s/o Don't like and/or won't eat leftovers

[Frances]

This came up on another thread and has me puzzled. Personally, I love leftovers, especially for lunch at work. My office is always too cold, so it's nice to have something hot for lunch. Plus it saves money and leaves my lunch time free for walking. And many times for dinner, it's so nice to just be able to reheat the main course and add a fresh salad and/or fresh vegetables.

 

While I realize not everything is good leftover, I can't imagine tolerating someone who is not doing the cooking refusing to eat leftovers.

[Junie]

My FIL will not eat leftovers.

 

After several years of marriage, I asked dh if he realized that his dad never ate leftovers.  He said that was ridiculous because they had had leftovers often when he was growing up.  I told him to watch.

 

A few days later MIL pulled out leftovers for dinner.  FIL walked into the kitchen when the meal was called, looked at the table and declared that he wasn't really hungry.  He took a piece of buttered bread and a cup of coffee back to the living room.  Dh was slightly flabbergasted.

 

In the years since, I have never seen FIL eat leftovers.

 

And I have no idea why.

[Rebel Yell]

My former neighbor was like this. Husband and wife both worked full time, three kids. One day I was in her kitchen after dinner, and I saw her throw half a pan of lasagna away... I asked if it was burnt or what was wrong with it, she said her husband won't eat leftovers.

 

GOOD GAWSH LASAGNA IS BETTER THE SECOND AND THIRD DAYS!

 

Leftovers are a way of life in my house. Either intentional extras cooked, or just typical random leftovers for lunches or snacks.

 

We really can't afford to throw food away.

 

I guess if my husband/family refused to eat leftovers I'd at least cook smaller quantities of food, like the neighbor should just make half pans of lasagna.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Rebel Yell

[Arctic Bunny]

My DH claims to not like leftovers. Basically, the same meal again is not his first choice. And so he would rather make and eat sandwiches or soup every day than take leftovers to work. But if say, we had salmon one night, then two days later I make pasta alfredo with salmon, that's not "leftovers". I personally think it stems from his mom's leftovers being dried out and nasty and endless. My kids ask to take leftovers the next day for school lunches, so I can only blame his mom, lol.

[gardenmom5]

dh doens't like leftovers- but he will sometimes cooks.. . . his complaint is no one else will eat them . . .

 

I am learning about my food sensitivities- and one of them is mold/yeast - and some leftovers will develop them faster than others.  most people won't be affected, but me . . . I had one small double-whammy thing knock me flat on my back within a couple hours.   spicier stuff does better .. . .

 

 

[Barb_]

There is a handful of things I can eat leftover. Soup. Plain meat, but cold. Things with beef in it like chili or shepherd's pie. That's about it, and it's taken me almost five decades to get this far. There is something about the smell of most warmed over food that makes my stomach flip flop. Warmed over pizza smell makes me want to vomit. I'll make it for the kids but I'd rather go hungry. And I'm not picky about food in general! I'll eat almost anything. But not if it was cooked yesterday.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Barb_

[Arcadia]

My FIL is the only son and his dad goes by the traditional patriarchal mentality where daughters are for marrying off. So the head of the household and the sons don't get served leftovers.

 

My FIL will not eat leftovers.

...

And I have no idea why.

My FIL rarely eats leftovers unless it is lunch leftover for dinner. My in-laws and FIL's parents are patriarchal and my MIL will whine but still be a short order cook to FIL.

 

So my husband and his siblings would have to eat whatever his dad prefers and they would be the ones eating the dinner leftovers if any for next day's lunch.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Arcadia

[Tap]

My family doesn't really like them and wont eat certain things reheated.  Pasta, other than lasana, gets left largely left uneaten. They all like it al dente, and that doesn't really work with reheated pasta. My family would grab toast or cereal before eating left over spaghetti or basic pasta dishes. 

 

White meat often takes on an odd flavor reheated, so that will be eaten sometimes but usually cold.  Roast and veggies, soup and some mexican dishes reheat pretty well and usually get eaten, but not always.   

 

 

 

[Laura Corin]

We eat leftovers all the time, but I agree that some things don't work, like soggy pasta or overcooked chicken breast.

[Tanaqui]

What're you gonna do if that person doesn't eat the leftovers? Yell at them? Force-feed them? Refuse to ever cook again?

 

If you've got somebody in your family who doesn't want to eat leftovers, the simplest solution is to make less food at one time.

[Laura Corin]

What're you gonna do if that person doesn't eat the leftovers? Yell at them? Force-feed them? Refuse to ever cook again?

 

If you've got somebody in your family who doesn't want to eat leftovers, the simplest solution is to make less food at one time.

You have to be a much more precise person than I am, or like cooking much more.  Even when aiming at making enough for one meal, I often make too much (variable appetites, people not coming home for dinner that night, etc.).  

 

I also don't like cooking - if I had someone refusing to eat leftovers, I'd put them on cooking duty every other night.

[J-rap]

I guess I'm lucky, because my entire family loves leftovers.  When all the kids were home and I made food in big quantities and frequently had leftovers, my dh would always want to eat the leftovers from the night before, for lunch.  When he was going to graduate school, I'd throw whatever leftovers we had into a tortilla, like a burrito, and that would be his lunch the next day.

 

But typically, we don't have two days in a row of the same dinner.  If we have enough leftovers for another meal, I'll generally stick it in the freezer and have it later.  Sometimes I'll change it around.  If it was stew, I might turn it into a pot pie next time we have it.  My kids love leftovers for lunch when they're home.  They like to get creative, and might add extra veggies or mix it into eggs.

 

If I have leftovers for one serving only, I'll stick it in the freezer with vegetables and other sides, and it becomes a complete frozen dinner for one when needed.

 

Actually, I'm the only one who didn't used to like leftovers.  Just thinking about it being old food bothered me.  But, it doesn't anymore. 

 

I've been to people's homes where even if half the pot is left after dinner, it all goes into the garbage.  It's kind of appalling!

[Carrie12345]

We fight over getting the last of the leftovers in my house.  

[barnwife]

There is a handful of things I can eat leftover. Soup. Plain meat, but cold. Things with beef in it like chili or shepherd's pie. That's about it, and it's taken me almost five decades to get this far. There is something about the smell of most warmed over food that makes my stomach flip flop. Warmed over pizza smell makes me want to vomit. I'll make it for the kids but I'd rather go hungry. And I'm not picky about food in general! I'll eat almost anything. But not if it was cooked yesterday.

Leftover pizza is supposed to be eaten cold. I thought everyone knew that. (This stems from my childhood. Mom would send to in our lunches for school the next day.) I didn't know people reheat it until I was an adult. And somehow I married someone who reheats it! It's one of his few flaws.

 

What're you gonna do if that person doesn't eat the leftovers? Yell at them? Force-feed them? Refuse to ever cook again?

 

If you've got somebody in your family who doesn't want to eat leftovers, the simplest solution is to make less food at one time.

 

i was going to write a response to this, but Laura already summed up my feelings!

 

You have to be a much more precise person than I am, or like cooking much more.  Even when aiming at making enough for one meal, I often make too much (variable appetites, people not coming home for dinner that night, etc.).  

 

I also don't like cooking - if I had someone refusing to eat leftovers, I'd put them on cooking duty every other night.

Ditto especially the not liking cooking. I always make enough for leftovers.

[MotherGoose]

I never even realized not eating leftovers was a thing until well into adulthood. My mom always cooked for to leave leftovers. My dh used to refuse to eat them but after several occasions of him asking what was for dinner and me handing him a plate of leftovers, he's gotten over it. His grandfather thought he was too good to eat left overs so they didn't have them growing up. Leftovers may not be as fabulous as they were the first time around, and some few things aren't good, but inmy meal planning I use leftovers.

[Night Elf]

My DH eats leftovers. Dd19 will eat some leftovers. Ds and I do not eat leftovers. We have been preparing food for our family for years and know just how much to make so that we don't have much leftover. There are a couple of things I make that leave leftovers such as shepherd's pie and spaghetti. DH will eat on those for several days. 

 

The only meal I actually cook with leffovers is pastys made with crescent rolls and leftover roast beef.

 

If DH has leftovers, I make something else for me like a sandwich, soup, eggs, cheese and/or cinnamon toast. 

 

We've never allowed food to become a negative topic in our home. 

[JFSinIL]

We've never allowed food to become a negative topic in our home.

Excellent idea. If someone does not wish to eat leftovers or any meal, they can make do with a sandwich etc. Folks are different, not everyone likes or wants to eat the same things.

[catz]

If I had time I would write a poem entitled Ode to Leftovers.

 

I tend to chose food to make based on whether it heats well for the next few days. No one who doesn't like leftovers would survive in this house. I can't imagine throwing away perfectly good food.

 

When people say they will eat soup over leftovers do you mean home made soup or soup from a can or what? I can't imagine choosing canned soup over a yummy home cooked meal. FYI I don't eat or use canned soup. Low sodium broth is a recipe is as close as I will get.

Edited August 6, 2017 by WoolySocks

[kewb]

My dh is not a fan of leftovers. He likes repurposed leftovers, as in last night's steak is now steak and eggs. The same meal two days in a row-he will make bread and butter.

Me, I love leftovers. If it is something I really like I can eat it for all 3 meals the next day.

My kids will eat leftovers. Unless it is lasagna or baked ziti ds would prefer something else. Dd goes back and forth with preference.

In our house, if you don't like what is served you are free to forage for something.

[Guest]

We have "Smorg Night" now and then. I love that scene from The Incredibles where the family is eating dinner and Violet says, "I'm not in the mood for meatloaf" and Elastagirl says something like, "well, what are you in the mood for? It's leftover night."

 

We totally do that. People are laying claim to the bit of salmon or the last piece of Lasagna or the chicken stir-fry. ☺ï¸

[marbel]

Why is it surprising that some people don't like leftovers?   It's like being surprised that someone doesn't like a certain food.  People like what they like.

 

I don't mind leftovers of certain things, but not everything.  My family also has certain preferences, and unsurprisingly they don't always line up with mine.  In general, though, most of the time I try to put a day between the food and the leftovers.  So if I make curry on Monday, it might show up for lunch on Wednesday.  Or later, if I freeze it.   There are exceptions.  If I make chicken pot pie, my son will eat it for breakfast and lunch till it's gone.  I won't want it beyond the first day because I don't like it that much and only make it for others.   Tuna casserole to me is a one-and-done thing, no leftovers, so I cut down the recipe so we're not throwing food away.

 

Leftover pizza can be eaten at any time, reheated or cold. When I was a kid my mom made pizza every Sunday night and Monday breakfast was likely to be a cold slice or two.  I'll still do that, though now I actually prefer reheated pizza to freshly baked. 

 

Food is complicated.  It shouldn't be, but often it is. People carry a lot of baggage around food.  My husband for a long time wouldn't eat certain foods because his mom overcooked them.  Think limp canned asparagus, boiled to death, vs. quickly roasted or sauteed fresh.   Or lamb roasted into a hard dry lump vs a chop marinated and quickly grilled.  Or the never-ending fruit salad that gets new fruit added daily after it's pulled out of the fridge from the night before.

 

Like Night Elf said, I try not to make a food a negative thing in my house.  I don't want people to dread meals. 

[OneStepAtATime]

This came up on another thread and has me puzzled. Personally, I love leftovers, especially for lunch at work. My office is always too cold, so it's nice to have something hot for lunch. Plus it saves money and leaves my lunch time free for walking. And many times for dinner, it's so nice to just be able to reheat the main course and add a fresh salad and/or fresh vegetables.

 

While I realize not everything is good leftover, I can't imagine tolerating someone who is not doing the cooking refusing to eat leftovers.

I love leftovers, too.  But not everyone is exactly the same.  Just because this is something I like and am willing to do doesn't mean that everyone else on the planet should be lockstep with me and my feelings on this matter.  

 

Honestly, I'm with Tanaqui (and others) here.  What are you going to do if you have someone who won't eat leftovers?  Children you might be able to get to eat the leftovers anyway, if you can find their currency or you have a compliant child.  An adult?  What's the plan?  Forcefeeding?  Refuse to cook at all so the whole family suffers?  Threaten divorce?  Is making a spouse eat leftovers that important that you would literally not tolerate this difference in preferences in your household?

 

My husband gets physically nauseous when I server most leftovers.  He can usually manage pizza but that's about it.  He has one sibling that is the same.  They get nauseated at the thought of leftovers.  DH does cook upon occasion but not often.  I use leftovers for lunch for the kids and I, but I rarely server leftovers at dinner if DH is in town.  What would be the point?  Make him sick and ruin the meal for all of us?

Edited August 6, 2017 by OneStepAtATime

[Serenade]

Food is complicated.  It shouldn't be, but often it is.

I think food is complicated because we live in a wealthy nation with many choices and an abundance of food.

[marbel]

I think food is complicated because we live in a wealthy nation with many choices and an abundance of food.

 

That's true.  But here we are.

[Pink and Green Mom]

No matter how much they enjoyed the meal the first time, my kids don't eat leftovers.  Even if it is something they brought home in a doggy bag from a restaurant.  There are only certain things I like as leftovers.  DH will eat anything put in front of him.

[Sneezyone]

I hate leftovers. My kids will eat a few things (sliced cold meat, pizza, chili) but that's it. I try to repurpose as much as I can. Leftover chicken becomes pot pie. Leftover roast becomes carnitas. Pasta gets stored separate from sauces so that will often get eaten. Straight up repeat meals tho? Nope. The taste of the food changes. The veggies get mushy/overcooked.  Our solution is just to cook less food. I buy less, I prepare less, we eat less.

[Serenade]

Honestly, I'm with Tanaqui (and others) here.  What are you going to do if you have someone who won't eat leftovers?  ... Threaten divorce?

This made me chuckle a bit. I probably wouldn't divorce someone who decided late in life that they wouldn't eat leftovers. However, I probably wouldn't have married someone like that if he had been like that while we were dating. Personal preference. :-) I also wouldn't have married someone who didn't drink alcohol or who was a picky eater. While we were dating, my DH and I cooked together a lot (and drank bottles of wine!) rather than going out to eat. We were comfortable together in the kitchen and that was important to me. It's not important to everybody.

 

We are lucky in this country to have choices about what to eat and how to eat. It probably amazes some that I wouldn't have married a man who was a picky eater or who didn't drink. My choice. I feel really lucky that I had the ability to make that choice. We're all so lucky here.

 

I am the daughter of a woman who grew up during and after WWII in Germany. She tells stories of how a handful of beans was cooked and cooked until it absorbed the most water possible, to fill bellies better, even though the water certainly didn't add calories. And they were lucky to have that handful of beans! I think part of our food consciousness is related to the way we grew up. In my parents' house, food wasn't thrown away, ever, unless it went bad, and that didn't happen often, I'm sure in part due to my mom's wartime experience. As an adult, I once threw something away that my mother chided me for and pulled back out of the trash, in my own home. No, she wasn't mentally ill or a hoarder, she just thought I was being wasteful. It's all perspective, you know.

[Laura Corin]

I think food is complicated because we live in a wealthy nation with many choices and an abundance of food.

 

Yes and no.  I had a boss in Taiwan in the early 1990s (the island was doing pretty well but I wouldn't have described it as a wealthy nation with an abundance of food) who had a hard time eating when overseas.  He didn't hate Western food - it just didn't satisfy him.  He didn't feel right going to sleep at night without having had a bowl of rice.  He wasn't a difficult person apart from this, but it points to the complicated cultural implications of food.

 

I grew up with an entire week of leftovers most weeks (roast meat on Sunday, followed by risotto, shepherd's pie, pasta... all using small amounts of the leftover meat).  Food rationing ended only nine years before my birth, so the impulse to frugality was strong.

[SparklyUnicorn]

If it wasn't for leftovers, I'd have to constantly cook.  There aren't many quick and convenient low carb foods! That said, if someone doesn't want them (DH never turns them down, but the kids sometimes do) they are free to make something for themselves.

 

 

[Valley Girl]

I have one kid who doesn't like leftovers. He and I compromise by not having the leftovers the next night. So a Sunday roast won't reappear until Tuesday. Or I freeze the leftovers (especially of there's a lot such as from a half ham) and use it a subsequent week. It doesn't feel like leftovers to him that way.

 

I'm on board with those who find cooking the right amount for just one meal difficult. On any given day, one kid can be unusually ravenous while someone else isn't that hungry. Or I have everybody wanting seconds. There's just no way to tell in advance. I've tried making less to cut down on leftovers and/or waste and just telling everybody to fill up on bread or fruit if they need more. That hasn't gone over so well either. It's a tricky balance.

[Word Nerd]

While I realize not everything is good leftover, I can't imagine tolerating someone who is not doing the cooking refusing to eat leftovers.

I can't imagine not tolerating someone who won't eat leftovers, unless you just mean you aren't going to make something new just because they refuse to eat them. I'd guess it's the norm on leftover night to make your own meal if you don't want what's been reheated. Not a big deal.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Leftovers are an important part of our menu planning. We have a philosophy of cook once, eat twice. But, it is rare for us to just reheat something (unless it is something that does keep and reheat well.) We purposely make enough of something so that it can be repurposed into something else. Leftover chicken gets added to a salad, in a soup or or added to a pasta dish (at the last minute so that it doesn't get that icky smell/texture from overcooking.) We don't plan leftover pasta for another dinner, but it usually gets gobbled uo for lunch. But we make double or triple batches of sauce. I'll make a salad to go with dinner, making enough to put aside to add some chicken and croutons on top for the next days lunch. We do stir fry meals from leftovers. I'll make tacos, fajitas, soups, easy casseroles and the like from leftovers. Seeing that most recipes call for previously cooked meat, I'm just following a recipe.

I'm not a fan of leftover vegetables, unless it is something like ratatouille, which is best the next day.

 

One thing we rarely do is just heat up a previous day's meal. Unless it is the day after thanksgiving. I don't like the texture of overly reheated foods.

In our house, while we do try to take everyone's preferences into account, if you don't like what is being served, you can make something else for yourself (that is not planned for another meal.) If you complain, then you can take over as cook.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[gardenmom5]

many years ago - miss piggy had an advice column.  she got a letter from a woman who had ten children.  they were all grown and gone, but she was still cooking like she was feeding that family of twelve.  she wanted to know what to do with all the leftovers.

miss piggy:  what are leftovers?

[mellifera33]

many years ago - miss piggy had an advice column. she got a letter from a woman who had ten children. they were all grown and gone, but she was still cooking like she was feeding that family of twelve. she wanted to know what to do with all the leftovers.

miss piggy: what are leftovers?

 

Oh dear, I'm with Miss Piggy there. That must be why I have Miss Piggy's figure. :D It's easier now that we have chickens. If there is less than a serving of something left over, instead of picking at it myself, I feed it to the chickens. I figure it's not going to waste--it's being turned into fresh eggs.

[Frances]

My DH eats leftovers. Dd19 will eat some leftovers. Ds and I do not eat leftovers. We have been preparing food for our family for years and know just how much to make so that we don't have much leftover. There are a couple of things I make that leave leftovers such as shepherd's pie and spaghetti. DH will eat on those for several days.

 

The only meal I actually cook with leffovers is pastys made with crescent rolls and leftover roast beef.

 

If DH has leftovers, I make something else for me like a sandwich, soup, eggs, cheese and/or cinnamon toast.

 

We've never allowed food to become a negative topic in our home.

I'm curious why you and your son do not eat leftovers? Is it the taste or smell or repetition or something else?

[Frances]

Why is it surprising that some people don't like leftovers? It's like being surprised that someone doesn't like a certain food. People like what they like.

 

I don't mind leftovers of certain things, but not everything. My family also has certain preferences, and unsurprisingly they don't always line up with mine. In general, though, most of the time I try to put a day between the food and the leftovers. So if I make curry on Monday, it might show up for lunch on Wednesday. Or later, if I freeze it. There are exceptions. If I make chicken pot pie, my son will eat it for breakfast and lunch till it's gone. I won't want it beyond the first day because I don't like it that much and only make it for others. Tuna casserole to me is a one-and-done thing, no leftovers, so I cut down the recipe so we're not throwing food away.

 

Leftover pizza can be eaten at any time, reheated or cold. When I was a kid my mom made pizza every Sunday night and Monday breakfast was likely to be a cold slice or two. I'll still do that, though now I actually prefer reheated pizza to freshly baked.

 

Food is complicated. It shouldn't be, but often it is. People carry a lot of baggage around food. My husband for a long time wouldn't eat certain foods because his mom overcooked them. Think limp canned asparagus, boiled to death, vs. quickly roasted or sauteed fresh. Or lamb roasted into a hard dry lump vs a chop marinated and quickly grilled. Or the never-ending fruit salad that gets new fruit added daily after it's pulled out of the fridge from the night before.

 

Like Night Elf said, I try not to make a food a negative thing in my house. I don't want people to dread meals.

I guess I find it surprising because at least for me, some things are actually better as leftovers, so I was just trying to understand people's reasons. I also don't think of leftovers as a certain category of food, so it does seem different to me than not liking fish or vegetables or even a particular food like mayonnaise. I had never actually heard about people disliking all leftovers or refusing leftovers until this board. And hearing about half pans of lasagna or pots of stew being thrown out is also new to me and quite surprising. When people mention the smell making them sick or patriarchy that helps me understand it. And of course it's obvious that not everything is good leftover.

[OneStepAtATime]

This made me chuckle a bit. I probably wouldn't divorce someone who decided late in life that they wouldn't eat leftovers. However, I probably wouldn't have married someone like that if he had been like that while we were dating. Personal preference. :-) I also wouldn't have married someone who didn't drink alcohol or who was a picky eater. While we were dating, my DH and I cooked together a lot (and drank bottles of wine!) rather than going out to eat. We were comfortable together in the kitchen and that was important to me. It's not important to everybody.

 

We are lucky in this country to have choices about what to eat and how to eat. It probably amazes some that I wouldn't have married a man who was a picky eater or who didn't drink. My choice. I feel really lucky that I had the ability to make that choice. We're all so lucky here.

 

I am the daughter of a woman who grew up during and after WWII in Germany. She tells stories of how a handful of beans was cooked and cooked until it absorbed the most water possible, to fill bellies better, even though the water certainly didn't add calories. And they were lucky to have that handful of beans! I think part of our food consciousness is related to the way we grew up. In my parents' house, food wasn't thrown away, ever, unless it went bad, and that didn't happen often, I'm sure in part due to my mom's wartime experience. As an adult, I once threw something away that my mother chided me for and pulled back out of the trash, in my own home. No, she wasn't mentally ill or a hoarder, she just thought I was being wasteful. It's all perspective, you know.

FWIW, my husband grew up in a family without much in the way of financial resources, especially in the early years.  There were times his parents were struggling to feed their family.  That didn't change the fact that he literally gets nauseated thinking about eating leftovers and always has.  He will go without eating instead of eating most leftovers.  Not to be mean or privileged.  He feels like throwing up.  He HAS thrown up.  I think it is a combination of sensory issues and difficulty with the idea of germs.  He has in admittedly irrational issue with associating leftovers with germs.

 

My grandfather was in WWII.  For several months he had to eat a LOT of big peas.  It ruined him for peas.  Even when things were incredibly lean at times once he came back he could not make himself eat peas.  

 

Are many of us incredibly privileged to have choices?  Yes.  And that definitely affects things.  Absolutely.  But for some people other issues override the need for sustenance.  Even starving, there some people who are dealing with issues that override their need to eat.  I refuse to punish my husband for his issues over leftovers.  It is what it is.

 

Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, I don't see a spouse having issues with leftovers as a reason to not pursue or maintain the relationship if other things are in place.   For others I guess willingness to eat leftovers is so important it is a make it or break it scenario.  For me, I just find so many other things more important in a marriage than this.  It seems pretty minor to me.  I understand why if it really deeply matters to others, though, that they feel strongly they can't ignore or work around this issue.  We are all different and have different priorities.  

[Frances]

I love leftovers, too. But not everyone is exactly the same. Just because this is something I like and am willing to do doesn't mean that everyone else on the planet should be lockstep with me and my feelings on this matter.

 

Honestly, I'm with Tanaqui (and others) here. What are you going to do if you have someone who won't eat leftovers? Children you might be able to get to eat the leftovers anyway, if you can find their currency or you have a compliant child. An adult? What's the plan? Forcefeeding? Refuse to cook at all so the whole family suffers? Threaten divorce? Is making a spouse eat leftovers that important that you would literally not tolerate this difference in preferences in your household?

 

My husband gets physically nauseous when I server most leftovers. He can usually manage pizza but that's about it. He has one sibling that is the same. They get nauseated at the thought of leftovers. DH does cook upon occasion but not often. I use leftovers for lunch for the kids and I, but I rarely server leftovers at dinner if DH is in town. What would be the point? Make him sick and ruin the meal for all of us?

Until this post, I had never heard of anyone getting nauseous due to leftovers. I never thought of them as a category of food, so I've certainly learned that some people experience it differently. So no, I obviously wouldn't force someone who feels sick at the smell or thought of leftovers to eat them. I still can't relate to how say fresh chili or stew or soup smells or seems significantly different than leftover, but I now know that for some people it does to such an extent that it makes them feel physically ill.

[Laura Corin]

FWIW, my husband grew up in a family without much in the way of financial resources, especially in the early years.  There were times his parents were struggling to feed their family.  That didn't change the fact that he literally gets nauseated thinking about eating leftovers and always has.  He will go without eating instead of eating most leftovers.  Not to be mean or privileged.  He feels like throwing up.  He HAS thrown up.  I think it is a combination of sensory issues and difficulty with the idea of germs.  He has in admittedly irrational issue with associating leftovers with germs.

 

 

I'm not in any way attacking, but just curious about this way of thinking/feeling.  Does he feel that way about prepared foods bought from a shop (pies or cakes that might have been made yesterday and stored carefully, for example).  I'm wondering whether it's the delay in eating or the fact that the food has been 'broken' that triggers his disgust.  Feel free not to answer me if this is intrusive.

[Frances]

I can't imagine not tolerating someone who won't eat leftovers, unless you just mean you aren't going to make something new just because they refuse to eat them. I'd guess it's the norm on leftover night to make your own meal if you don't want what's been reheated. Not a big deal.

Yes, that's exactly what I meant, I probably worded it too forcefully. Of course they would be free to make a new meal for everyone or something different for themselves.

[creekland]

I think food is complicated because we live in a wealthy nation with many choices and an abundance of food.

 

:iagree:

 

This made me chuckle a bit. I probably wouldn't divorce someone who decided late in life that they wouldn't eat leftovers. However, I probably wouldn't have married someone like that if he had been like that while we were dating. 

 

Ditto.  It would have been a huge turnoff, so any "love" wouldn't have developed.  Same thing (for me) if he hadn't liked the Great Outdoors or travel or shared my faith, etc.  All of these things are things we did together when learning how much we liked each other.  We were in college, so many meals out produced leftovers we enjoyed together.

 

I've yet to meet anyone IRL who doesn't eat leftovers (not that I know of anyway - I suppose chances are good they don't talk about food much perhaps).  At the (teacher) lunch table at school, it's the most common meal with those not having any getting jealous, etc.  At our house, we have to ration them so it's fair to all.  Leftovers make great breakfasts and lunches.  Many foods taste incredibly better the second day after they've sat and the flavors melded together.  Even friends my guys have brought over have enjoyed some of ours and told delicious tales of some of their own.

 

I'm sure folks are out there who don't like them (hubby told me of one family like this back when we were dating), but I think they're not very common.

 

If someone showed up at my house (generally family or friends of my guys) who didn't want to eat what we were having (leftovers or first run), they could look around and fix something for themselves - no biggie.  I'm not cooking other things for other folks though.  I think most folks are ok with that.  When we eat with others (knowing ahead of time this is happening) we work out what we're eating first to account for taste and allergies, etc.

[Night Elf]

I'm curious why you and your son do not eat leftovers? Is it the taste or smell or repetition or something else?

 

For ds it's probably because he has Aspergers and has always been a picky eater. He's never eaten leftovers. 

 

For me, it's just because I've eaten it once and now I want something different. Sort of BTDT. 

 

It's not a problem though because we rarely cook enough to have more than a lunch portion of a leftover that DH eats on the weekend.

[OneStepAtATime]

I'm not in any way attacking, but just curious about this way of thinking/feeling.  Does he feel that way about prepared foods bought from a shop (pies or cakes that might have been made yesterday and stored carefully, for example).  I'm wondering whether it's the delay in eating or the fact that the food has been 'broken' that triggers his disgust.  Feel free not to answer me if this is intrusive.

 

No worries.  :)  I know this must seem incredibly odd to many.

 

Even foods that have been store bought and have been sitting around a while he is suspicious of.   It depends on the food and how they are stored.  Also, at restaurants, if we are sitting around talking a while and the food has been sitting for an extended period he usually has to cover his food with a napkin so as not to look at it or it makes him queasy.  Is this normal?  No, obviously not.  But his family is used to his issues and so am I.  There are many things I feel are more important to deal with in our marriage than his reaction to food.  I still serve leftovers.  I just usually do it at lunch or when he is out of town (and he travels a lot so that works out fine).

[SparklyUnicorn]

My dad doesn't like leftovers.  He will eat almost anything, but there is just something about leftovers.  Which is HIGHLY problematic when he visits.  Growing up my parents were poorer than dirt, yet my mother often threw away leftover food because my dad refused to eat it and since he refused and was vocal about it, us kids thought there was something wrong with it so we refused as well.  Wasn't until I was on my own that I discovered how great they are.

 

 

[Murphy101]

I think it's the microwaving of leftovers that ruins them. There are very few leftovers I will eat if they are reheated in a microwave. We don't use a microwave so it's not an issue.

 

But otherwise, eat what there is or starve. ðŸ˜

 

We usually have a leftovers day once or twice a week, so there's a choice of lots of different things in an effort to avoid anyone "starving" from lack of choices to eat.

[Carol in Cal.]

My husband always seems to avoid leftovers.

 

For that reason, I tend not to make big dishes like casseroles or large roasts.

 

But he thinks *I* should eat them.  I find this attitude unacceptable.  It kind of fries me, like this food is good enough for me but not for him.  For instance, if we have one serving of something left over, he will wrap it up and say, "Well, that will make a great lunch for you!"  

 

I think he is unaware of this dynamic, pretty much completely.

 

There is another thing, too.  I will have the fixings for several meals in the fridge, and ask him which one he wants, and he will always say, Oh hon, that's so much trouble, let's go out.  I thought this meant that he hated my cooking, which most people really like.  So at some point I got ticked and started just making whatever I felt like.  And he would always want some, and always compliment it.  I realized at that point that the earlier issue wasn't so much that he hated my cooking as that either he couldn't picture it or hated to have to make a decision.

 

So based on that, I should probably try heating up leftovers and setting them out to see what happens.  Maybe DH's appetite is triggered by the presence or smell of food, in the manner of a pet cat.  Hmmmm.

[Pam in CT]

I totally get different folks having different food preferences, and I also totally get not wanting food battles, if you don't prefer what's on offer, go make a sandwich / get some yogurt.

 

I guess I can't quite get my head around the idea that "leftovers" is a food category.  Different foods carry over pretty differently.  Slow-cooked things like tangine, stews, chili to me taste better when they've had another day to meld; crispy quick-fried things like potato pancakes or french fries are completely soggy and gross even a few hours later; things like roast meat are lovely cold a day or two later but dried up if warmed.  Et Cetera.

 

re repurposing into a different meal:

My DH claims to not like leftovers. Basically, the same meal again is not his first choice. And so he would rather make and eat sandwiches or soup every day than take leftovers to work. But if say, we had salmon one night, then two days later I make pasta alfredo with salmon, that's not "leftovers". I personally think it stems from his mom's leftovers being dried out and nasty and endless. My kids ask to take leftovers the next day for school lunches, so I can only blame his mom, lol.

 

 

I cook, but I don't much enjoy cooking, so I have whole sequences based on this principle -- extra chicken one night, extra rice the next night, chicken fried rice the third... extra steak and potatoes one night, green salad topped with cold sliced steak and potato salad the third, etc.... tacos with extra cooked meat one night, chili out of the leftover meat the next, baked potatoes with chili fixings a few days later... Et Cetera.

 

And OTOH I don't much care if someone goes and makes a sandwich.  But OTO I'm unlikely to spend more than 20-30 minutes making dinner on any given night.  Complaints about dinner would make me feel much less inclined to make dinner.

[Katy]

We've had kids stay here that refused leftovers.  These were also ALWAYS the same kids who constantly asked for McDonald's, and were then SHOCKED when we pointed out that practically everything at McDonald's was prepared months in advance, frozen, and then carefully reheated in industrial microwaves. They insist that isn't true.  We call a family member who used to work for a company that made those industrial microwaves.  Almost all chain restaurants have high percentages of food not made on site, but pre-prepared and frozen.

[Frances]

I think it's the microwaving of leftovers that ruins them. There are very few leftovers I will eat if they are reheated in a microwave. We don't use a microwave so it's not an issue.

 

But otherwise, eat what there is or starve. ðŸ˜

 

We usually have a leftovers day once or twice a week, so there's a choice of lots of different things in an effort to avoid anyone "starving" from lack of choices to eat.

My son feels the same way about microwaves, even though we have always been avid microwave users for leftovers. My husband will even put things that I feel need an oven for reheating, like pizza or crispy foods, in the microwave because he doesn't want to wait. But our son never uses a microwave for leftovers, just the stove or oven or a toaster oven, and didn't have one in his college apartment.

[Barb_]

Until this post, I had never heard of anyone getting nauseous due to leftovers. I never thought of them as a category of food, so I've certainly learned that some people experience it differently. So no, I obviously wouldn't force someone who feels sick at the smell or thought of leftovers to eat them. I still can't relate to how say fresh chili or stew or soup smells or seems significantly different than leftover, but I now know that for some people it does to such an extent that it makes them feel physically ill.

Maybe those of us who feel ill around leftovers are more sensitive to the bacteria or molds or yeasts or whatever? I think it was Gardenmama who mentioned it up above (sorry if I'm mistaken). I'm not particularly weird about germs--I'm even blasé about them in general and feel like we should have our daily dose to help keep a functioning immune system. But I can literally smell and taste the difference. When I was very small and would leave a half a glass of milk out, my mom would rechill it and try to sneak it past me later. She told me I'd say it tasted melted and refuse to drink it. I'm not sure what I meant by that but I can still conjure up the taste in my memory.

 

I don't seem to be quite as sensitive as I get older. As I mentioned, I can eat certain things cold or warmed over now. Spicy is best. Watching someone eat cold pizza triggers my gag reflex though lol. I'm also not one to have a large appetite and it gets worse when I'm under stress. I also can't eat ripe bananas because they taste like rot. Maybe it's all related?