Some people have a problem with Thanksgiving guests taking MORE than their share of leftovers. But there’s also the flip-side:
A 23-year-old man asked the internet what the etiquette is for REFUSING leftovers. He told a story about how his girlfriend’s mother kept insisting they take a TON of leftovers they didn’t want, to the point where he had to sternly say, “I said ‘NO,’ please respect that.”
He was frustrated, and everyone got quiet and uncomfortable.
So what should he have done? The consensus is there’s no RIGHT way to handle it, other than not starting an argument, or hurting anyone’s feelings.
You can politely decline the leftovers if you don’t want them, and if there’s any pushback, just say something like, you wouldn’t have the space for them, or the chance to use them, and don’t want them to go to waste.
If there’s any further pushback, GIVE IN.
You could repurpose them into something you’d use, pass them along to someone else who’d eat them, or worst case, toss them out.
It’s easy to say people should listen if someone says they DON’T WANT something, but let’s be honest: In a lot of cultures, it’s a custom to offer food, and then to insist, and it can be considered rude NOT to accept the food.
The top response is: “You ended up arguing about it and throwing it out later, when you had the option of not arguing about it, and throwing it out later.”
There’s another option: Invite ME to your Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving leftovers even more than the original meal, and I’ll take anything you wanna give me. Except that ’50s-era Jell-O salad thing. I won’t have room for that, and I wouldn’t want it to go to waste . . .
