This past weekend, I ate with my family at Taverna Banfi, the restaurant run by the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. We enjoyed the food but all agreed that portions were too big, certainly not consistent with eating in a 400 calorie way. Just a few standouts – a basket of focaccia, maybe 100 calories per slice, refilled by the wait staff (we finally said no thanks). An overly well-dressed salad, with, say, 2 tablespoons of oil; that’s 200 calories in oil alone. A tasting menu with two entrée-size courses, one of duck and one of short ribs, probably over 500 calories before factoring in side dishes. An appetizer-size portion of pasta that easily topped 500 calories.

So why should restaurants concern themselves with portion size? Because chefs play a huge role in teaching people how much to eat. If you serve too much, diners will eat too much, and think that your portions are okay. How about cutting down on meat and pasta portions, and adding more veggies to the plate instead?