Clean Your Plate to be greedy to take more than you need, to want more than others to waste to throw away something valuable without using it the In Thai culture, it's considered polite to leave some food on your plate a end of This different in the especially in America. wasn't For many years most Americans lived on farms, and sometimes there enough food for everybody. People had to be careful to prepare only enough food for everyone to eat, and children learned eat all the food they see given. So today, even if there is more than enough food, they don't likes any food wasted. They believe that you must eat all the food that you put on your plate. This is called "cleaning your plate." If you finish the meal with food on your plate, they may think you are greedy for taking more foodthan you can eat. Compare on the topic of leaving food on your plate: