Portions too big? That's what doggie bags and friends are for.

Byline: FOOD DUDE By Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

Last week Food Dude went off on convenience stores that sell bananas. This week, I'm unloading on grocery stores that sell DVD players.

It's bad enough they put pharmacies and Starbucks in every new supermarket that goes up. Do they really need an in-store electronics boutique? Is anybody actually buying this stuff? And the last thing I need is some poor checker soliciting me with the latest impulse buy of the week that he's been instructed to push.

"No, thank you, I don't need any Christmas tree lights or extension cords to go with my taco fixings?"

I know where this is headed. Soon there will be no supermarkets, just super stores that offer radial tires and latex paint and PlayStation 3 consoles alongside an ever-shrinking selection of actual food. And Food Dude will be buying his groceries at 7-Eleven.

If you're mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore, or if you just have a question about food, cooking, dining out or dining in, send it to the address at the end of the column.

Dear Food Dude: We want to know why restaurants can't do small portions of their entrees, especially those that are extra large and would feed a family of four. We went to Lucky Noodle and they wouldn't cook us a half portion.

- Light Eater 

Dear L.E.: Food Dude doesn't mind being over-served now that just about every restaurant will gladly give you a doggie bag - a trend that's good for just about everyone but canines since most people eat the leftovers for lunch the next day. But I do feel your pain.

I called Josh Keim, owner of Lucky Noodle, who confirmed that his restaurant did not offer half portions of Drunken Noodle, Garlic and Black Beans Tofu and other favorites. "It's not that the chef wouldn't want to do it," said Keim, who chocked the decision up to financial limitations. "If an (entree) is proportioned in the kitchen and you've got to break it in half, you have a half portion that would potentially go to waste."

If you're not hungry and don't want a doggie bag, Keim suggests bringing a friend and ordering an entree "family style," which basically means the plate gets dropped in the center of the table and you and your dining partner get to fight it out.

Just for kicks, Food Dude called several restaurants known for their hearty portions. Turtles offers half sandwiches and other smaller versions of entrees during lunchtime, but doesn't do half entrees at dinner. The Outback Steakhouse will halve just about everything but a steak. They'll also cook you a half a pork chop, since that's the way those cuts arrive in the kitchen. The Oregon Electric Station also won't split a good steak down the middle, but they will cook half portions of just about everything else.

Cafe Soriah isn't known for its gigantic portions, but owner Ibrahim Hamide hates to send anyone away hungry. He says for most restaurants, the decision not to offer half portions is an economic decision.

"When you have a table of six and you order three meals, your income is cut by half. We can't create any more tables, so each seat is a valuable asset to a restaurant," he says. "No restaurant is going to survive (under those circumstances), I don't care what their name is. Nobody is that cush."

Soriah does not offer half portions, but Hamide will split an entree for a small surcharge. And, he says, that charge is not for nothing. Those half-entrees have been augmented with more side dishes.

That said, Hamide says he would probably offer you a half order if you insisted on it.

"It's good public relations," he says. "You're being good to a customer and they will pay you back by saying good things about you."

Talk to the Food Dude at www.registerguard.com/blogs/index.php/fooddude.