OverConsume
techniques hosts use to persuade their guests to eat prodigious quantities of food


guilt trip the bribe is often directed at younger children because the host can wield power over them. children are often told that they will be barred from attractive post-meal activities unless they complete what they were served. when a host does have some sort of leverage over adult guests, the bribe technique shines.

  • "no after dinner drinks until everyone cleans up their plates"
  • "we're not going out on the boat tomorrow unless all the food is finished"
  • "if you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding"
  • "you cannot go out and play until you complete your meal"
illusion
kind request inebriation
shock and awe humor
respect/etiquette conspiracy
culture body language
history morality
lineage metaphysical
request for opinion competitiveness
compliments insult
bribe nagging
trade off connection
compromise peer pressure
physical char. imperative
temporal char. threat
need duress
preemptive strike forced feeding
trickery timing
chemical the future...

i have relatives that live in croatia, slovakia, hungary and israel and it is of utmost importance that their guests consume massive quantities of food. these hosts seem to feel personally insulted if you do not eat three, four or even five portions of the food that they are offering. initially i was critical of this forced-gluttony, but after reassessing the phenomena, i have become a connoisseur of their brilliant methodologies. my analysis of their techniques is intended to serve as the first step in the process of developing an effective counter-strategy.

although someone who eats large amounts of food on their own accord is the ultimate guest, those guests who succumb to these techniques generate a surprising level of joy for the host.

i have also not noticed a significant difference between the consumption of food that was prepared or purchased. one might think that a host would take more offense if food they slaved over was 'under-consumed'. it seems however, that the labor involved is not critical - all that matters is that massive quantities are ingested.