Paper napkins

How many paper napkins does it take to eat a piece of cake? Or a cafe/restaurant meal?  As a bit of a cafe addict I have been counting and typically it is around five if you eat in a restaurant.  Here's the thing: its been going up steadily.  So now there is often a glass of water on a saucer, with a napkin under the glass.  One wrapped around the knife and fork.  One put down with the main course. Another under the garlic bread, one under the coffee cup on the saucer, one under the cake and another loose one to go with the cake as well.  

Sometimes all of the above, totalling seven. So if we go out together that's FOURTEEN napkins.  And we really do only need one each.  So I take the surplus home if it cannot be put back.  Often if you hand them back,staff throw them away.  And they go in the tissue box to be used as tissue substitutes.  So we seldom need to buy tissues and I am working hard to tell cafe staff in advance not to bring more napkins.  Its hard to remember. And its hard for them to remember, they bring them anyway then throw them in the bin when I remind them.  The rubbish surges at you and it so hard to refuse, feeling like a lone voice in the throwaway wilderness.  So what I want to know is: who else out there tries to refuse and reuse napkins in coffee shops?  We have just ordered a rigid tissue box to keep them in, we don't use many tissues anyway cloth handkerchiefs prevail chez nous.