To wonder if I am greedy or do some people serve really small portions?

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

I don't think I'm greedy....I'm a slim person...size 10-12 UK and 5 foot 6.

I don't binge or anything but when I eat a roast dinner, I do want more than 2 potatoes!

When MIL cooks anything she always seems to underestimate amounts....so there's for eg 2 potatoes per adult and one per kids...not a lot of meat and two other vegetables....curry...she'll do enough rice so people get two dessert spoonsfull.

That's not enough is it?

Recently had meal with an elderly relative (ham salad)
Per person - 1 slice of that square wafer thin ham you can almost see through, a cherry tomato, half a hard boiled egg, 2 slices of cucumber, a lettuce leaf (gem sized) and 2 slices of pickled beetroot
I was hoping for some bread as it might have made a v small sandwich but no such luck
My DM is the same (small quiche will be cut into 6) for 4-5 people who all politely have one tiny piece, then don't quite dare to take a second so DM puts back in fridge fairly sharpish for her and DF next day
I solved the problem by only visiting at non meal times
Yet when they visit me or DB they usually have seconds and a dessert - no financial issues either

A fist sized serving of roast potatoes is about 4-5 roasties though! And I have small fists! Are people assuming that 'a roast potato' is one whole potato roasted, and not a portion of one? When I make roasties one potato will yield 4-6 roasties.

My MIL is like this. x people = x/2 carrots. :(

Which wouldn't be bad byt she REFUSES to serve more than 2 veg at Christmas. And no yorkies!

In my family the worst possible thing that can happen is that someone might not have enough food (or cups of tea). I guess its the way you were brought up.... My mum would be horrified, nay mortified, if she thought people had gone home hungry.

I'm a big fan of portion control and I think that a lot of people eat way too much, carbs especially. However, surely there are times when you relax the rules and stuff yourself much more than usual, and a roast dinner is definitely one of those times!

I think 4-5 roast potatoes per adult is a minimum

It's people that give their kids adult-sized portions that really annoy me. A 9 year old child does NOT need a large quarter-pounder meal, for example.

I also cant stand to see people who load their plates up, and can't eat all of it so it gets thrown in the bin. Or even worse, fed to the dog. I ordered (and paid for) a takeaway once for me and my friend. She ate three spoonfuls of her beef chow mein, before tipping it into the dog's bowl. What a fucking waste of money

This is an interesting thread!

I think I've talked about our friends before. Lovely people but very slender and clearly don't eat as much as us. One night on holiday we were each allocated with one small sausage and small single skewer kebab for dinner - then she tried to give away one of the sausages to her DD who'd already had dinner. I literally snarled I tell you.

I always over cater when we have guests. I'd be mortified if anyone left our house hungry. DH likewise. If he feels I haven't bought enough then he'll to out and buy more food

I was once invited to a surprise birthday party for my friend at someone's house. We were all told not to eat dinner before hand.

When we arrived, all that was on offer were crisps and dips. We all got COMPLETELY plastered on our practically empty stomachs.

It was a Monday night.

Two roast potatoes?? TWO ROAST POTATOES????

The best part of the roast dinner, aside from the Yorkshire puddings and the meat and all the veg (so, all the roast dinner) are the damn potatoes! Many, many, many of them.

I did Christmas dinner for 14 people last year. We had so much food that DH and I ate Christmas dinner twice a day for the following 3 days. And that still didn't make a dent in the Yorkshire puddings in the freezer and I still had to freeze meat.

The first year I did Christmas dinner, I cooked a 19lb turkey and 15lb ham for 10 people. I asked my mum if she thought that was enough meat. "yeah, about 3lbs of meat each" she said. Then I realized it was quite a bit.

I liken myself to the mum from My Big Fat Greek Wedding when she's on the phone to Toula, telling her that she's just having some of the family over and she's surrounded by a billion potatoes that she's peeling and a whole lamb.

Just like my family I don't even eat that much normally, I fast every other day but my god, when I want a roast dinner, I want a proper roast dinner.

I only have 2-3 toasties
Tbf my family were always small portions because I don't think my mum and dad could afford meat and things like that often.
Now they're better off my dad will have delicious dauphinoise potatoes and pork belly crackling etc but will still do little portions.
I don't like to ever feel completely stuffed and most of the time I would genuinely happy with a kid size meal. That is not to say that my parents were mean, anyone who had a big appetite was always very well catered for!

My mum is like this. REALLY mean with portion sizes. Not just at dinner but throughout. Eg If you happen to have more than one biscuit with a cup of tea she will comment. If you go out for coffee etc and had a cake or whatever she will make a big point of saying "oooh that's huge. You can never finish that will you? Oh my goodness.' Basically implying that you are a complete glutton and should be ashamed of yourself.

She does it with both my kids, who are both v slim (just googled and ds1 for e.g. has a BMI on the 6th percentile, only just within normal range.) Goes on and on about how much they eat.

I hate christmas dinner or meals at theirs as she is another who will count out the veg- 1 carrot per two adults etc. She will serve the potatoes already and likely put only 2 on. If you ask if there is any more she will raise eyebrows.

Ironically she is overweight and boys and DH are very very slim and I'm average- usually 10-12 but 12 at min as pg.

I have relatives like this -I always expect them to bring out more food then realise there isn't any! Like pp examples, there are no money issues and they always eat loads at other people's houses. I have resigned myself to always being hungry at their house (and hiding snacks in my luggage)

I don't get how all these two potato people aren't completely emaciated.
And those that say they only have two, make a point of saying they have lots of veg as though anyone who has more than two potatoes can't be eating the veg too.
I would use about three or four large potatoes per person, two carrots per person and brocolli and cauliflower (or other combo) with my roast meat. And I'm a size 6.
We went to stay with some friends who gave us a lunch of one sandwich ( two slices of bread) at midday and didn't give us dinner until 9pm I nearly passed out.
I have another friend who would give my partner and hers one burger and split another for me and her. I can just remember my DP smirking when he saw my face fall when I saw the portion.

I think we need to establish that one roast potato isn't a whole potato for many people.

I cut large-ish ones into three or four pieces. So does MIL. I add a few large whole ones for those who like them big....but they're crispier when small....so 2 potatoes from MIL is actually half a spud! AND they shrink in roasting!

I've also been thinking about MIL's habits with food and she sort of hoards it....we were staying there and she came home with a load of beautiful fish one day....prawns too.....she showed us, discussed their beauty and then put them in the freezer....where they stayed for a year!

WHY?

I buy nice fish, then it's eaten that day! It's fresh fish ffs....you eat it!

She wasn't saving it for an occasion.

SIL (MILS DD) is very overweight and quite territorial over food. Maybe it's years of being a bit hungry that did this.

Nothing worse than a person who is mean with food.

Where does the meanness come from? Rationing in war times? Having a bad relationship with food?

I have dated two mean men:
One waited until I left before making a fry up in the morning
One took me to a club and brought me two drinks and held onto one the whole night.

I have to agree with a poster who stated that Caribbean and Africans over feed their guests. It can be argued that they over eat and are bigger than the English as a result. One thing - you will never leave their home, birthday party or wedding hungry.

I'd eat about 3 or 4 roast potatoes

But if she's serving dessert straight after, then 2 would be enough.

I remember as a student visiting a friend in a tiny village. The whole family was super thin. A typical evening meal was 1/4 of a mini quiche, 2 tiny new potatoes and a couple of lettuce leaves. I was beyond starving, but couldn't get anywhere to secretly buy food.

I don't eat a lot generally, but roast potatoes are different. DH does roast dinners in our house and his roast potatoes are amazing. I ate 13 (they were small) the other day. Well they were just looking at me!

If we're eating a roast at PIL, MIL will serve a couple for her and for me, and then loads for DH and FIL. My mum knows better!

We went away over half term and ended up having a roast dinner out. Huge Yorkshire, nice meat, and TWO roast potatoes! I nearly complained at the stinginess.

Yes but 13 is an absolutely ridiculous amount, especially with other food on your plate, so the pendulum has swung totally the other way there.

On the other hand, I wouldn't be happy to pay for a roast dinner in a restaurant and only have 2 on the plate.

My mum does this- but she lives on her own and I genuinely think that for her it is a combination of forgetting how much food you need for X people at lunch and the fact she doesn't eat as much as she used to. It is almost harder now as DTDs are bigger and so eat more... But there is often not quite enough! I bring cake and extra meal additions regardless now.

I am making a big roast chicken tonight. There will also be roasted potatoes, onions and parsnips, honey-glazed carrots with cumin, sprouts, pigs in blankets, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing balls and gravy. It's just for me and my DH and I will make enough to imply that it could cater for two meals but we will both continue to innocently graze until there really isn't too much left

My sister is like that and it's one of the reasons I haven't stayed with her for a long time. I used to carry snack bars with me to top up because I feel faint on too little food. I think she is just mean with food though and it's not down to her upbringing to have such tiny portions. We were brought up with a mother who would cook plenty for the random strays turning up for meals (and there were many because she's a wonderful cook).

Jhm9rhs My family is slim but it doesn't stop us eating like horses (Interestingly my sister is a little bigger but she herself says that's the amount of wine and chocolate she has in the evenings...).

Just remembered. I have a thread in classics about my PIL stingey food.
I ended up at the wimpy up the road with DD while Mumsnet cheered me on.
I escaped when fil asked me to go to the shops to buy ONE head of broccoli and ONE of cauliflower for FIFTEEN people

Ledkr I love your PIL escapades!

SIL is like this. She doesn't eat very much and could quite happily live on toast, she's also not much of a cook. So on the rare occasions that DH and I are invited round for dinner, she will generally "cook" a ready meal paella or similar that is designed for 2 people for 4 of us (SIL, BIL, DH, me).
Once, we got excited because there were 2 paellas but as soon as she had served up, she disappeared into the kitchen with what was left in the serving dish, saying that would do for her lunch the next day!!

Its quite funny and my PIL's also say that they eat before they go to hers. the thing that annoys me though, is that we all (me and DH and also PIL's) have her and BIL round for dinner A LOT!. SIL often (as in at least twice a week) turns up at PIL's house just before dinner and lingers until she's invited to stay.

No that would be nowhere near enough for DH or our 5DC,the children have about 5 roast potatoes each and DH could easily eat 7.

With the rice they'd all want alot more than that as well.