Are leftovers low class?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the few good things about this Thanksgiving was that we actually have leftovers. In our usual group of 18 -- including 7 teenage boys -- I've sometimes not even gotten a first serving of some dishes. Leftovers simply don't exist.

I have three teen boys. I left them at the dinner table talking after dinner. Came back to clean up and all of the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes were gone. There was an insane amount of potatoes, and now I think I need to make some more to accompany leftovers tomorrow. We will see if I’m up to it.

[Anonymous]

Get a grip, they are trying to diet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just think they are wasteful. We could afford to eat different good everynight. I could drink water only out of plastic bottles but I do not.

What? Wasteful is throwing away uneaten food, not eating it for a later meal. Or do you mean cooking with the intention of leftovers?

My mom is a good cook, but her meals usually take a lot of work. She's a master at mixing leftovers with fresh dishes so it tastes new. I'm a big fan of leftovers, because I grew up with the understanding that some food actually tastes better on the second day. DH just doesn't tend to reach for leftovers unless it's his absolute favorite (i.e. if he liked it but he didn't love it, he won't eat it again), and I suspect it's because his mom (MIL) is not a great cook. It's hard to develop a habit for so-so food twice in a row. MIL finds his aversion to leftovers surprising, which suggests that he did actually eat leftovers as a kid.

I kind of regret that I cooked fresh meals most nights when we were first living together and newlywed. Two kids later, I just don't have the energy.

Wasteful to NOT eat leftovers..pretty clear I think.

[Anonymous]

Some people just don’t want the same food again. Personally, I don’t want to take leftovers from someone else’s house because that seems greedy and rude. They did the cooking, they get to keep the leftovers.
In my own house leftovers are treasured. Some of my favorite dishes are those that use the leftovers from a prior meal: turkey croquettes, mashed potato casserole, hot turkey and gravy sandwiches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Etiquette reminders:

(snip)

I'm not American and have family in Europe and Asia.

Etiquette reminder: Don't lecture people on their culture's manners when you aren't of that culture.

[Anonymous]

I've only seen leftovers offered when it's family and close friends. Obviously there is a difference between keeping leftovers and handing them out, but in close relationships handing out is part of the keeping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Etiquette reminders:

It's rude to offer guests left-over food unless you are very close and know this person enjoyed that particular dish. If you do this to other types of guests, it means you don't respect them. Freshly-cooked and well-presented food that you offer on a plate at a table is a symbol of your respect for your guest. Boxed food meant to be reheated the day after is not.

That’s not etiquette. That’s just your opinion. Not the same thing.

[Anonymous]

I have a good friend who literally sweeps any leftover food directly into the trash at the end of a meal.

[Anonymous]

I don’t want to eat the same food again, especially Thanksgiving food that is not the kind of food I’d typically eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a good friend who literally sweeps any leftover food directly into the trash at the end of a meal.

Maybe she’s learned, like I have, that it feels wasteful to toss leftovers, so we spend a great deal of time decanting in to Tupperware, placing all in fridge IN TE FRONT, then vaguely planning re-use, “I’ll make Turkey soup, quiche, take the pasta for lunch, will eat stuffing as a side every day for a week, make potato pancakes tomorrow...”

Then five days pass and there the leftovers are untouched and stacked, so all gets dumped down the garbage disposal, empty Tupperware in the dishwasher.

After doing this several times, it’s easiest to skip the intermediate steps and toss all.

Sad, but true.

Caveat: DS18 will ask me to save a few things but these will be gone within a day.

[Anonymous]

PP 9:54.

I’ll be honest: I hate leftovers. Absolutely gross. Rare exceptions for my MIL who keeps an immaculate kitchen and is a gourmet cook. She typically doles out portions before a meal, packs up just so we can take an entire meal home. This feels fresher and not at all a leftover if that makes sense.

[Anonymous]

I use threads like this to explain the absurdity of DCUM to my husband

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a good friend who literally sweeps any leftover food directly into the trash at the end of a meal.

Maybe she’s learned, like I have, that it feels wasteful to toss leftovers, so we spend a great deal of time decanting in to Tupperware, placing all in fridge IN TE FRONT, then vaguely planning re-use, “I’ll make Turkey soup, quiche, take the pasta for lunch, will eat stuffing as a side every day for a week, make potato pancakes tomorrow...”

Then five days pass and there the leftovers are untouched and stacked, so all gets dumped down the garbage disposal, empty Tupperware in the dishwasher.

After doing this several times, it’s easiest to skip the intermediate steps and toss all.

Sad, but true.

Caveat: DS18 will ask me to save a few things but these will be gone within a day.

Not a problem in my house. Especially during COVID when we’re all home, last night’s dinner is today’s lunch. Sometimes someone has even already snagged it by breakfast! Plus, some foods are just better the next day anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do some people have such an aversion to them? They treat taking some leftovers home like you're trying to hand them a soiled diaper. It's not just holiday food, it's just today reminded me of this. I don't get it. My husband makes terrific money and I've never once thought "our HHI is [now] too high to eat day old good." Is that how some people think -- like eating leftovers is "low" and they're better than that?

It's generally a high calorie type of food that I indulge in for holidays but don't want to continue eating for the next few days.

[Anonymous]

I generally like leftovers. Reasons I don't want them after a holiday:

-traveling by multiple modes of transportation and really don't want to be hauling an extra bag or even worse, a loosely wrapped plate
-thanksgiving food isn't my favorite to begin with
-it's even worse when it's a mushed together plate
-my parents have no sense of food safety, so if I can get through the tday meal without getting food poisoning, I'm thankful but not taking any more choices
-holiday leftovers are usually offered when I'm still really full and feel like I never want to see food again