Pandemic creates strange bedfellows

Dear Amy: Because COVID-19 has caused universities to close, my boyfriend’s sister, “C,” has moved into the house with us until further notice (perhaps until the university reopens in the fall).

C is a very picky eater and eats mostly bread, cheese, and fruit. My boyfriend and I are mostly vegetarian and vegan, but we’ve been able to find at least one meal a week we can all share together. We tend to do this on Sundays.

My issue is with the other days of the week. More often than not, C seems to take an adult-sized portion of food (at least a few spoonfuls, perhaps to be polite) picks at the food we’ve prepared, and then declares she’s not interested in eating it and throws it away.

This amounts to bowls of food going into the trash over the course of the week (we aren’t interested in eating it, because of the virus concerns).

I don’t want C to feel like she has to appease us, and I’ve offered: “feel free to make yourself a sandwich!” several times.

How do I prevent this food waste from happening? Mealmates

Dear Mealmates: This pandemic — and the necessity to isolate — has created unusual and unforeseen cohabiting groups, strange (and stranger) bedfellows, and occasional discomfort around the dining table. In my household, this discomfort is caused by various family members experimenting with new dishes, and serving up the occasional dud (I plead guilty).

Most of the issues that arise can be dealt with (and perhaps solved) through simple communication.

“Feel free to make yourself a sandwich” is obviously a way too subtle statement for C to discern what you are really getting at.

You and your boyfriend (C’s brother) should have a “family meeting” once a week. You should all review various aspects of your cohabitation, especially mealtime. Say to her, “We all like to eat different things, and that’s fine. But you often serve yourself a larger portion of the food we prepare, even when it seems that you won’t like it — or wouldn’t eat it — and then we end up throwing it away. If you want to try something, it would be helpful if you served yourself a small spoonful or two, and if you like it, dive in! We just can’t afford to dispose of leftover food.”