I'm still working on it

I have a helpful little phrase you can use when dining in restaurants in the U.S.

When you’re near the end of a meal, perhaps finishing your entree, your server might ask if he/she can take your plate or if you would like a box to take leftovers home (a doggie bag). If you are still eating, simply say, “I’m still working on it.” This is an informal way to tell your server that you haven’t finished eating and you don't want your plate removed yet. (Conversely, your server might ask you first, “Are you still working on that?”)


I don’t think eating is work at all but “I’m still working on it” is something we say in this type of situation. Of course you can always be literal and formal and tell your server that you haven’t finished eating, or that you’re still eating, but using the idiom will have you speaking like a local.

Doggie Bags

There are a few things to know when dining in restaurants in the USA. The first is to tip your server. The second is that portions are b-i-g, big! Because of this, you might not be able to eat everything on your plate. Rather than having the restaurant discard the leftovers, ask for a doggie bag (or doggy bag), which is a bag or container for leftover food to be carried home from a meal.

It is a pretense (a false claim) that the food will be taken home to feed the diner’s pet because the leftovers are really for later consumption by the diner. This is an accepted social custom in the USA but in some countries asking for a doggie bag is in poor taste.

I always need a doggie bag when I dine in a restaurant. I dislike wasting food and it's one less meal I need to prepare the next day :)