AIBU never to serve starters or puddings?

[2posh]

...AIBU never to serve starters/ puddings at family meals. I only ever do that if we have guests. Is this normal or do others prepare 2 or 3 courses as part of ordinary family life?

We eat starters when we go out to restaurants, and often they are my favourite part so it's not like I don't like them, it's just that it never occurred to me to bother until a friend mentioned the other day that she regularly does a starter for weekend family meals - salmon on blini, or roast almonds, or soup or similar. That all sounded so delicious that I wondered if IABU not to?

I personally that a starter and a dessert at every family meal is really indulgent. I think it would be appropriate when guests are over and maybe the odd special family meal.

I occasionally think that I ought to do starters but never stick to the idea!

Isn't that the way that the (slim) French do it: a starter and then a protein/veg combo (no carbohydrate) for main course. Splitting the meal into starter / main course forces you to slow down, so you feel fuller and therefore don't overeat.

I don't do starters (don't have them when I'm eating out either - if I do I can't finish my main course).

During the week its either fruit or yogurt (or cereal in DH's case ) , at the weekend I sometimes make a fruit crumble for a treat. I do puddings if friend/family come round to eat.

My children are grown up though, I think I did puddings a bit more often when they were younger (memory failing emoticon)

We often have starters but I know my friends think we are bonkers!

It's mainly because we are greedy fond of shellfish and it's cheaper to have a few prawns with some salad cream sauce or something as a small starter than to have them as a main. And it makes the meal feel really special. We don't drink alcohol any more so it sort of fills that "treat" side of things IYSWIM.

But YANBU at all, eat how you want!