Timeline for How can I politely tell a family who invited me for dinner that I'm still hungry?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
19 events
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| Feb 20, 2018 at 11:37 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | @Hankrecords: I do that too :) Waste not want not... plus it's tasty. | |
| Feb 20, 2018 at 11:26 | comment | added | Hankrecords | @LightnessRacesinOrbit This made me think of my family culture (northern Italy): when having pasta with sauce (or anything with sauce on it) we usually "clean" the dish with pieces of bread and eat them with the sauce, so that nothing gets wasted. Thinking about it, though, I saw another possible aspect of it that I had never thought about: by doing this, you imply that you enjoyed the meal but that you also don't need seconds, since if you did you would have waited for seconds before cleaning the dish. I'm not sure though if that's what's always implied :) | |
| Nov 26, 2017 at 15:20 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | @Brian: I have nothing to do with the American midwest, but come to think of it you are correct - I remember reading that in <some country I've forgotten> it is indeed expected. Still, the author of this answer doesn't seem to be going in that direction. | |
| Nov 26, 2017 at 0:17 | comment | added | jcm | I don't think this has anything to do with not wanting to waste food. I was raised the same way but we always made extra sure that guests ate their fill. | |
| Nov 25, 2017 at 4:49 | history | edited | Vylix | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Nov 25, 2017 at 4:47 | comment | added | Vylix | @LioElbammalf yep, as in great I mean as in "extended family". Including my great-grandpa/ma (now has died) | |
| Nov 24, 2017 at 15:57 | comment | added | Brian | @LightnessRacesinOrbit AFAIK it's cultural. Leaving a little bit left on the plate indicates that you're satisfied with your meal; cleaning your plate is essentially asking for seconds. Very different mindset from the American midwest! | |
| Nov 24, 2017 at 12:43 | comment | added | Make42 | @SGR and Vylix: When I was with students/friends, that was a whole different story: They ate everything and did not order that much. It was mostly in more formal settings. But then the amount ordered was ridiculous. I have been mostly in the north east of China: Harbin (most north) to Shanghai (most south). | |
| Nov 24, 2017 at 2:26 | comment | added | Vylix | @LightnessRacesinOrbit at least that's what my friends (including Chinese-descent) think. I understand that leaving three or four rice is acceptable, but I just can't bring myself to do that :) | |
| Nov 24, 2017 at 2:23 | comment | added | Vylix | @Make42 interesting. I have relatives in China, but they are mostly on countryside. I know they are also strict on not wasting anything on your plate, so I suspect this either a traditional value (no leftover) vs modern value, or regional difference. | |
| Nov 23, 2017 at 20:27 | comment | added | Lio Elbammalf | "great family" Woah, I mean, I'm proud of my family too but... (I'm kidding, I guess its a term used to encompass relatives of your great grandfather's generation?) | |
| Nov 23, 2017 at 19:44 | comment | added | Lightness Races in Orbit | "I've gone as extreme as eating every bit of rice on my plate, literally." Is that "extreme", really? I do that as a matter of course. Why would you leave food on the plate for no reason? | |
| Nov 23, 2017 at 13:32 | comment | added | SGR | @Make42 I've read that's actually seen as disrespectful to the chef, as by finishing your plate you're suggesting that the chef didn't cook enough for you. One story I remember is someone eating in a cafe while on a business trip, and this cafe served noodles by presenting a large bowl in the center everyone took from. He finished his plate, and left nothing on it. The person he was with looked upset and motioned at the noodles, so he took a chopstick full and put it on his plate without eating any of them. His companion then looked happy | |
| Nov 23, 2017 at 9:10 | comment | added | Make42 | Funny: I have stayed in China for about a year and in most settings there have been a lot of leftovers. These has been true especially in restaurants. And when I say "a lot" I mean a ridiculously large amount: Basically only half of the food will be eaten. From my research on the cultural aspect I found out that in China you do not eat everything on your plate as it would show you are poor. How does this reconcile with what you are writing? | |
| S Nov 23, 2017 at 7:20 | history | suggested | CommunityBot | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Nov 23, 2017 at 6:15 | review | Suggested edits | |||
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| Nov 22, 2017 at 18:44 | history | edited | Vylix | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Nov 22, 2017 at 12:31 | comment | added | kscherrer | Asking for seconds, especially after complimenting her cooking, should not come across as impolite. It is in fact the politest way (that I can think of) of letting her know that you are still hungry. Since the reason for the small portion sizes is not lack of money, she will start to prepare more food next time. Maybe you need to ask for seconds a second or third time before she will notice though. | |
| Nov 22, 2017 at 10:21 | history | answered | Vylix | CC BY-SA 3.0 |