High Maintenance Mom

I've often wondered why finishing everything on your plate seemed so American. The clean plate club: why your family shouldn't join, explains the history and outcome of this phenomenon along with suggestions for creating our own mealtime rituals. Like many of us, I have painful memories of eating at my Nana's where it was insisted that I finish everything on my plate through very structured meals. Breakfast included of a huge glass of milk followed by a huge glass of juice, then cereal then fruit. It appears that this type of behavior can be traced back to the Food and Fuel Control Act of 1917. The plan that taught all of us not to trust when we were full was originally enacted to conserve food...

Schoolchildren joined housewives in supporting the effort by signing this pledge: "At table I'll not leave a scrap of food upon my plate. And I'll not eat between meals But for supper time I'll wait." from National Archives Digital Classroom

The Food Administration's advertising section created the following posters to help meet its goal.

So Nana wasn't trying to make me miserable or fat. Thank you to Julie at healthful living for giving me new insight into that part of my childhood.