Open thread, Jul. 11 - Jul. 17, 2016

MrMind

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That calories are used as social lubricant irks me a lot. I understand why it was so in the past, but we live in a world filled to the brim with food, do we really need tens of thousands of calories at any social gathering?
The answer is obiously not, indeed it would be beneficial to lower the amount circulating... But as Lumifer spotted and wannabe rationalists often overlook, what appears as waste and irrationality is actually a situation optimized for status.
Ignoring status is almost always a bad idea, BUT: we can always treat it as just another contraint.
Given that we need to optimize for status and waste reduction, what could we do?

coordinate with a charity to pick-up the leftovers
use food that can be easily refrigerated and consumed gradually later
have food in stages, so that variety masks lack of abundance (and pressure people into eating leftovers)
repackage leftovers and offer them as parting gifts ...

These are just from a less than five minute brainstorming session, I'm sure someone invested in this would come up with much more interesting and creative ideas.

I like your suggestions. Asking people whether they want to take leftovers is an option I have seen used a lot.

2jsteinhardt10y

I don't think this is really a status thing, more a "don't be a dick to your guests" thing. Many people get cranky if they are hungry, and putting 30+ cranky people together in a room is going to be a recipe for unpleasantness.

5Lumifer10y

In the Western world where obesity is rampant, why do you want to pressure people into eating more? Generally speaking, the party-leftovers issue doesn't strike me as much of a problem. I suggest doing a back-of-the-envelope calculation of the harm it causes.