One thing, most likely the most important thing I have learned so far, comes to eating out with my Asian family.
It is a matter of sitting on the table. It is of utmost importance to sit as far as possible away from your mom in law and any other older female relative. You may wonder why would I do such terrible thing and avoid those people. The answer is simple: SURVIVAL!
The thing is, when eating out, no matter how often you said already that you are done and full, and no matter how full your plate is, you mom in law and other older female relatives will always put new food on your plate. They may say things like “Oh try this” or “You didn’t have enough of this yet” or “Even I ate more” or “There are more dishes coming”.
During my first visit in China I made the terrible mistake to try to finish everything on my plate, and sometimes table (as I have learned to do so by my own parents) but the food never ended until I felt always so sick that I couldn’t move anymore and was some pounds heavier after China.
My strategy is simple nowadays, as most table are round in the restaurant when eating with many people, I position myself between my wife and my dad in law or any other person I can trust not to force feed me.
Another thing is, somehow no matter how thin some Chinese may appear, they all can eat more than you could even imagine. I do not know how they do it, but sometimes it appears that they can eat at least 50% of their own body weight, and that 4-5 times a day!
Anyone else out there with strategies when eating with Asian families?
Crazy Chinese Family 
I experienced the exact same thing when I went to visit my Asian family.. I’m pretty picky when it comes to food, but my mother in law ALWAYS manage to order at least 4 dishes that she knows I like, and she tells everyone else that these dishes are only for me… I was so sick of Chinese food by the time we left my 老公’s hometown.. anyways, great post 🙂
My wife’s family can’t understand how after having a heavy and substantial breakfast, I don’t want lunch. I also had my wife EXPLAIN to my MIL and her aunties that I don’t like to be fed, because it made me feel insulted to be given food like a young child. It took a while before they finally realized I ate what I wanted and didn’t eat anything I didn’t care for.
It is just incredible how much my wife’s family can eat. From one huge breakfast to a asuper filling lunch and then again fpr dinner something huge. Usually one breakfast can get me going for the entire day without feeling hungry in China so I really feel stuffed there all the time