To take or not to take the last piece of food?

[EEEEEEP]

We all have experienced this...



It's at a party and there's that last piece of pizza, cookie , sushi .. whatever. There's a fair few people around and no one has taken it yet (it may even be a small round table). It causes so much angst,  anxiety and confusion!

A lot of the time I would get guilty about taking it and just let someone else take it (even if they ask me...). This is because I don't want to feel selfish (even though I paid for it and all...and have permission to!)... So here's to you?

Would you take that last piece (or pieces of food) and why? Do you also have any funny stories, related to this?

[PhoenixxFire]

If I’m with friends I won’t take it, if I’m with people I don’t like then I’ll take it. I don’t feel guilty taking food then.

[Calebark]

I'll always ask everyone else first -- especially if it's my cooking.

If nobody wants it, I'll happily snatch it and devour that piece of delicious guilt-free pleasure

[chooby]

If I’m with friends I won’t take it, if I’m with people I don’t like then I’ll take it. I don’t feel guilty taking food then.

I'm the complete opposite, with friends I always take the last piece. Scratch that. In general, I always take the last piece. I like food

[spectroscopy]

It depends. If it's like a party I'll take it I don't care. If it's at like a dinner table with anybody I'll do the mental math in my head and see if the amount of portions I've had averages out to my theoretical fair share. Eg 4 people and we have ordered 4 dishes to share that come with 12 pieces each. If I have had 3 pieces of two dishes but only got two pieces of the 3rd, I will take 4 pieces of the final fish so i average out to 3/12  = 1/4 of each dish. So I just roughly aim to have my fair share of food and if I got jibbed somewhere I'm making it back. If the last piece is my rightful piece because everyone has had 3/12 pieces and I've only had 2 I'm taking it

[KiNSKi01]

Am I the only person who never takes the last piece of food (especially with packaged food) because the rule that whoever finishes off the food has to get rid of the packaging e.g box,wrapping etc.  So you end up just taking half of the 'last piece' XD

[Maya24]

Generally if the food is something that can be halved, I would half it.

[Yertle the Turtle]

Generally if the food is something that can be halved, I would half it.

That is an attitude that suggests that you think that taking the last piece is wrong. It is not wrong. If no one ever took the last piece of food the earth would be covered in a litter of decaying last pieces of food, scattered 4 feet deep over the face of the earth.

In general I will just take the last piece unless someone is obviously eyeing it off (and sometimes then to ;P )

[Aaron]

Food is bought to be eaten. If the food is sitting there not being eaten, then it will go to waste... and that definitely doesn't benefit anybody.

It causes so much angst,  anxiety and confusion!

Only if you let it.


Of course.. if you've already had quite a bit of the food on offer, then you'd think twice, but I don't think it's inappropriate to take the last piece if everybody else has already had an opportunity to have some food too.

[Sine]

I voted No out of common courtesy but if you are extremely desperate for some food you should at least offer it to everyone else before you take it.