Has American portion size always been larger than elsewhere in the world? If not, when did it start?

by Mountebank

For example, a small drink at McDonald's in the US is 16oz (473ml), whereas in the UK it's 250ml. This is true in general for most everything at restaurants and probably at homes as well.

When did this discrepancy in portion size arise? What kinds of cultural influences caused this difference?

Yarinareth

You might also try asking this in r/askfoodhistorians.