When I was growing up, both at Thanksgiving and Christmas we ate a huge meal

We also had huge meals on both those days but after everybody ate we put everything away and if you got hungry we went to the fridge and heated a plate up in the microwave. We never let anything set out. My mom was really fussy about that if something sat out to long it would go in the garbage. So she would make a few plates up and put them in the fridge when those were gone she made more plates it was always never ending and I look forward to it every year.

Mercy!! No wonder you got the stomache flu each time! I had a friend who used to do that, leave the food on the table after a family event so it could be picked at all day. After the meal the only thing I would pick on was the raw veggies and olives or something, but never the meat, etc. She always thought I was silly because I insisted at my house that it either stayed hot or cold, like it's supposed to. I still follow that rule to this day for meals, and picnics too. Better to be safe than sick!

We still do the large meals at Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and also on Easter Sunday as a family. Noone ever got sick from eating too much though. I have my son and his girlfriend over, my daughter her boyfriend and her two sons, my wife and myself and of course dad. Big meals with many different dishes then some fantastic French Silk and Apple pie and even Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream on top. I love my family holidays and the meals that come with them. Family tradtion lives on. I leave leftovers for the wife. I don't save them unless she puts them away. I don't even eat leftovers actually. But if I do I set them on the counter till room temp then in the fridge. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~ HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~

It is still the time when we have big meals but we know more about food safety that we did when I was young. We did not have the appliances that are availble nowadays to safeguard leftovers.

It depends on the season and the temperature. In winter it's so cold it's not so much a problem. In summer, it's imperitive to refrigerate food so it won't spoil. I keep everything in clean containers that seal, even when defrosting stuff. I make sure raw food doesn't come in contact with processed food and I try to keep the place clean and sanitised. I think it comes from having my own cafe and learning the correct way to habdle food there. I don't swith everything off at the plug though.

I was afflicted with amoebiasis when I turned 18. I ate this soft tamarind candy which I bought from the sidewalk and within the hour, I began to vomit and felt really bad. About 5 years ago, my amoebiasis attacked again and I was admitted for 5 days. Since then, I was really careful with the leftover food. I cook in small serving or enough for a day only. I need to take a lot of supplement to flush out the parasites out of my body too.

I throw left overs out as I do not trust them at all I just do not want to risk anything at all The only food that I would have 2 Days on the Trot would be if I made soup vegetable soup but nothing else it goes in the bin

We still have the large gatherings with enormous amounts of food. Generally this is for Christmas, & possibly New Years & maybe someone's birthday. However, we need to be a but stricter with left overs, due to our very hot climate. Most of a big gathetings with gigantic quantities of food, are in summer & we need to be especially careful then. So any left overs that should be refrigerated, are done so fairly quickly. Do you think perhaps you were suffering from eating too much food, that was possibly very rich, rather than food poisoning? I know my hubby gets an upset stomach when he overeats, & so does my daughter.

Here in my country it's not a tradition to celebrate Thanksgiving, but we usually have a great party when it's Christmas eve. Together with New Year's and Carnival, these are the biggest celebrations here in my country. Unlike you, we have the Christmas' meal at night. Most families start it at 8pm or something, but some wait until it's midnight to eat. Anyway, we don't do that because we're way too hungry to wait. Hahaha! That's definitely the day of the year when I eat the most. There's way too much food of all kinds of types, and everything is simply so delicious that I can't stop eating. I get sick almost every year, not because the food is not fresh and good, but because I eat much more than I can handle. Last year I didn't eat so much though. I ate until I felt satisfied and stopped, and kept watching the rest of my family attacking that poor turkey. Hahaha! :D