DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
Bad Manners and Brimstone
HTML https://badmanners.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Entertaining and Hospitality
*****************************************************
#Post#: 72112--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: holly firestorm Date: November 30, 2021, 11:12 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Most of the restaurants I've been to in the past 10 years (in
the US) don't serve overwhelming portions any more.
I do get a "doggy bag" much of the time. But, that's because I
deliberately try to restrict my intake per sitting. Most of the
time I could eat most of the meal if I really tried. But, that's
more calories than I need in one meal and I'd feel too full, to
the point of a belly ache, nausea etc. No, better to save that
second half for a snack later when I'm really hungry again and
will, therefore, enjoy it more.
I've never even been to anyplace that served a 16 oz. steak. I
think the reason you've heard of them is because they are such
oddities, even here.
#Post#: 72114--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: sandisadie Date: November 30, 2021, 11:54 am
---------------------------------------------------------
PJeans, I can relate to your comment that you sometimes feel
less generous because some members of the family think they
should get more from you because you have more wealth then they
do. This was the case with my, late, second husband. He came
from a very large family and was, by far, more successful in
life then any other member. He was a generous person and I also
had no problem helping when real help was needed. Sometimes
this help continued for years. His children from his first
marriage seemed to think that he should help them all the time,
no matter how trivial. You have to know when to speak up and
just say "no".
#Post#: 72115--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: vintagegal Date: November 30, 2021, 12:14 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
About that 16 oz steak - there is or was a restaurant in
Amarillo TX that had a 72 ounce steak (4.5 pounds) - free if you
can eat the whole thing in an hour without leaving the table. My
DH was a big eater and wanted to try it. He finished it and said
it was the best steak he ever had. Did it a second time when we
went through that area again.
#Post#: 72116--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: lakey Date: November 30, 2021, 12:19 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote]Quote from: Aleko on Today at 03:06:35 am
It has been a revelation to me, from this side of the Pond, that
in the USA it appears to be the rule at a major family gathering
to provide so much too much food that there are expectedto be
large quantities of useable leftovers, so much that guests can
expect or at least hope to be sent home with enough food to
provide them with whole meals, and that ‘who gets the
leftovers?’ is consequently an issue. I don’t know any British
family where this kind of over-catering* is normal. Personally,
I aim to serve enough that everyone gets to eat as much at
dinner as they could possibly want, and any leftovers go toward
my Boxing Day and subsequent menus. Can other Rightpondians here
say whether their experience is the same or different? How about
you Australians? [/quote]
These meals with so much leftovers mostly come from the two
holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's because a lot of us
have either a large turkey or a large ham. Also, because it is a
holiday we also have more side dishes than usual. But in my
experience, these are the only times when there is that much
extra food. Normally if you have relatives over for a meal, you
don't buy an excess of chicken, pot roast, or pork chops. In my
family, whoever hosts the holiday dinner keeps the leftovers
themselves. Whoever bought all the groceries and did all the
work can use a break.
#Post#: 72122--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: TootsNYC Date: November 30, 2021, 4:17 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote]Full disclosure: I have a lot of family that thinks we
owe them handouts because DH and I make more than they do. Not
like "loan me $10k", but just little things, like splitting the
bill in weird ways, but it's all. the. time. It makes me feel
less generous.
[/quote]
"Thou shalt not covet..."
This sort of stuff does damage to relationships, which is why
it's in the Big Ten.
#Post#: 72123--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: Hmmm Date: November 30, 2021, 4:26 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Aleko link=topic=2160.msg72102#msg72102
date=1638263195]
It has been a revelation to me, from this side of the Pond, that
in the USA it appears to be the rule at a major family gathering
to provide so much too much food that there are expectedto be
large quantities of useable leftovers, so much that guests can
expect or at least hope to be sent home with enough food to
provide them with whole meals, and that ‘who gets the
leftovers?’ is consequently an issue. I don’t know any British
family where this kind of over-catering* is normal. Personally,
I aim to serve enough that everyone gets to eat as much at
dinner as they could possibly want, and any leftovers go toward
my Boxing Day and subsequent menus. Can other Rightpondians here
say whether their experience is the same or different? How about
you Australians?
*I wonder if this is linked to the portion sizes at American
restaurants? In Europe restaurants don’t serve, and aren’t
expected to serve, more food than an average diner is likely to
want to eat at a sitting; as a result, asking for leftovers to
take home is quite unusual. Restaurants will do it, but
generally people ask only if they’re in a hurry and don’t have
the time to sit and eat the dessert they ordered, or find their
appetite less than they expected. I only know one place in my
locality that serves a 16 oz steak - which is a monster size to
us - and I’ve only known people order it when they really mean
to eat it all at a sitting. They don’t always succeed, but
that’s their intent. I don’t know anyone who would order a steak
that size meaning to have half of it to take home.
[/quote]
I personally don't think the restaurant meal size has any
correlation to the idea of having Thanksgiving leftovers. The
tradition of eating leftover turkey sandwiches or your other
favorite leftover concoction is just part of the Tday tradition.
For as long as I can remember I've heard people who love the
traditional Tday meal complain that they wouldn't have leftovers
the next day if they went to someone else's home or out to eat.
That is why I always overcook at Thanksgiving to make sure my
guests can take home some left overs, whether to indulge in a
midnight slice of pie and milk or to have a turkey sandwich for
lunch the next day. But this is the only meal that I prepare
with the intention of sharing left overs. At Christmas, there
might be too many desserts and I'll send some home with guests.
Or we may have made a bit too much prime rib and I'll send some
home with my mother in law.
While I'm sure there is a small population that routinely orders
and consumes a 16oz steak, it is definitely not the norm. Most
Americans wouldn't be able to routinely afford that type of meal
on a regular basis at a medium priced steakhouse.
#Post#: 72126--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: Bada Date: November 30, 2021, 5:08 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=pjeans link=topic=2160.msg72097#msg72097
date=1638249184]
When I host a large family gathering, I consider the leftovers
to be my reward for hosting, tbh. I appreciate a day or two of
no cooking to make up for all of the work and cleanup of
hosting.
Snip
[/quote]
Several years ago we hosted a family party shortly after my
little one was born. We ordered WAY too much food. My mom asked
if she should send home leftovers with people so of course I
agreed. But she sent away EVERYTHING. I didn't even get a single
meal after we spent SO much money on food. So my exhausted
post-partum self had to cook the next day. I'm still frosty
about that and would never trust my mom to dole out the
leftovers again!!
Another family party where we ordered way too much Chinese food
.(my husband is even more worried about running out of food than
I am!), I dumped the tray each into bags with one type of food
per bag. I asked my brother if he wanted X (his favorite) and he
asked if he could have a plate with a little of everything. I
just flatly said no, but he could have this bag of X. He took
it.
...Dang I need new family...
#Post#: 72128--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: MarmaladeMom Date: November 30, 2021, 9:03 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
At our wedding my husband’s uncle took it upon himself to
package up most of the unserved food (meat mostly) and give it
to his own kids. Not to us, not to anyone who had had a hand in
actually preparing food for a couple of hundred people, just
his own kids. Without asking.
We only found out when my husband looked for something to eat
afterwards (we never had a chance to eat more than a bite of
cake). More than 20 years later my husband is still bitter.
#Post#: 72133--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: Soop Date: December 1, 2021, 9:08 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=MarmaladeMom link=topic=2160.msg72128#msg72128
date=1638327806]
At our wedding my husband’s uncle took it upon himself to
package up most of the unserved food (meat mostly) and give it
to his own kids. Not to us, not to anyone who had had a hand in
actually preparing food for a couple of hundred people, just
his own kids. Without asking.
We only found out when my husband looked for something to eat
afterwards (we never had a chance to eat more than a bite of
cake). More than 20 years later my husband is still bitter.
[/quote]
Still a little bitter that I didn't get any of the passed apps
at my wedding, cause we were doing the receiving line. Not
really anyone's fault. At a friends wedding years later, the
receiving line wound past tables of apps and as he was going
through, Mr S made up a couple plates and took them to the
bridal party. They were very grateful.
#Post#: 72134--------------------------------------------------
Re: What the heck is wrong with people?
By: Venus193 Date: December 1, 2021, 9:19 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I agree that Thanksgiving and Christmas are Leftover Central,
but also that there is tremendous variability over the country.
Super Bowl Sunday is also a candidate, depending on how many
guests there are. People in cities may have less for leftovers
because of smaller refrigerators and pantries vs suburbs or
rural residents.
What may also play into this is generational culture. My mother
grew up during WWII when there were shortages everywhere so when
she and later her brother came here to live they felt that "If
there are no leftovers, we probably didn't make enough food."
My uncle and aunt mostly hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas
because they had a dining room and they always made lots of food
on Thanksgiving and Easter. Christmas was a holiday where our
family tradition was German coldcuts, bread, and imported beer,
all from specialty stores. My aunt sometimes made the potato
salad, but would always make a green salad.
Since my uncle was a baker, he always made all the desserts and
the cookies and chocolate truffles that became part of
everyone's gifts at Christmas.
At the Friendsgiving potluck discussed in another thread there
was no leftover turkey. Potluck Queen is a Gen-Xer who never
learned how to cook; she bought a pre-cooked turkey ordered
before the last 4 RSVPs came in the night before. Even so, a
few people passed on eating turkey because they had been to two
dinners at different relatives' homes on the two days before.
Since her refrigerator space is limited she encouraged guests to
take home leftover pie, as there were five pies brought by other
guests.
*****************************************************
DIR Previous Page
DIR Next Page