Mother Refuses To Finish Daughter-In-Law’s Indian Dinner And Gets Banned From Future Meals
Is not clearing your plate actually disrespectful?
A family dinner recently turned into an unexpected standoff after a mother-in-law left food on her plate.
She explains that she’s mixed and not white, but her daughter-in-law is Indian and often prepares traditional Indian dishes when hosting. The mother-in-law says she has never particularly liked Indian food. She doesn’t complain about it, but she doesn’t go out of her way to eat it either.
When her son and daughter-in-law host dinners, she usually takes a small portion and eats what she can. If she’s still hungry afterward, she’ll grab something on the way home. She says this has never caused an issue before.
At a recent dinner, her daughter-in-law served green curry with rice. The mother-in-law took a small amount, tried it, but found it too herby for her taste. She ate part of it but didn’t clear her plate.
While helping clean up, her daughter-in-law commented that she hadn’t finished her food. The mother-in-law said she wasn’t very hungry and thought that was the end of it.
Later, she received a text saying it was disrespectful not to finish the meal and that she wouldn’t be welcome back until she was willing to clear her plate. Her son sided with his wife and told her she was being rude and picky.
Now she’s wondering if she owes an apology, or if being forced to finish food she doesn’t enjoy is unreasonable.
Scroll through the screenshots below to see how this dinner disagreement escalated.
Let’s dig into the details
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We gathered some interesting comments from the Reddit community
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“As an Indian, I will say NTA! You’re an adult and you can choose what you want to eat.”
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“While I understand in some cultures it's considered "rude" to not finish your plate as a guest, IMO texting you that is overboard and unnecessary.”
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“Your not an AH for taking a small amount for food to try it and be polite. And you are not required to eat food you don't like.”
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“There's no need to force feed anyone. If her ego can't take that someone didn't finish her food, that's a her problem.”
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“NTA. You're not obligated to eat anything you don't want to eat.”
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“I don't know how to correct this, but you are NTA for not wanting to clear your plate with food you don't like.”
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“It’s disrespectful to take a portion of food that is larger than you intended to eat, its waste…”
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“I guess from now on you take incredibly small portions and ‘clean your plate”
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“Just go out to fusion restaurants with them, so everyone can order what they want. No hurt feelings.”
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For some families, clearing your plate is basic courtesy. For others, personal taste and appetite come first. What feels like a harmless choice to one person can feel like rejection to another, especially when cultural food is involved.
She says she never criticized the meal and simply ate what she could. Her daughter-in-law sees unfinished food as disrespect.
So what do you think? Is leaving food on your plate rude in this context, or is being expected to finish it crossing a line?
