Do you or anyone you know take plates full of food home after visiting someone's house?

It is a good way to get rid of leftovers that would otherwise go to waste. It is also a way to help coworkers or friends who are having a rough time, if everyone takes a plate they won’t think it is charity and even the ones that would rather starve than accept charity will take it.

I agree with @WestRiverrat. A great way to not have leftovers.
When I had dinners or parties, I always insisted that my guests take something home. I know that my mom always did because she was single and didn’t cook much.

Only when it’s offered.

It’s pretty common practice among the people I know and grew up with.

My kids do that, and they are welcome to.
I hope they don’t do that at others houses, without being asked to first.

I’ve always been invited to at others’ houses. While I would never do it without their blessing, it is a rare situation where it’s not offered.

On the flip side, every time I go over my friends’ house to eat, they send me home with sometimes two meals worth of leftovers…they insist (not that I refuse or anything, lol!)....their cooking is awesome!

Perhaps it’s a Southern thing…

I don’t do this as a means to survive, but as a matter of politeness and to avoid waste. It’s more common that I am the one fixing the plates for guests to take, but either way, whoever is most likely to consume rather than dispose of the food gets to take it home – sounds to me like the only sensible thing to do.

We take food home after big family gatherings like Thanksgiving. One, so we can enjoy the food again the next day. Two, because my mother-in-law makes enough food to feed an army. She makes everyone take leftovers home so they don’t go to waste; she’d kill us if we refused. I’ve never done this at a regular dinner, though. Then again, I’ve never been to a dinner party in my entire life outside of the family.

Now that I think of it, I usually ask my mom or his mom if I can take a plate home for Josh’s lunch if he works the next day, even when we only went there for a Sunday dinner or something. If he doesn’t have leftovers to take, he has to eat a hot pocket and I feel bad. I wouldn’t do that at a friend’s house, though.

Whenever my sister has a big family gathering involving food, she always sends me home with tons of stuff. She too makes enough to feed an army. I am always very and happy and grateful as she is an amazing cook.
At anyone else’s house, if it is offered and I can see they have plenty, I do accept.

I only do on Thanksgiving, and only if I know I will be around to eat it. This year I took nothing home because it was mostly carbs, and I wasn’t going to eat any turkey the next day or the day after.

But it is only acceptable if the host offers. Otherwise i find it rude.

They just take it without the hosts offering??? That’s strange to me.
I know that when I have a party I’m anxious to send the leftovers home with people but if someone just started filling a plate to take home I would find it strange. I wouldn’t mind but I would be puzzled.

Yes. We’re Italian. Not only do we offer that you take home some food, we practically shove it in your bag as you leave.

”C’mon, take-a some home. You so skinny.”

Yes. We’re Polish-German Americans and rural farmers and I grew up with that traditional practice of removing excess leftovers from the house. I just think a host or hostess who doesn’t offer is very rude. It shows such a lack of generosity of spirit and I wonder where else in their life they are stingy.

Of course if there are clearly insufficient leftovers, then the host or hostess would apologize for the lack and for the inability to be generous.

@Judi: Yes, he just took a plate and started putting food on it. The host was out of the room and when she came back he told her and of course she was gracious about it. I’ll take leftovers from my parents’ house but other than parents, only if its offered and it’s not in “fixed plate” form.

@jca Whoa, I only just now read the thing about not asking. That is weird!

Certainly the host should offer before you start filling your pockets.

When you say “he” I assume you’re referring to a bachelor. Speaking from experience, etiquette and gracious manners fly out the window when a single guy is confronted with good cooking. In my youth, the good cooks who made the mistake of inviting me to dinner, soon discovered that it was preferable to allow me to wheelbarrow as many leftovers away as I could manage. Otherwise, they were doomed to my inevitable and unscheduled return at mealtimes until all evidence of good cooking was obliterated. Remember: “bachelors are like locusts”

@stanleybmanly: “He” was my friend’s husband.

Among family and good friends, it’s understood that we’ll all take home leftovers (generally not in ‘plated’ form, though). Otherwise, I’d never do that unless it was really pushed on me.

Have not yet read the other answers, will do so after posting.

At all of our family gatherings, all of the hosts insist that everyone take home plates (or tupperware) of food, as leftovers. There’s always enough food to feed an army and the host family could never eat all of it anyway. Most of my cousins purposely make something chocolately for my Dad and they expect him to take some home with him. And my aunt always makes my Dad an extra pecan pie, just for him (of course my Mom and I eat some of it too).

At our potlucks at work, we always pack up all of the leftovers into labeled plates, vegetarian and meat, so that the folks who had to work during the celebration can have some later, or anyone who wants some can have it for lunch the next day. I’ve also passed out leftover plates to contractors who happened to be doing business at our company, while we were making merry down the hall.

My mother-in-law always sends us home with a ton of stuff whenever we visit. They don’t drink alcohol at all so whenever they get gifted any, they pass it on. (I have a sneaky suspicion they’re buying it for us and only pretending it’s been gifted). This week it was a bottle of Champagne and two bottles of wine, a three-pound ham and a large tub of cream cheese (for my daughter).

My husbands family does this at every family meal basically. I wasn’t raised that way so it’s taken me some time to adjust, but it’s a nice gesture by the host when she makes a special family dish or something.

We sent home some containers filled with prime rib, homemade applesauce, green beans, roasted veggies and boysenberry pie with my next door neighbor last night.