AIBU to stop my children wasting food at the holiday buffet?

[constantnc]

To not let my kids waste holiday AI food?

At home our food waste is minimal, I serve a portion onto plates and seconds is always available.

For the first time on holiday I have let my kids ages 9+ go around the buffet and serve themselves.

I am not happy with the waste, ie the 1 bite and I dont like it, and lots of what they will like then full up.

Unsure whether to reduce independence and serve what they will like and eat, or let them get on with it. Most families seem to have no problem piling the plates and leaving half of it.

(We use AI so i get respite from cooking cleaning so dont want to swap from AI).

Thanks for all the thoughts.
We go AI because I have a physical disability so enjoy the break from cooking/cleaning etc and the kids very happily go into kids activities so I can rest then too.

These are the lunch plates...they ate 1/2 approx and one of the ordered a plain burger and ate it all. (Not keen on cheese).

Well they also need supervision if that’s to kind of food they’re choosing 🙈

I hate waste too. Definitely keep encouraging then to try small amounts and remind them they can go back as many times as they like if they want more.

In my first experiences of AI (as an adult) it took me a few goes to learn "how to do it". I'd go round thinking ooo, a bit of this, a bit of that and then sit down to a heaving plate of stuff that didn't go together and suddenly seemed a bit unappetising. Now I tend to do a full walk round first to see what there is, then decide what I want the most and what will go with it and only take small portions first time as sometimes it's not as nice as it looks. My kids have gradually picked this up too although youngest is fussy and still sometimes has eyes bigger than her belly!

Fish fillet, chips, carrot, lemon..

Pasta. Chips. Orange & satsuma.

Chips are a treat, we are on holiday lol. This wasn't about their choices. It was about food waste & I am hearing most people say relax so i'm trying

Standard 9 yo AI food by the looks of it 😂

Holidays abroad are totally unnecessary, nothing about them is environmentally friendly so just relax, enjoy it, no need to have evidence of half finished plates of food, let them be excited kids and eat chips as a treat (?!), relax and when you get back donate to an offsetting program perhaps to help level it all out.

Those were the full plates 😅

I mean it isn't a lot of food really, what didn't they like ?

So they left half of whats on those plates?

Lord yes you do really need to loosen up you'll give yourself piles 😂

I agree with you @constantnc . Encourage them to take a small portion of something they want to try and go back for more if they like it.

Seriously? You're fussing over those portions being too much?

This has got to be a wind up

I don’t judge you going AI. I do too. But I recognise that it isn’t the choice for someone concerned about food waste so I think you either have to accept the additional cost of going board only and eating at restaurants/ self catering or relax about the plates they choose at the built-in-wasteful buffet. Saying you choose the buffet but then worry about waste on their individual plate is green washing your holiday choice.

I think just remind them to get a very small portion to start as they can always go back for more, that’s what my 9rd old does.

They need supervising if they can’t control themselves. There's an all you can eat Asian buffet near us that is very popular with families. They have a very clear notice on each table stating that tables where full plates are collected (ie waiters clearing away a plate still loaded up with unwanted food) will be subjected to a €15 charge at checkout.

Her stated reason for wanting AI was for respite from cooking and cleaning. But thanks

Also whatever the reason for choosing AI, choosing it then agonising about food waste is just silly.

There’s more waste from accidental spills, than leaving half of those plates. Honestly, loosen up!

Is this typical of what they have been getting? As in type of food, not amount. Because both of those plates seem to just be everyday food, so it doesn’t look as tho they are trying new things and leaving it because they don’t like it. How much would they normally eat at home for a meal, as it doesn’t look enough that it would overfill them? Could it be the heat and they just don’t have much of an appetite?

It would annoy me too. Food waste is food waste, holiday or not. There’s always going to be a bit of waste, but consistently taking more than you need is not on.

There are 11/12 pieces of pasta and11/12 chips and 2 satsumas on one plate. That is NOT not controlling themselves . Come on now!

Your children may end up with issues around food if you carry on.
Waste is not a good thing no, but keep things in perspective. They are children, they are on holiday. Wittering on about waste and food will be so miserable.
Learning the importance of not wasting food will come. But you will have a negative reaction if you place too much emphasis on it.

If it annoys you then don't asupport AI holidays.

Jfc. Let them live a little.

Bit of a daft rule surely all that happens there is you'd split the full plate among any empty ones? Get a new plate and split it on that? Or just ditch it on the buffet table/hide it somewhere?

Lol, we tried the kids buffet for lunch, but yes this is tye typical amount for a plate.
In the evening they are trying the foreign food too and they leave more..
This has been really helpful Thank you all....I grew up dirt poor with little food so I can see now this is a me problem.
Thanks all👍

I wonder if they are overwhelmed and overstimulated, reasturants can be busy and maybe they are just struggling with choice and eating, i know you want them to go sort themselves but I think it might help if you go with them,