Do you eat up everything on your plate?

Singapore
April 11, 2007 10:18am CST
Mirror mirror on the wall, tell me how my future spouse will look. A face begins to form on the mirror and it is no longer your reflection. Instead, it looks suspiciously like... your dinner plate! That's right, you are looking at your dinner plate, and the magic mirror is saying that's how your spouse will look! When I was young, my Mum used to admonish that I should finish all my food. Well, not including the bones of course, but what can be eaten should be eaten. For those having Asian cuisine like me, it means not a single grain of rice should be left. My Mum used to say that if you don't want any pimples/acne on your wife's face, you shouldn't leave any grain behind. So if you leave one grain of rice, your wife will have one pimple. If you leave two, your wife will have two pimples... you get the picture. :P Whether or not this holds any magical truth, children are very innocent and they will believe whatever they are told. I thus grew up conditioned to lick my plate clean. Did your Mum tell you this when you were young? Do you have a habit of polishing off all the food on your plate? Or are you one who always wants to leave some for the invisible faeries? Or... ? Do share your thoughts. ;-)
49 people like this
171 responses
@DeaXyza (577)
• United States
11 Apr 07
I always finish food in my plate but we did feed all the birds in the locality every morning or the crows would be singing their growling tunes at 7 everyday if they do not find their platter full. My mum used to ask us to polish of the food always but never came out with such wonderful fairytales and it was actually what my grandma said made more sense to me about finishing everybit. She would often let me give the food to the beggar who would come for alms everyday to her doorstep, and she told me how lucky I was to get my food on my plate where as there were several kids like me who had to be in the mercy of the person who gave food and that how I would get the choicest of foods which many can never even dream about. This insight to how the other half of the world lived made me stick to polishing off food from my plate, if I am unable to complete it I stuff my plate into my refrigerator and have it later after I manage to make some space in my tummy. Thanks for the discussion Wizard
6 people like this
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
tsk tsk - You are in the running for best response!
;-)
1 person likes this
@dfinster (3528)
• United States
11 Apr 07
My mom and dad didn't give me the same story that your parents gave you. They used to try to make me feel guilty by telling me about all the kids that were starving in the world who would be incredibly grateful to just have a few bites of what I was eating. Our plates always had to be clean. Now as an adult, I try to only serve myself what I feel I will eat when I sit down. I figure I can always take a little more if I'm still hungry and that's what I teach my daughter. I definately do not condone the wasting of food.
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
Looks like your parents' story worked too. :P
1 person likes this
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
11 Apr 07
My mum used to tell me that I wouldn't get any pudding/dessert if I didn't eat up all my dinner! It always depending on what dessert it was, if it was blancmange or vanilla ice cream I was crafty and as a child saw there was no incentive in eating my dinner, if it contained chocolate for dessert then I would force myself to eat what I had on the plate, mum naturally cottoned on as mums do and wouldn't tell me what dessert was until I finished my dinner, d'oh!
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
Haha, what an interesting carrot to use! :P
1 person likes this
@creematee (2810)
• United States
11 Apr 07
Yes, I clean my plate, but like you, that was the way I was taught. I do not expect my children to eat everything. They are, however, expected to try a noticible bite of everything and tell me why or why not they like the food. (my son is a very picky eater.) Interesting theory your mother had about eating rice. My grandmother always told me to eat the crusts of my bread if I wanted curly hair. Must have worked, as I have very curly hair!! :)
4 people like this
@patgalca (18164)
• Orangeville, Ontario
11 Apr 07
One of my Dad's favourite phrases was "Eat it. It'll put hair on your chest." And it didn't matter whether he was speaking to a male or female.
2 people like this
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
I have hair enough on my body. :P
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
Probably some superstitions. :P
1 person likes this
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
11 Apr 07
Yes, we finish it all. But, (and I hope this does not offend) mother always said "You finish that food, don't you know there are starving people in China" at the time I did not understand how my eating my food would help those without in China...but I now know that is was about appreciating what blessings we have received. I make my children eat what they are served, admonishing them that we just asked for God's Blessings, how dare they then reject them. Now, if I know they do not particularly care for a food I do not serve them much of it...maybe even just a teaspoon. And it has happened from time to time that they began to like a food they used to despise. I also do not serve them any food that makes them physically ill. I think their being accustomed to eating everything will also help them during times of famine or hardships... they will eat what is available to them for survival.
5 people like this
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
I hope it won't offend anyone too. :P
1 person likes this
11 Apr 07
i always finish my plate no matter how much is on it, and not because i am scared of getting spots, but because i am always hungry, i never get full up, and if i do get full up i am hungry again within half an hour and want my next meal.
6 people like this
@rainbow (6761)
11 Apr 07
I was also made to eat everything and as an overweight adult it's maybe not the best thing in hindsight, lol. I ask my kids to have a little of everything and give the left-overs to the dog - although pudding or treats later is dependant on having eaten most of the main course. Crusts make your hair curl. Carrots help you see Fish makes you brainy Spinich makes you strong like Popeye the Sailor man etc. There was a reason for everything closely followed by waste not want not. Left overs were given at the next meal. I remember sitting until tea-time with unwanted food adn being told if you took a forkful of each thing in turn then you wouldn't be sat with a plate of brussel sprouts now. The strange thing is we were probably healthier for being force fed things we disliked and learned to tolerate rather than enjoy so we still buy them now. People didn't seem to be as fat as they are today when we allow ourselves to fill up on treats. I try to leave some for the fairies and can even leave some in the kitchen when serving food out - usually the pets get the best of the leftovers and the rest goes in the freezer towards a pie.
3 people like this
@patgalca (18164)
• Orangeville, Ontario
11 Apr 07
See now I never had that problem with the spinach and brussel sprouts. My mother never served us food we didn't like. What's the point in serving food they don't like and won't eat? The big clue was when I gagged on the creamed corn right into my glass of milk. Yuk!
2 people like this
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
The food you like might not be healthy.. and vice versa..
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
tsk tsk - You are in the running for best response!
Well said!
1 person likes this
• Ireland
11 Apr 07
No, my mum would never talk about something like pimples. She used to tell us that the starving children would be glad to have what food we left on our plates and I used to tell her to send it to them. I don't have a problem now with left over food now. I only have to cook for two and I always cook just the necessary amount as I don't like to waste food.
4 people like this
@usama46 (861)
• Pakistan
11 Apr 07
yes i try to eat every thing in my plate but some time i don't do this.
4 people like this
@wrdsofwisdm (1069)
• United States
11 Apr 07
When I was growing up, my mom would request that I at least try something new that she put on my plate. If I didn't like it, she did not force me to eat it. I wasn't much of a picky eater though. I mostly had a habit of keeping my food separated, lol. I hated mixing my food up. This however taught me to gauge my portions, so I rarely had extra food on the plate. It has also kept my weight fluctuation at only 3 lbs.
4 people like this
@minty3 (592)
• Nigeria
11 Apr 07
Well i think you mum was training you to eat up all your food to be healthy thats all. I serve myself food so i take what i know i can conveniently finish. if its too mcuh or i don't feel like eating, i'm not under any obligation to finish it. besides, there are some people who take pleasure in leaving some food on their plate even when they're not satisfied just to make a show!
4 people like this
@patgalca (18164)
• Orangeville, Ontario
11 Apr 07
My husband is like that. He comes up with this lame excuse that it is rude not to leave a little bit of food on your plate.
1 person likes this
@Denmarkguy (1845)
• United States
11 Apr 07
Ah, the the things parents will say to get their kids to behave the way they want! I haven't heard about grains of rice, and pimples on your wife's face before-- my mother was always on about "the straving children in Biafra." And, like you, I was always told I needed to finish everything on my plate. There was ONE mitigating factor, however, which was that if we were out to dinner at other people's house and the plate was served to me with food on it, I was not responsible for eating everything... because neither mom & dad, nor I, had "chosen" how much food to put on the plate. I didn't really take the "kids in Biafra" thing too much to heart... and eventually got around to the smartalecky comment of "Well, SEND it to them!" Which, of course, earned me a trip to my room without dinner. There was always a bit of a "family struggle" between my parents (founding members of the "Clean Plate Club") and my elderly aunt who helped raise me, a lot of the time. My aunt was a lot less strict about rules, and believed children learned more about life by being taught how to find their own limits. It could be that she was right... I never had much of a problem with "eating up" when I was at her house-- and when something was left over, I was always allowed to put it in a container in the fridge and save it for tomorrow.
• United States
11 Apr 07
No, that was the irony of it. If we went to someone ELSE's house and I got a plate of food, it was OK if I couldn't eat it all. But at home, when mom served me a plate of food, I was expected to eat it ALL. I only got to put my own food on my plate SOMEtimes... when they wanted to "test" me. Hah!
2 people like this
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
tsk tsk - You are in the running for best response!
Oh yea? So you get to choose what and how much to put on your plate at home? I would have told mama would be the one deciding. :P As for the "send it to them"... SERVE YOU RIGHT for going without dinner. Ha! :P
2 people like this
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
You should be thankful she was being f-l-e-x-i-b-l-e. :P
1 person likes this
@joy358 (491)
• Philippines
11 Apr 07
Well yes and no. I try to put the amount of food that I am able to eat on my plate. So my plate is usually clean by the time I finish eating. But sometimes I get carried away (especially if the menu's good) and put more than what I could eat. In this cases, when I feel that I'm already full, I just stop eating for a while then resume eating when I feel that my stomach is up to the challenge again until there is no more food on my plate. However, when I really can't manage to finish off my food I give it to my mom or dad and they finish it off for me. My parents can't stand food going to waste so they eat whatever is left on my plate rather than let it go to waste. LOL!
4 people like this
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
Well, don't force yourself to over-eat... :P
@Melody1 (967)
• India
11 Apr 07
I take little amount of food first.If I like it then I take more and if i don't,then I finish up whatever is on my plate and do not refill it. We were told during chilhood that if we waste food then many hungry tummy's of poor people won't get food. That used to do the trick and we used to eat up everything that was served to us in our plate.
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
You sound as if you have your meals at a buffet restaurant each day. If you eat at home like me, you get allocated portions lol. You can just take more if you like or take less if you don't. :P
2 people like this
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
As for the "decree", well, I guess I will withdraw it from you as soon as myLot introduces the "delete comment" option. So much for disobedience, ha! :P
2 people like this
@Melody1 (967)
• India
11 Apr 07
By the way "your Highness" I liked the "Royal Decree" and the commands therein.I beg your pardon Lordwarwizard,for daring to ask,how severely you are going to deal with those who are not ready to assist you,because I am also one of them.Lol :D
3 people like this
@Darkwing (21583)
12 Apr 07
Yes, my parents always told us that if we didn't finish our dinner, we would get no dessert... and they stuck to it!!! So, I finished up everything on my plate. They also had some weird sayings like, "eat your cabbage, it will make your hair curl", "eat your carrots or you won't be able to see in the dark", and "eat your crusts because they'll strengthen your teeth". Of course, we all know now that they were old wives' tales to get you to eat all your food, but in those days, we ate up and put up. Nowadays, I only put on my plate what I want, and therefore never leave anything, except maybe for the occasional grain or two of rice which I can't pick up! :-) Wellllllll, it falls through the fork! ha ha ha Brightest Blessings my friend.
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
I don't get desserts either way. :P
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
11 Apr 07
I was never told any type of "old wives tales" about cleaning my plate. As a child I was never made to eat everything either. As long as we ate our share of each food type offered we were okay by mom's standards. To this day I always leave some food on my plate. Even if I'm still hungry I'll get seconds just to leave a little behind. I don't know if it's for those faieries or not. But they don't go in the fridge in my house. I am also the type that DOES not eat leftovers at all. Thanks for the discussion also. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
3 people like this
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
Well, you have grown up big and fine so I guess maybe the faeries are helping after all! :P
1 person likes this
@bbkks18 (79)
11 Apr 07
take all you want and eat all you take...this is me!!! i only take food that i know i can eat because if i am still hungry after the first plate, i know that i can get more. i didn't really like left overs as much as eating the left over food so i will make it sure that there are no food got wasted. my parents owned an eatery/ carenderia [ restaurant] so they do not have any problem feeding me when i was a kid,oppsss other than sometimes i will never feel hungry and don't want to eat anything...hehe never heard those stories your mom usud to tell you when you were a kid but you know what? she did a really good job... i might used that to my little girl!!!
3 people like this
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
What a fortunate place to grow up in! :P
• India
12 Apr 07
i like the way you have started the discussion,you opened my eyes from now onwards i'll make sure that my wife don't have pimples when i get married,i wonder what your mother will tell to girls........jst kiddin man,well from my childhood i have had the habbit of not leavin anyhin on my plate,exceptions are there sometimes when i don't like the food or when i have had enough,then i leave somethin on plate to be thrown in th dustbin,else i know and i have seen people how difficult it is to earn bread and butter so i don't leave anythin on my plate!!!!!!!1
3 people like this
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
Lol :P
1 person likes this
@omarking (91)
• Egypt
11 Apr 07
hey listen what i do .... i come from school very hungry i can eat 2 or 3 plats on one time dont ask me how but i eat all in plat and want more. u think i'm very big and high weight and thats wrong u can say i'm thin and my whiegh 65kg :)
3 people like this
• Singapore
11 Apr 07
You are lucky to have a fast metabolism rate. :P
1 person likes this
• Egypt
11 Apr 07
i know that but the hungry man can do any thing to eat :) and i'm not high weight because i play sport
2 people like this
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
Fair enough..
@touchnshine (2821)
• India
12 Apr 07
I am 25 but I have the habit of licking my plate and make it totally clean while eating.. If I am in some public place or in presence of some other persons .. then I have to behave like a decent girl.. and sometimes when I just can't control then I will go to the kitchen .. close the door and start licking my plate.. My family calls me dog, cat and many other names.. but I simply love doing it.. Sometimes I used to get the comment -- now there is no need to wash the dish .. it's so clean.. Lolz .. I don't think it's a bad habit .. I am totally involved in this habit. My mom never told me to lick the plate .. but I don't know why I used to do this
3 people like this
• Singapore
12 Apr 07
You still can leave a clean plate and maintain good table manners. :P
1 person likes this