. Next thing I know, she is putting the packets back in the container. I about busted out - and my hubby (discreetly) removed said Sweet-n-Low from the middle of the elegantly dressed tables. This is one case where I would have been happy if she took them home :)
This was GREAT! I love it and would have done it myself, strangest thing I've ever taken with me, ( can't say which Restraunt cause im sure the were not supose to do this) was the rest of my margarita in a kiddie cup I didn't finish it and figured I paid for it so? .... this was years ago and I was the passenger LOL
I can think of two incidents actually:
1. The incident my boyfriend refers to as "Jelly Foot" to this day: we were on a road trip and after breakfast we had not eaten our toast so I wrapped it in a napkin and grabbed a few jellies and butters and put them in my purse. Well, I completely forgot about them and put my purse on the floorboard by my feet. We'd been driving a while when I felt something sticky on my foot and one of the grape jellies had burst open and was all over the tan interior of the car!
2. The other comes from my very, very poor college days and I basically had no money to eat. I figured out that in the morning at the cafeteria, if there were any baked goods from the night before, they would be marked down to $.25 each. If I was lucky, there would be a bagel but there was almost always something. The reason I would do this was because if I bought something, I would be able to use the condiments bar so I'd take saltine packets, peanut butter, cream cheese, mayo, mustard and lettuce, tomato and onion. I'd use the veggies and cream cheese to make a sandwich on the bagel and then eat the peanut butter and crackers the rest of the day. Most of the morning workers knew what I was doing but they were never mad and sometimes they'd save me bagels or the "mistake" orders. Thinking back on it, it wasn't exactly ethical but it kept me from starving.
Was at a fancy hotel tea last Mother's Day and several of the fancy jars of honey "fell" into my purse. The lady next to me had baggies in her purse and filled them up.
You didn't!!! OMG hahahahaha. Well I guess if you know how much it costs...I am very frugal at work. I sold a little lady a few bags of barrettes from our $1 bin yesterday. She asked me what the regular price was, I guess to know how much she was saving. I told her the truth. 'Oh. there is no regular price, they are just ones I found, so I bagged em up. I don't know what they go to!' lol. Better than tossing them out with damaged items, they are still new, I just don't know what they go to! :)
That is soooo funny. I go to a church luncheon one day a month and know few of the people. Well, they all know me and bring me their plates to take home for my hens. Rosemary is better than piles of food on a plate--neater looking.
LoL!! Great post Melanie! Very descriptive and entertaining! Yes, I have taken things from a restaurant; the wet wipes, little ketchup or syrup bottles. Never thought about growing my own Rosemary like some of your readers' comments mention; good idea.
Mel, this is fantastic!! Good for you!! BTW - can I borrow some rosemary for my rosemary butter cookies? JK - I already paid for the rosemary!
You are totally right not to waste the rosemary!
Um. I'm embarrassed to admit. I use to steal..ahem...borrow salt and pepper shakers in college.
At one point we had 48 sets in our house.
I know. I'm going to Hell one day for that. lol
What a great idea!
I remember when I was little I would take home a little mouse carved from a radish that was the garnish on my dish at this one restaurant. He had peppercorns for eyes and he would shrivel up as the week progressed so his "eyes" would fall out.
And also I used to take the half of a lemon they wrap in yellow gauze and tie a bow around when you get seafood sometimes. :P
LOL!!!! What did Jeff say when you drove home after dinner??? I would be teased for the rest of my life --- TOO FUNNY!!!! :)
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