Still working on that?

Restaurants really need to come up with a decent way of asking if you're ready to have your plate cleared away, because the lack of standardization has left every server flailing for the right question.

Anyone who's ever taken a minute mid-meal to settle has heard the question, "Are you still working on that?" (Or the shortened "Still working?" that you'll likely encounter at Friday's and Uno's.) That makes it sound like eating this food is a job I've been assigned. No, I'm not working -- I'm eating. There are no blueprints involved; no disassembly is required; and I have not clocked in. If the food is cooked right, eating it should be the opposite of work, shouldn't it?

I've also heard the unappetizing "Are you still picking on that?", which makes me think of a barnyard full of chickens.

And then there's the more creative but equally inappropriate, "You look like you're running out of gas" -- a question that practically begs a retort about the nachos providing more than enough.

Instead, how about a simple, direct "Still eating?" Or, if you want to be a little fancy about it, "Are you still enjoying your _____?" But I'm willing to bet that no question is really necessary at all. "Should I take the plate, or...", is likely all the server will have to say, because the diner will by that point either hug the plate defensively or nod and push it to the end of the table.

Unless the diner is a food reviewer from the Phantom Gourmet, at which point he'll say, "No, actually I'm still working."