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How could I have politely told the mom that I'd like to have been able to eat as much as I wanted to OR that I was still hungry because I didn't have enough food OR that I couldn't enjoy food if I had to worry so much about portions, without coming off as unappreciative?

There isn't really a good way of doing this. The fundamental problem here is that all of their family equally eat the same portions as they are offering you. This evidently comes down to a principle issue that they have.

What I mean by principle issue is that we cannot assume just because they have money now that they have always had money. What if the mother grew up in a household where food was scarce and is used to portioning it so that it lasts longer? That sort of experience doesn't really fade with time. Some people stick to it for years and years after their initial circumstances change for the better.

If you really want to change the situation, perhaps try to find out the actual reason that the mother serves portions of that size. You could politely and inquisitively ask in conversation:

So I've always been curious [Insert mothers name], how do you figure out what the right portion sizes are, is it something you've always done?

This may help you discover if there's a hidden reason. This will then allow you to tackle the situation from the proper angle. Otherwise anything you could say will likely come across as unappreciative.

Irrespective of portion size, they have invited you into their home and offered food. It's a gesture, one that you do not need to agree too. So dig a little deeper first, then go from there.

How could I have politely told the mom that I'd like to have been able to eat as much as I wanted to OR that I was still hungry because I didn't have enough food OR that I couldn't enjoy food if I had to worry so much about portions, without coming off as unappreciative?

There isn't really a good way of doing this. The fundamental problem here is that all of their family equally eat the same portions as they are offering you. This evidently comes down to a principle issue that they have.

What I mean by principle issue is that we cannot assume just because they have money now that they have always had money. What if the mother grew up in a household where food was scarce and is used to portioning it so that it lasts longer? That sort of experience doesn't really fade with time. Some people stick to it for years and years after their initial circumstances change for the better.

If you really want to change the situation, perhaps try to find out the actual reason that the mother serves portions of that size. You could politely and inquisitively ask in conversation:

So I've always been curious [Insert mothers name], how do you figure out what the right portion sizes are, is it something you've always done?

This may help you discover if there's a hidden reason. This will then allow you to tackle the situation from the proper angle. Otherwise anything you could say will likely come across as unappreciative.

Irrespective of portion size, they have invited you into their home and offered food. It's a gesture, one that you do not need to agree to. So dig a little deeper first, then go from there.

How could I have politely told the mom that I'd like to have been able to eat as much as I wanted to OR that I was still hungry because I didn't have enough food OR that I couldn't enjoy food if I had to worry so much about portions, without coming off as unappreciative?

There isn't really a good way of doing this. The fundamental problem here is that all of their family equally eat the same portions as they are offering you. This evidentially comes down to a principle issue that they have.

What I mean by principle issue is that we cannot assume just because they have money now that they have always had money, what if the mother grew up in a household where food was scarce and is used to portioning it so that it lasts longer. That sort of experience doesn't really fade with time, some people stick to it for years and years after their initial circumstances change for the better.

If you really want to change the situation, perhaps try to find out the actual reason that the mother serves portions of that size. You could politely and inquisitively ask in conversation:

So I've always been curious [Insert mothers name], how do you figure out what the right portion sizes are, is it something you've always done?

This may help you discover if there's a hidden reason. This will then allow you to tackle the situation from the proper angle. Otherwise anything you could say will likely come across as unappreciative.

Irrespective of portion size they have invited you into their home and offered food, It's a gesture, one that you do not need to agree too. So dig a little deeper first, then go from there.

How could I have politely told the mom that I'd like to have been able to eat as much as I wanted to OR that I was still hungry because I didn't have enough food OR that I couldn't enjoy food if I had to worry so much about portions, without coming off as unappreciative?

There isn't really a good way of doing this. The fundamental problem here is that all of their family equally eat the same portions as they are offering you. This evidently comes down to a principle issue that they have.

What I mean by principle issue is that we cannot assume just because they have money now that they have always had money. What if the mother grew up in a household where food was scarce and is used to portioning it so that it lasts longer? That sort of experience doesn't really fade with time. Some people stick to it for years and years after their initial circumstances change for the better.

If you really want to change the situation, perhaps try to find out the actual reason that the mother serves portions of that size. You could politely and inquisitively ask in conversation:

So I've always been curious [Insert mothers name], how do you figure out what the right portion sizes are, is it something you've always done?

This may help you discover if there's a hidden reason. This will then allow you to tackle the situation from the proper angle. Otherwise anything you could say will likely come across as unappreciative.

Irrespective of portion size, they have invited you into their home and offered food. It's a gesture, one that you do not need to agree too. So dig a little deeper first, then go from there.

How could I have politely told the mom that I'd like to have been able to eat as much as I wanted to OR that I was still hungry because I didn't have enough food OR that I couldn't enjoy food if I had to worry so much about portions, without coming off as unappreciative?

There isn't really a good way of doing this. The fundamental problem here is that all of their family equally eat the same portions as they are offering you. This evidentally comes down to a principle issue that they have.

What I mean by principle issue is that we cannot assume just because they have money now that they have always had money, what if the 'mother' grew up in a household where food was scarce and is used to portioning it so that it lasts longer. That sort of experience doesn't really fade with time, some people stick to it for years and years after their initial circumstances change for the better.

If you really want to change the situation, perhaps try to find out the actual reason that the 'mother' serves portions of that size. You could politely and inquisitively ask in conversation:

So I've always been curious [Insert mothers name], how do you figure out what the right portion sizes are, is it something you've always done?

This may help you discover if there's a hidden reason. This will then allow you to tackle the situation from the proper angle. Otherwise anything you could say will likely come accross as unappreciative.

Irrespective of portion size they have invited you into their home and offered food, It's a gesture, one that you do not need to agree too. So dig a little deeper first, then go from there.

How could I have politely told the mom that I'd like to have been able to eat as much as I wanted to OR that I was still hungry because I didn't have enough food OR that I couldn't enjoy food if I had to worry so much about portions, without coming off as unappreciative?

There isn't really a good way of doing this. The fundamental problem here is that all of their family equally eat the same portions as they are offering you. This evidentially comes down to a principle issue that they have.

What I mean by principle issue is that we cannot assume just because they have money now that they have always had money, what if the mother grew up in a household where food was scarce and is used to portioning it so that it lasts longer. That sort of experience doesn't really fade with time, some people stick to it for years and years after their initial circumstances change for the better.

If you really want to change the situation, perhaps try to find out the actual reason that the mother serves portions of that size. You could politely and inquisitively ask in conversation:

So I've always been curious [Insert mothers name], how do you figure out what the right portion sizes are, is it something you've always done?

This may help you discover if there's a hidden reason. This will then allow you to tackle the situation from the proper angle. Otherwise anything you could say will likely come across as unappreciative.

Irrespective of portion size they have invited you into their home and offered food, It's a gesture, one that you do not need to agree too. So dig a little deeper first, then go from there.