Given Hong Kong’s food and plastic waste problem, how about we stop shaming those who bring takeaway boxes to restaurants – even high-end ones?

With single-use plastics on the way out in Hong Kong and food waste a problem, it’s time to make bringing one’s own takeaway box to restaurants acceptable

I’m a big proponent of taking meat, dessert – bread and butter too – home even from Michelin-star places. Heaven forbid all that good food ends up in the bin!

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Takeaway boxes are a great way to store leftovers for later, so why don’t we take the shame out of bringing one’s own to restaurants? Photo: Shutterstock

Charmaine Mok

Charmaine Mok is the Deputy Culture Editor at SCMP and the desk's food and wine specialist.

Published: 7:45am, 7 Feb 2024

About 15 years ago, I was in a smart French bistro in south London enjoying a textbook perfect cassoulet.

Unable to finish it but unwilling to let it go to waste, I grappled with whether the chef-owner would judge me for wanting to pack up the rest of the stew to go.

I signalled him over and relayed my request.

“I’m so sorry, but we don’t have any takeaway boxes,” he said. And then he turned towards the kitchen, with the rest of our cassoulet in hand. Disappointed, we waited a little bit and got ready to pay the bill.

Food is placed into disposable lunchboxes at a restaurant. Photo: Shutterstock

Then he re-emerged with a sheepish smile on his face. In his hands was a silver box fashioned out of multiple layers of aluminium foil, sealed up extra tight. “We don’t have takeaway boxes, but we did our best.”