'We don't serve your kind in here ...'

Family Kicked Out Of Buffet Restaurant For Wasting Food

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Wendy Dershem may think twice before leaving that egg roll on her plate at her next Chinese buffet.

The Des Moines woman, her boyfriend and her two children were kicked out of a restaurant last week after management accused her of leaving too much food on her plate.

"They told us we are not welcome there anymore," said Dershem, a repeat customer at the Dragon House buffet. "We waste too much food. But the buffet is all you can eat. And you know kids. They won't always eat everything and they want something else."

Oh, tell the violinists to take a break and spare us the sob-story. Change the word "customer" to "offender" in the above paragraph and you have the real story. A mother who won't discipline her children, and who expects someone else to pick up the tab for their wastefulness.

Here's the side of the Chinese restaurant management:

"They just take one bite and throw it away," said cashier Lin Huyen. "They take four egg rolls and crab rangoon, take one bite of egg roll and throw the whole plate. That is wasting food."

Dershem said she was shocked by the scolding and complained to management. Dragon House manager Kent Cao said his restaurant offers all you can eat buffet, not all you can waste. Dershem's family took food, didn't finish it and then piled on the same food again, he said.

"Shes done that too many times," Cao said.

While it may or may not be true that their are starving children in China, at least the Chinese proprietors have the common sense to reserve the right to reject wasteful clientele.

Sure, some do-gooder government agency will probably step in and threaten to punish the Mr. Cao for his good sense, and likely nobody will give Ms. Dershem anything but sympathy as she weeps and moans over the loss of unlimited Moo Goo Gai Pan for $5.95.

Yes, you may color the Oklahomilist, whose mama taught him to always clean his plate, an insensitive philistine.