sharing entrees at meals

Use the search box. This was extensively discussed within the last couple of weeks. General conclusion is that it is not considered not a good idea. Also entrees are much smaller on average than the US.

Every large city, like Rome, has thousands of restaurants to pick from. Just cause it is not in Rick Steves book, does not mean they will not be good. There is no way he can visit all of them, nor is there space in the book to list all of them. Be adventuresome, eat your main meal at lunch when there are lunch specials, dine away from all tourist areas, get sandwiches at the grocery stores, things like that. One of the best meals I had in Rome was a wonderful smoked pork sandwich we had freshly made in a grocery store right behind the Coliseum. We bought our sandwiches and drinks, then sat on the steps near by, admiring this fabulous stucture. The meat and cheese were delicious, the bread was great, and the price was super.

Actually, in response to Amy, portion sizes in Italy are quite ample. Easily enough to share.

They just don't compare to the Olive Garden.

I can't remember sharing an entree like this in Italy. Remember pasta portions will be smaller than you are used to in the States, as a traditional Italian meal will include both a pasta primo and an entree.

We often would order an antipasto and a pasta when we wanted to have a nice dinner, rather than a pasta and an entree. That saved us money and the antipasto were generally more interesting than a hunk of meat.

Like the previous poster, I had an amazing pork sandwich (mine was in Florence) for almost nothing. Eating at markets is a fun budget alternative. We like to try and find accommodation that includes breakfast, picnic for lunch and then feel good about having dinner in a trattoria.

The all gelato diet is also cheap!!

Sharing a meal doesn't have to be complicated. If everybody has something on a plate in front of them, just trade plates when you're ready. I wouldn't ask "permission." You don't need a fresh plate. If you are eating with people, don't worry about their "germs" being on the food unless they are sick.

Most often we would share an appetizer, have our own pasta, share a dessert and have coffee or an apertif. Sometimes we would share the appetizer and a pasta then each order a secundi with a few veggies to share. Thinking back to most of the meat courses we saw most didn't look like they could graciously be split. At a lovely place in ORvieto we split the appetizer, each had a pasta recommended by our server then after finishing the pasta we saw the people at the next table getting an order of salczita (sp?) that looked interesting but we were pretty full. The server suggessted splitting an order since it was two pieces. They brought it out on two plates and added a lovely roasted veggie garnish to both. There are many ways to eat in Rome and stay within a budget. Find your local markets and delis for interesting sandwiches, cheeses, olives fruit veggies, yogourt, salads cold drinks. Look for small cafes with takeaway food or places that sell pizza by weight. I may get flamed by the gourmets here but we had a very delicious meal at the Autogrill in Termini. What is your approximate budget for food each day?

I was amused by Maggie's comment re Autogrills. It's well-known that Italians are serious about food, but you have to experience road chains like Autogrill to understand the depth of their passion. I had a very tasty pasta with calamari sauce (5 euros alacarte) at an Autogrill recently. It was but one of many tempting choices. I also remember having some very acceptable pasta in the Catania airport. The airport is tiny, has little seating, was smoky (some years ago); but you could get a decent meal.

Thanks everyone. Lots of good ideas here. We don't have a specific budget, just don't want to order too many 22 E menus (or more).

You should check the recent discussions. I thought the consensus was that was definitely OK to split dishes and some of us do it all the time.

But, yes, portions are smaller, but we order more courses.

As far as budget goes, if you eat where the locals eat the prices will be much lower and very reasonable. I must say 22Euro entrees are quite uncommon where we eat.

Just a little terminology here - what we call the entree is called the "secondo" in Italian. It's based on the traditional large Italian meal menu, which starts out with antipasto (meaning before the meal), followed the primo which is a pasta dish (with or without meat), then the secondo (meat or fish) which is often accompanied by a contorno or two (side dish, e.g. veggies), followed by fruit for dessert and maybe a grappa as an after dinner drink. But for most Italians, a full meal like that is fairly rare. So feel free to order a couple of antipasti, a pasta, a contorno or two and no secondo. No one will care.

Hi Jinny,
I was in Siena Apr. 21, 22 (11 days ago. My sister and I asked our gracious hotel proprietress, Daniela at Albergo Bernini, this very question. She assured us that it's no problem, Italians do that too, but suggested that we not ask the restaurant staff to split the serving for us. One of us ordered a salad, the other ordered either a "secondo" or a pasta dish, so we each had a plate. Then we divided the food ourselves before starting to eat. That was plenty of food for us, and sometimes we had room for dessert.

Be cautious of items sold by weight on the menu (for example Bistecca in Florence). The minimum weight is often quite a lot.

Betsy

It is ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM to share. You just have to advise the waiter of what you want to do. Anybody implying otherwise is imposing their ideals about propriety on the rest of us.

We've been to Italy 7 times. First trip stuffed ourselves, feeling "obligated" to do the primi, secondi, contorni thing. Every time since, we sometimes get two pastas and one entree or one pasta and two entrees. It's your money. Spend it how you'd like.

And have fun!