Waitress commenting on how much I eat

[Fugghetaboutit]

So, I was out with friend the other day and ordered breakfast, a huge plate came and it was delicious (spinach on sourdough, avocado and poached egg with sausages and hellim for anyone interested )
I ate quite a lot of it but couldn't finish it all (left a sausage and half the toast) and when the waitress came to collect it she said 'you haven't eaten anything!' In a way my mother would. I felt suitably embarrassed as I had to mumble something about having a small stomach.

When I left I got thinking that this has happened to me before but only by women servers. Has it happened to anyone else? Is it their place to comment on how much you eat?

I'm in London, I need to know!

It sounds divine !

When I did waitressing as a student (decades ago) I did notice a phenomena whereby most women woud not finish their meal and would leave a little. These were not massive portions. I would ask if it was ok and they would say something like ' oh yes but I can't eat that much'. Other waitors told me women comnenly did that to make out they had tiny bird-like appetites. Maybe grumpy waitress thought that's what you were doing. I finish everything (cos I am a pig).

what's hellim?
anyway, she was just making a passing comment. yabu to bother about it

I've had the opposite, went somewhere smart for tea, so we didn't have any lunch, and happily ate all the sandwiches, scones and cakes - when the waitress came she said 'you've eaten it all'!

I'm surprised people even step out outside their front doors these days

I rarely eat everything brought out at restaurants- I look at it this way, you bring my 6ft broad shouldered DH the same portion as 4ft 11 size 8 me - of course I'm not going to bloody finish it! If it's commented on (which it often is) I always give an assessment of the food
Gorgeous but can't eat a bite more or way too big a portion for a wee thing like me. I have never been on a diet in my life but I'm good at stopping eating when I'm no longer hungry , I never feel guilty about it because that would be daft.

Hellim is Cypriot cheese commonly known as halloumi but as I'm Turkish Cypriot we call it hellim :)
Thisishow

The plate was one of those rectangular ones so quite a big portion, better than being right I suppose!

Tight not right!

Oh goodness, she was just making small talk and (she thought) she was being friendly. I'd not even remember it!!!

You mention it was a few days ago. Doubt I'd even remember it let alone give it a second thought.

Sounds a delicious breakfast, please tell us all where it was

My DSis and I once went away to an English seaside resort for a few days, one night we didn't eat much at dinner (had probably stuffed our faces during the day), the waitress actually told us we needed to eat more food she told us off like naughty children.

I am a right guzzle chops and I have had a WAITER comment the other way. he tried to serve my husband the enormous plate of steak and chips and me the fish and with DH said "oh, no, that;'s for Nancy" the waiter reacted with incredulity and said "for the LADY?".

I'm with Nancy ....I remember tucking into an enormous all day breakfast baguette once. A group of builder types called over "ooooo yer enjoying that ain't you love"

Not for anyone to comment on how much you eat. That kind of comment leads to issues.

"Have you finished?" - is one that is less loaded. "Yes, thanks. I'm full up"

I'd be pissed off if someone said I'd hardly eaten anything. I don't comment when my work colleagues ordered massive portions of food, ate them and then ate a massive dessert. But they felt obliged to point out that I hadn't eaten much when it was a massive portion and I don't feel like stuffing myself and unlike you, I don't have a weight issue thankyou and no, I don't want pudding

it happened to me once but the poor waitress wanted to know if there was something wrong with the food as I had eaten so little

I suppose it could look to bystanders that the meals weren't nice, if people were leaving so much.

I did think you were coming on to complain that you'd had a starter, main, dessert and were asking for the menu again when the waitress made a comment!

I've had this and I usually assume that it's because they wonder if I've not enjoyed it or something.

I don't think YANBU because people, on the whole, are often quite sensitive about how much they eat.

Women are obsessed with noticing what other women eat, I find.

If you are fat and you clear your plate they think 'no wonder she's fat.' If you are fat and you don't clear your plate they'll accuse you of trying to starve yourself and will tell you diets don't work, at the same time as being silently grateful they are thinner than you.

If you are thin and you clear your plate people are amazed/jealous/think you'll be in the loo bringing all back up in 5 minutes

If you are thin and you don't clear your plate people think you too paranoid about being fat to relax and eat properly.

Either way, they all think something. Men neither notice nor care, I find.

I've had that but the other way round, we ordered tapas and the waitress said "you know that's quite a lot of food for just two people?"

Talki about drowning in a glass of water...

It wouldn't upset me. But I wouldn't order a meal unless I was expecting to eat all of it, so I'd think it odd if you left a lot.

well if you have a small to medium appetite and the restaurant served an enormous portion what are you supposed to do?

Not eat it all and then get comments that you should eat it up as you look too thin.

That's what my work colleagues did.

that sounds delish, where did you go?