Given the option, I've always preferred eating at salad bars and buffet style restaurants. My all-time favorite was called Sweet Tomatoes, specifically the one in the middle of Scottsdale, AZ during my annual winter defrost. Scratch soups, all fresh stuff actually. Once I ate there 7 days in a row, the length of my visit.
But the main reason I prefer self-serve dining is speed & choice. No menus, no servers, no waiting. Eating shortly after arrival. No waiting for the check, for refills, whatnot. I've not been to one in a couple years now given the filthy shared rona serving spoons, but someday soon.
Why this post? Because of the phenomenon I see at every buffet line, and you see too: parents taking their little kids there also. I'm always stuck behind them (I zip around them, they glare as if we're in their kitchen, boo hoo). But the reason for this post is what they're asking their 6 year old, nonstop:
"Do you want this? How about that? How about that...?"
Hey parent's, fun fact: life isn't people asking you what you want and then being immediately handed it. And that's what you're teaching your kid: just tell the world what you want and it magically appears without working for it.
And now for the money shot. My friend's spouse relayed a story when I was staying at their place years ago. He grew up in Guatemala, had siblings, not much money. As a kid he complained about dinner. His ma took his plate away and he had no dinner at all.
Then, the kicker. For the next 3 days, every meal for him was that same meal he complained about. 3 days of that. What did he learn, he said? First, stop complaining. Be grateful there's food at all. Second, Americans are obscenely spoiled. We have an abundance of choices, in every category. If you don't believe me, you don't own a passport.
Hey parents! Serve them whatever food you want them to eat, preferably healthier stuff. Quit asking little kids what they want every second. Life is not a buffet line filled with free choices & immediate gratification. Help them appreciate what they have, not what they don't have.