Wasting food it makes me so angry!

[catman20]

had a similar problem in the past so I said to the g.f don't care what you order I will pay for it but what ever you don't eat you pay for, several dishes were then canceled never had the problem ever again.

[thhMan]

Dont Pay....

Then if they waste food, its their money down the toilet

[oneday]

I'm with you on this one OP, but I don't have a whole family to contend with. When my girl and I go out to eat and she says she wants to order two or three dishes I just look at her and say, "fine, but you had better eat everything or the next time the answer will be NO!".

At home it's easier to control with just the two of us, but they sure do hate eating leftovers. It probably has something to do with some cultural thing.

[Deli]

If they pay for themselves, let them do what they want. If you pay for them, tell them that you pay only what they eat or separate bills.

If your wife gets angry about it and calls you Kiniau, change wife.

My Missus comes from a poor family, made the money on her own, raised 2 kids and never wastes food at all...

[slipperylobster]

I'm with you on this one OP, but I don't have a whole family to contend with. When my girl and I go out to eat and she says she wants to order two or three dishes I just look at her and say, "fine, but you had better eat everything or the next time the answer will be NO!".

At home it's easier to control with just the two of us, but they sure do hate eating leftovers. It probably has something to do with some cultural thing.

Agree. they have not adjusted quite yet to stocking foods and reheating leftovers. I do believe their moms and grandmas went to the market daily, and gathered whatever else they cooked from the fields and neighbors. Seems they prefer fresh rather than processed or frozen. Whatever is left was given to farm animals and pets.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[recycler]

Lucky my wife is rather frugal so at home we don't have much leftovers and if so it's used the next day or frozen.

In restaurants we by the principle that we can always order more if it's not enough, most food is fast cooked anyway.

Only when there is family visiting or we visit family they tend to overcook as they are so happy to cook together and want to bring something in on the table or often floor. I don't mind about that.

[NeverSure]

LOL. I can't believe I read this. OP your wife has big face from having a "rich" farang and her family plans to benefit.

I don't know what I'd do from one extreme to the other such as letting them order all they want to stopping taking them out. I'm just glad I'm not married.

[50baht]

Wife definatly orders way to much. Finally figured out she brought left overs to Mom & Brother. So now I'm ok with it.

[shaurene]

Sorry OP but I'm not the family dustbin.

If there are leftovers, give them to the soi dogs.

In return I get their appreciation.

As about restaurants, I let everybody order what they want and I don't wash their dishes afterwards.

But everyone to his own as they say.......

So your saying it's ok to order more than you can eat and just waste it?

Get real flyin saucer, stop worrying about the money you may be wasting as that's all it boils down to, look after your self. And I for a start would not be eating other people's left overs and would not be ordering very small portions and less cost so you have a lot of space to eat the family left overs. YAK YAK.

[pgrahmm]

Nothing gets wasted at our house....anything not taken from the serving dishes is put in containers and in the fridge....if the 7 y/o doesn't finished she stays until she is.....

Eating out if portions are still left she brings home as take away and becomes part of a in house meal.....

Same at the IL's - farm folks - everything has a purpose/use - if it's food the dogs or some other animals will get it.....

That said - while eating out I have seen some people leave a fairly full plate of food on the table and leave....Sometimes it's so much I think they are coming back, but they don't ..... Maybe it was the OP's group.....I don't like seeing that either - maybe it's a left-handed back slap status show off thing....

Edited May 28, 2015 by pgrahmm

[stonycan]

I think it is that thailand is food rich . The quality and quantity and affordability is amazing in comparison to canada.

[Thakkar]

Try this:

Next time you go out for a meal with your "Thai family" (as opposed to whatever other family), "forget" your wallet at home. Order a lot of the most expensive stuff, then feign sickness and sit in a corner looking sickly. When the bill arrives, watch the fun as they scramble to assemble the funds.

Keep doing this till they get the message or go broke.

Start practicing your sickly look.

You're welcome.

T

[Farang99]

Those of us who grew up during the war, with severe rationing of food, are acutely sensitive to food wastage. The same consideration does not apply to people who have never known food shortages.

[pendingo]

Whatever the family doesn't eat goes to the animals so as far as I'm concerned it is not wasted.

There's far more to life than worrying about left over food.

[realenglish1]

If they want to waste food then start charging them money

One of 2 things will happen They will ether stop wasting the food or your wife will leave you

[Guest]

Nothing compared to the fossil fuels wasted on surfing the net

I must admit i sometimes do feel guilty about my wood fired computer.

Problem Resolved

[bridge2bridge]

They waste because YOU are paying.

[sometimewoodworker]

My wife and I had the same problem, she would often order twice or three times as much as she could eat.

A few years ago my wife and I went to MK, I got one menu item she ordered about 15or 20 (OK many were small like a few mushrooms but still 15 or 20) so we stayed until she had finished allmost all the things she had ordered. She could still walk after but wasn't very comfortable.

Since then she hasn't over ordered by very much if any.

[wandasloan]

I'm afraid you've chosen the wrong continent to settle in then. There's a custom in most of Asia that food will keep coming out until everyone is finished eating and there is still food on the plates. Clean your plate like our mothers taught us and someone will order more food. Drove me crazy my first year in China. I'm over it now.

I hear it's not that way in Japan, where you have to clean your plate or the host thinks you don't like the food he selected for you.

You're not wrong but I think you're still missing some of the subtlety of never winning this. It also works with Jewish mothers.

If you eat all the food, they are embarrassed they did not give you enough.

If you don't eat it all and still have some on your plate, you don't like the food.

[Guest]

There are only two outcomes when you are the dinner host.

(1) Empty clean plates, which in Thailand equals ... "We are still hungry."

(2) A bit of food left on the table and everyone smiling and chattering about how good dinner was. .. which in Thailand equals Big Face.

Up to you ... but to me .. the relatively small additional sum for (2) Smiling .. is well worth it.

Also .. I would suggest you do not share this concern with your wife or family ... eating is almost a national pastime. Thai people love food, and really are very picky about it ...

If you complain about the cost, next time .. they will either decline to go (because you are poor) or will get a big bowl of rice and cheap food, and silently eat it (because you are poor) ... you do not want to be known as "a poor, cheap, desperate farang." And trust me on this .. if you go down this road .. they will never ... ever .. never .. ever .. forget. The thing they live for, that big happy family dinner is ruined forever .. because as much as they would love to leave you out from now on .. they can not ... for your wife's face. Now you are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Lighten up, and look at that "wasted food" as money in the "Big Face' Bank ... It pays dividends in other ways ... :-)

[pendingo]

Those of us who grew up during the war, with severe rationing of food, are acutely sensitive to food wastage. The same consideration does not apply to people who have never known food shortages.

I was born just after WW2 and I remember rationing even into the 1950's with my sister and myself having our own ration books and we had to clean our plates before we could get down from the table.

What makes me angry is the amount of food that Supermarkets in the UK throw away every day more so than the odd titbit the average Thai family doesn't eat.

In any case it doesn't get wasted. Whatever, it either ends up inside the dogs or cats and the pigs have the rest - no big deal.

[HooHaa]

Nothing compared to the fossil fuels wasted on surfing the net

I must admit i sometimes do feel guilty about my wood fired computer.

all that guilt seems to have distracted you from the fact that wood is not a fossil fuel

[impulse]

I'm afraid you've chosen the wrong continent to settle in then. There's a custom in most of Asia that food will keep coming out until everyone is finished eating and there is still food on the plates. Clean your plate like our mothers taught us and someone will order more food. Drove me crazy my first year in China. I'm over it now.

I hear it's not that way in Japan, where you have to clean your plate or the host thinks you don't like the food he selected for you.

You're not wrong but I think you're still missing some of the subtlety of never winning this. It also works with Jewish mothers.

If you eat all the food, they are embarrassed they did not give you enough.

If you don't eat it all and still have some on your plate, you don't like the food.

The only way to win is to surrender to it.

[includee666]

Sorry OP but I'm not the family dustbin.

If there are leftovers, give them to the soi dogs.

In return I get their appreciation.

As about restaurants, I let everybody order what they want and I don't wash their dishes afterwards.

But everyone to his own as they say.......

So your saying it's ok to order more than you can eat and just waste it?

I'm saying that when I take the family to treat them in a restaurant, I'm not going to police their appetite or dictate what they eat.

A difference of 100 Baht on wastage won't brake the bank and will not make you look an awkward person or a cheap Charlie.

I like to eat not to show off how much I can order then throw it in the trash.

Exacly my friend, you'r right and i know how you feal

I have same issue with my wife and her family but nothing we can do for this king of attitudes.

I've tryed it trust me

best things is you can do just let them pay for themselves or simply don't go to eat with them together.

To be honesty i am not talking with them much right now eighter.

Regards.

Edited May 28, 2015 by includee666

[Monkeyrobot]

Get them to pay for it and watch how much they waste.

[neeray]

People who have had nothing grab everything. I have spoken to a lot of people about this and seems to be a common thing in Thailand. Can't get enough. I can never understand the poor people live around us either. Go and slave on a farm all day for 200 baht and then come home and drink 300 baht of grog. They're the same with money. Maybe someone will win 60k on the lottery. First thing they want to do is have a party and show off they have money. Next day theyre skint again.

Kenny202 is the closest I've seen yet on this thread without saying "welcome to Thailand".

[maidee]

are you sir, not owner of an item called

A FRIDGE ?

or are those people too good to reheat leftovers?

don't have a dog, chicken, pig ?

[Saan]

In earlier times what would irritate me at a restaurant was the waitress sidling up to my Thai dinner partner and then magically a whole table of food would appear without any consultation with me. Much of it would go to waste. If the woman didn't get the message after a couple of dinners she would have to find someone else to buy her meals.

I didn't need to dominate the ordering and when asked would often say you order for both of us. And maybe just add go easy on the chili.

Another woman I found was ordering up so she could take the food home. At least it didn't go to waste.

[Saan]

Those of us who grew up during the war, with severe rationing of food, are acutely sensitive to food wastage. The same consideration does not apply to people who have never known food shortages.

I was born just after WW2 and I remember rationing even into the 1950's with my sister and myself having our own ration books and we had to clean our plates before we could get down from the table.

What makes me angry is the amount of food that Supermarkets in the UK throw away every day more so than the odd titbit the average Thai family doesn't eat.

In any case it doesn't get wasted. Whatever, it either ends up inside the dogs or cats and the pigs have the rest - no big deal.

In France they have just outlawed supermarkets throwing away food. Not that often the I applaud France but I do on this occasion.

[sheldoncollier]

Yes, I have the same problem with my in-laws; it makes no sense. Even when the wife comes to Germany she orders everything on the menu, more than any German would eat. She picks at each dish, and leaves the rest. I try my best to eat her leftovers, then she complains that I'm too fat!