Community Chat

[Starpolisher]

Off topic again but...this thread reminded me of something funny that happened when my sons played football in high school. Across the street from the school was a small Chinese restaurant that had an all you can eat buffet. One day the team decided to eat there after school. Well the boys ate so much the place closed the buffet for the rest of the day! I guess when they said "all you can eat", they didn't realize how much teenage boys can actually put away!

[GenXmuse]

Maybe they’re worried about something running out? 

[TTerri]

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@CelticCrafter wrote:

I'm not fond of restaurant or wedding buffets and would never go to a pot luck dinner unless it was a family member gathering.

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Do you think your family members are cleaner than strangers just because you know them?

[NYC Susan]

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@Starpolisher wrote:

I don't have an answer. I just wanted to comment on the remarks, " your eyes are bigger than your stomach." My dad used to say that and I've never heard it said from anyone else. Until today, I thought he had coined the phrase...lol! He also use to say,"take all you want but eat ALL you take!" He said that was a sign posted in the mess hall when he was in the army. I guess most people raised by parents who've lived through the depression were taught not to be wasteful. For some of us, it really sticks!

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In my experience Depression-era people aren't wasteful, but many of them do take whatever they can get (and hold on for dear life!) because they know what it is to go without.  When I worked in the mental health field, I saw many examples of people terrified of not having enough, and some of those people for sure piled their plates high, threw rolls and teabags and food in their purses, and took more than their share.  It was from fear, and even those who were quite wealthy later on couldn't shake the feeling that they could suddenly have nothing so they'd better grab all they can while they can.  There have been studies done about people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities who take more food than they can eat and hide it.  Just in case.  More often than not, it's forgotten about and goes undetected, sometimes for quite awhile, and ends up in the trash.  So those who lived thru the Depression or knew of it from parents were mindful of not wasting anything.  But they are often prone to wasting quite a lot, especially as they age.

(This is of course different than deliberately throwing food away.  It's just my take on the mentality of those who lived thru the Depression.  Not being wasteful is a big part of that, but a tendency to "stock up" can be a big part of it too.)

Now back to our regular scheduled programming............  :-)

[shoekitty]

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@reiki604 wrote:

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@shoekitty wrote:

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@reiki604 wrote:

SMH!!!!!! Don't you ladies have anything else to do than watch how much food someone else takes? And on top of it, sit in judgement of those people??? MYOB!!!

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Shoekitty said.

@reiki604  That is beyond rude. Why would you talk to so,eone like that? Geesh Permit Patty came to mind

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So sorry if I hurt your feelings but expressisng a different opinion is not rude. It's those who live in judgement who are the 'permit patties' trying to control what others do or say. Sorry differing opinions affect you so strongly. Bless you!

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Shoekitty said

didn't hurt my feelings, or I imagine anyone here.  Opinions are always are always appreciated by most everyone I know on these forums.  Your telling some to mind their own business, is not an opinion but a statement ...and an order.  Just sayin'

[Sooner]

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@reiki604 wrote:

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@shoekitty wrote:

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@reiki604 wrote:

SMH!!!!!! Don't you ladies have anything else to do than watch how much food someone else takes? And on top of it, sit in judgement of those people??? MYOB!!!

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Shoekitty said.

@reiki604  That is beyond rude. Why would you talk to so,eone like that? Geesh Permit Patty came to mind

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So sorry if I hurt your feelings but expressisng a different opinion is not rude. It's those who live in judgement who are the 'permit patties' trying to control what others do or say. Sorry differing opinions affect you so strongly. Bless you!

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I have a question:  If you accuse someone of "judging" aren't you de facto judging when you say that?  Seems like the perfect Catch 22 to me. 

[Yahooey]

My niece worked for a pastry/tea cafe place. The workers were encouraged to take all the pastries home since they would not be sold the next day The cafe would not donate to the shelters - something about lawsuits regarding allergies etc. 

I only go to buffets that are tried and true. I often take only a little as a sample and would go back again and again if I enjoyed it. I hate taking a lot of something only to discover I didn't care for it. I have no problem going back for a fresh plate.

I once went to a sushi all you can eat - a sign said order only what you can finish. If an excess amount was wasted, there would be a penalty $$. I forgot what the amount per person was. Sushi is expensive and if people just kep ordering and not finishing - I agree with the restaurant.

[shoekitty]

@NYC Susan

I agree totally. it is a mixed bag.  I have a friend who struggled as a young mother to feed her kids.  She hoarded food.  Still does!  She knows it too. Her freezers are packed, the cupboards, even the counters are covered in every new treat that comes out!  I am in heaven when I come to visit.   Most of the food is wasted in the end, because she cannot use it.  She had learned to sometimes take her excess frozen food to church down the street that cooks meals for those who want a meal.  But she said it is hard for her to part with.  She is afraid of a set back, and she wont be able to feed kids.  This wouldn't happen because we love her, but in her mind it can because it has happened many times early on.  When she goes out, she often is the one most guilty of wasting food as well.

many buffets, high ends ones that were stellar have refused to buffets anymore, even sunday brunch because of waste.  It is different if people eat it, that is what it is there for.  But to pile high, especially the meat and fish items and throw it out is wasteful. But people do.  As I said, I have 2 family members who are most guilty of this at my home.  I serve organick, top notch food, and never skimp as feeding is a pleasure to me. But I have cringed at seeing prawns, smoked salmon from alaska thrown in the trash because they took way too many.  Deep sigh there.  In this case as I said in another post, it is poor organizational skills and planning, I am sure of it, lol!

[Sooner]

I hope we don't move on to paper products as a topic of waste. . . 

[BirkiLady]

@NYC Susan  Your post is spot-on!  My MIL was a delightful women and sociially adept. However, we realized she was having problems when we visited her and she began taking the sugar packets from the little restaurant in her town! With humor (not laughing at her, but gentle humor) my husband asked her about it. She didn't know what he was talking about. When we took her out for the next meal, she again opened her purse. This time she had leftover steak from the night before inside her purse! She was horrified. Then, opened her purse and showed us! She thought it was very funny. We knew she was in the early stages of dementia and sought medical help. She never put food into her purse, but the sugar continued to be taken home whenever we took her out for a meal. Eventually, she admitted never having to buy sugar anymore!

She refused to move back to Nebraska; we placed her in an assisted living facility for her own safety after she had a car accident. When placing her in the AL, we realized she had gone through all her assets and only had Social Security left but was too proud to ask for help (and too secretive about her finances). Of course we helped her. She was a strong women who was determined to do it as best she could. Have to love them and give them a lot of credit.