Is this a violation of buffet restaurant etiquette?

Yeah, it is. That’s like taking all the shrimp out of a salad and leaving just the lettuce, or taking all the whipped cream off the top of a pie.

I think after we are done with the shelter in place that buffets won’t be too popular.

I agree with @zenvelo that it’s not great etiquette.

I also agree that buffets may not be as popular or could possibly become obsolete. The first thing to shut down at my grocery store before bars and restaurants were closed was our hot bar. I lost my appetite of buffets and hot bar/salad bars long before the virus came along. I would see so many gross things working in a deli. Customers would sneeze or cough right near the food and some people would grab food with their fingers. One guy picked up a potato wedge, sniffed it, then put it back. Another person stirred a pot of soup with the ladle then licked her fingers. I believe she put her finger in the soup or on the ladle. People are gross.

You know you can buy crackling, right? It’s greasy, unbelievably unhealthy, totally nutrition-free, but absolutely delicious. Pork rinds are probably the most common crackling, but you can find chicken and turkey crackling too.

Hmmm if it’s already on your plate you can eat it how you want after you took it. However to take off portions of the foods and leaving the rest at the buffet part is a little much, and ruins the food for some of the others. We all have our taste differences though, but still need to be polite. :)

If the skin isn’t crispy peel the thing off. Leave it on the side.

Oh yes – if it is still there.