Loading…
25
My mom's 'clean plate' rule hit different at my first all-you-can-eat buffet in Vegas
I took a trip to Vegas last month and hit up one of those $25 buffets on the Strip. I loaded up a mountain of crab legs and prime rib like it was a competition. Then I got two bites in and realized I was full. But that voice in my head, my mom's voice, kept saying 'you finish what you take, we don't waste food.' So I sat there for 45 minutes forcing down cold shrimp and dry carving station meat. Meanwhile my buddy was on his third plate of fresh sushi and dessert. I finally puked in the bathroom after trying to eat a whole plate of mac and cheese bites to 'earn' my money back. Best $25 I ever spent learning that her rule was about her childhood food insecurity, not my adult stomach. Did anyone else's parents turn every meal into a guilt trip that backfired big time at buffets or restaurants?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
rose_hart9d ago
My uncle pulled the same thing at a Golden Corral in Ohio and ended up in the ER with food poisoning from sitting there for two hours eating lukewarm chicken. Your mom's rule was not about waste, it was about control and fear from growing up poor. But here is the thing, the buffet does not care if you leave food on your plate. That crab leg cost them maybe two bucks wholesale. You puking in a bathroom stall in Vegas is way worse for your body than tossing a half eaten plate. Your mom's voice in your head is not wisdom, it is a panic response she passed down. You honored her fear instead of your own stomach and that is not something to feel good about.
7