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).

Well, there's always the opportunity to teach your children to think of others before themselves, and not to automatically be selfish.

But how? How would them changing their eating habits or choices on holiday improve starvation across the globe?

You put portions on their plates but seconds is always available. So you are overcooking. What happens when they don't want seconds? It gets wasted. Surely it would be best just to cook one portion per person and if still hungry get a slice of bread or a yogurt?

Maybe as op boards the plane back from the not essential £5k holiday when that could have been donated to feed some of the starving people.

It's about bedding down values in your children, the future generation and future decision makers.

That only works through modelling and concrete and relatable examples that make sense ,intertwined in every day life . Abstract stuff like “there are people starving so you have to eat everything on your plate” won’t make a difference in the way you think it does.

Huh? Who is throwing away leftovers? That's lunch next day or becomes part of the next night's dinner.

I was told the "starving people" thing at school some 60 years ago. My answer then is my answer now "pack it up and send it to them" leaving food on a plate (or on the buffet counter) is not going to stop them starving.

by talking nonsense?

We always had a rule for DC, take what you want, but eat what you take. If you want more you can go to get more.

yup, this. Not going to bang on as its not aimed at the OP who has admitted she has food issues.

I went on an AI holiday with her friend and her kids, who were 7 and 8 at the time. Hers went absolutely NUTS on the buffet, and had no control. We're talking taking a whole cheese burger, taking 3 bites, leaving most of it. Going back to the buffet and returning with another cheese burger and a hot dog. My friend would go, "oh... X, but you haven't finished the first burger..." But the kids would totally ignore her and friend would just shrug.
The first couple of days, I could pass off as, "Oh, they're just excited." But they were like it for the whole holiday.

They haven’t got much on their plates and have chosen pretty healthy for a child at an AI buffet, I wouldn’t worry about it whilst on holiday. It’s not like they are piling their plates high.

Yep exactly.
Lunches the next day is usually leftovers or soup/sarnie stuff.

Could they have a smaller plate to reduce waste?

@constantnc If you serve their food at home then they won't have learnt about portion control or self control enough to go at the buffet unsupervised. (No criticism, a lot of kids will be the same)
Its a good opportunity for them to learn this now with your help. And portion control is a good life lesson for adulthood too.

At 9 you should be walking around with them still supervising but giving a little more independence by encouraging them to serving themselves an appropriate portion. If they are stacking their plate with things they don’t eat then they are clearly not ready for the independence you have given them.

You can always let them go to the dessert buffet alone to have the fun of choosing dessert after eating their main course.