Clean your plate

[Immortalfire]

In a passing conversation today, the subject of Cleaning your plate as a kid came up.
For me, my Mom says she never saw the point of forcing me to eat something I didn't like. Nor do I recall the "clean your plate" concept being pushed on me.
They figured a kid would eat what he could, and if he didn't like it, well...so what. Funny though, some of the things they say I didn't like, is stuff I love now t:

You?

 

[Majic Walrus]

Same is true for me. My parents never forced me to eat anything that I didn't like. Now I will try just about anything and I have pretty exotic tastes in food now because they always encouraged me to try new foods.

 

[Figs]

I had the old fashioned upbringing I guess you could say. If I didn't want to eat something that my mom made for dinner, especially certain types of vegetables my Dad would bring out the good 'ol wooden spatula. In short, I wasn't spoiled like a whole lot of kids from my generation as well as the kids of today.

In regards to cleaning your plate, I always made sure to think before grabbing food since a lot of times your eyes can be hungrier than your stomach as the saying goes. I sure as hell wouldn't want to have to force myself to eat more food than I could handle.

 

[VenomVsSpidey]

I've never had to eat anything I wasn't a fan of, but I pretty much eat everything I was given anyways

 

[Danalys]

In the case of cleaning your plate so you don't waste food it's daft. should just modify portions next time in that case. a person eating all their food isn't magically going to make some one staving feel at least it wasn't wasted. that foods not available to them whether it's eaten or not.

In the case of eating your greens or not being picky about your food, i think it's important to be picky about your food in countries with ample resources. if your parents serve you mcdonalds everyday and it become sickly to you because of associations with ill health shouldn't you trust that instinct and want for good food that'll make you stronger and more resistant to harsh times if they ever come. i'm also not sure that greens are that necessary to children they become more palatable as you get older and i believe that is for a reason that older bodies nead more that will repair them while younger ones need more that with grow them.

one of my dad's teachers was a holocaust survivor who was very much into forcing students to eat the gristle on their plate as it was the best of what he had had to survive on. fact is that he was just forcing people to eat nasty fat when it wasn't necessary to.

 

[ComicChick]

we were always taught to "take what [we] want, but to eat what [we] take" basically don't waste anythign

 

[E-Man]

I always had a big appetite, so it was never really a problem. If there was something I couldn't finish, I would just have to eat it the next day. My mother and father was big on not wasting food, because they worked hard to put that food in our mouths. My daddy was a little more lax with it, but he made sure we didn't just throw stuff away.

 

[ImWithTeamConan]

My mom was big on the "clean your plate" concept until I was about 9 and started rebelling against eating.

 

[Manic]

There were very few foods I wouldn't eat that my mom cooked when I was a kid. In fact, I think the only things I truly hated were banana pudding, chitlins (or chitterlings, whatever you wanna call it), and okra. My mom knew that, and never put them on my plate. I was a hefty kid who usually cleaned his plate (sometimes twice), so I never got into any trouble for the foods I didn't eat.

 

[redmarvel]

we were always taught to "take what [we] want, but to eat what [we] take" basically don't waste anythign

That was pretty much what my folks did. If you put it on your plate you stayed at the table until you ate it. Occassionally though we would have to suffer through having at least a little of those "healthy" foods... spinach, brocolli, etc.

According to my mom, when I was 3 she didn't have to worry about feeding me in the summer... I would feed myself on strawberries and other fruits as they came in season.

 

[ComicChick]

those "healthy" foods i hated as a kid, I love now. Like green beans, collards, spinach i love now. I've always loved broccolli. I even eat peppers and onions on occassion too, but i still hate onions

 

[Danalys]

i don't get why people eat things that have evolved massively unpleasant tastes that cause bad reaction in people like onions and chillies.

 

[chamber-music]

My parents where more try the food an see if you like. I like certain vegtables, salads and didn't like chocolate so it wasn't like I would eat unhealthy food if left to pick what I wanted anyway.

Some kids would simply eat bad junk food if they picked their own meals everyday so I could se why some parents get their kids to eat stuff they wouldn't want.

 

[The Squirrel]

I never understood this concept either. I mean there might be a difference between your kid not liking something, or just being stubborn and difficult. If they honestly don't like it, that's fine. But if they are just being difficult, I can understand making them sit at the table until they at least eat some of it.

 

[chamber-music]

i don't get why people eat things that have evolved massively unpleasant tastes that cause bad reaction in people like onions and chillies.

Two words - brussel sprouts

Its the worst tasting vegtable ever

 

[Prison Mike]

My parents never told me to "clean your plate" but my dad did give me a guilt trip about starving kids in Africa...

 

[Majic Walrus]

Two words - brussel sprouts

Its the worst tasting vegtable ever

I used to agree until I tried them again. Now I love them. I could eat them at every meal.

 

[Danalys]

i think a lot more people could be enjoying food that is healthy for them now if they didn't have bad associations from being forced to eat those foods when their taste-buds were different.

 

[chamber-music]

I used to agree until I tried them again. Now I love them. I could eat them at every meal.

You good sir must have an iron stomach

 

[Majic Walrus]

Hahaha I guess I do.

 

[Figs]

Two words - brussel sprouts

Its the worst tasting vegtable ever

Agreed.

Growing up, every once in awhile my Mom would make steamed brussel sprouts or Cauliflower as a side dish for dinner. I would literally gag when I put them in my mouth...same with hard boiled eggs. I tried hard boiled eggs in my 20's and I still can't chew or eat them without gagging.

I don't understand why people love them...they smell worse then ass. Like someone had some deadly farts and blew up the kitchen. At a party/get together I instantly lost attraction to a girl once after I saw her eat one of those. I am truly baffled why people enjoy the taste and smell of those.

The fact that people have to put a **** ton of pepper on them says something too. As Danalys said, "i don't get why people eat things that have evolved massively unpleasant tastes that cause bad reaction in people like onions and chillies.". Why do people eat things where you need to cover up the taste to enjoy it?

Take sushi for example, there is so much sauce and crap people eat with their sushi that it's incredibly laughable. I would love to see the majority of people out there who claim how great and delicious sushi is eat it without any of those extras. Just plain raw fish and nothing else. A few people i'm sure would still enjoy it but i'm willing to bet the majority of them would say no.

 

[Majic Walrus]

I agree with your sushi theory. I myself like sushi and sashimi without wasabi or soy, but most of the people who claim to like sushi rarely get anything that isn't cooked, covered in a sauce, and seems normal.

Tell them to join me for some octopus sashimi.

 

[Gamma Ray]

Brockally and callyflour are delicious.

 

[Manic]

I've had sashimi before. It's still good without all the rice, wasabi, or sauce. I'd still shut a sushi bar down if given a black cheque to pig out.

 

[Figs]

I agree with your sushi theory. I myself like sushi and sashimi without wasabi or soy, but most of the people who claim to like sushi rarely get anything that isn't cooked, covered in a sauce, and seems normal.

Tell them to join me for some octopus sashimi.

Yeah, it's obviously guessing on my part but sushi is one of those food items that for a lot of people(once again, guessing)it's the added stuff that gives the flavor that makes people say they like it or it "tastes good". There are a few others that are similar but I can't think of them right now.

When it comes to Chinese food and especially seafood, i'm incredibly picky. My friend finally got me to try eel(unagi right?) and damn was it good.

How is octopus? That same friend I just mentioned said when he gets it they're tiny octopi and you eat them whole. I watched him stick the whole thing in his mouth like a snack and chow down. One of those items that kind of gives me the shivers, just like when I first saw the movie Oldboy and he starts eating that larger Octopi and it's tentacles are moving against his face.

I've had sashimi before. It's still good without all the rice, wasabi, or sauce. I'd still shut a sushi bar down if given a black cheque to pig out.