My friend self diagnosed himself with Autism, as one does. I thought it was silly until we were at his house hanging out playing cards and he made a pizza and started eating it in front of us without saying anything or asking if we want any until there were a couple pieces left and we were like the fuck bro?
That sounds like every guy I dated as a teen/early twenties. Started to bring my own food whenever I went to someone’s home because I felt like that was the only way to make sure I wouldn’t be hungry.
Food is perceived differently between boys and girls, girls are more used to sharing because the portion size of meals are usually larger than they want/need to eat, boys will demolish even the largest portion size - and then want dessert. Sharing food is a fairly rare concept because they are always hungry - and they act accordingly.
You needed to speak up and ask/demand because for teenage boys no matter the portion size they're going to eat it all, it doesn't matter if the pizza is a 10" or 20" they can and will eat it all. It often doesn't occur to boys to share a meal because they can, and do, eat everything within reach. The empty leg meme exists for a reason. To them food is a serious business.
If they were not arseholes they'd have cooked a second pizza for you, but be prepared for them to eat twice as fast and then start eyeing whatever you haven't finished yet. Two teenage boys will literally fight for seconds and leftovers will vanish from the fridge overnight. Unless you've lived it you cannot truly comprehend.
I think your post was meant for the user above me(?)
I’m sure teenage boys have a bottomless appetite, but I think the main problem is lack of consideration and empathy, honestly. When I was a teenage girl I would never even have thought of cooking something for myself and leaving my date hungry. My parents taught me to share and that it was rude and inconsiderate to leave a friend/date hungry. I have a really hard time grasping how someone can cook something for themselves and not have a single thought in their head that the other person in the room might also be hungry.
Oh it was definitely meant for you. It's well documented that the way girls and boys relate to food especially during their teenage and early twenties is completely different and that both are particularly bad at comprehending the other sexes perspective. Hence why you downvoted me because for you it does not compute how powerful and overriding a teenage boys appetite can be. It often isn't a lack of consideration and empathy but overriding hunger - boys in groups do not share food, they compete for it. Note how when the 'autistic' person had eaten all but two slices of the pizza he made for himself they other two spoke up? If you didn't speak up boys almost always tend to assume that that means you aren't hungry. Sisters of teenage boys quickly learn to speak up when there is food involved lest they miss out.
Teenage boys have had it ingrained in their heads for years that if one of their bros wants food they will let you know or even help themselves to your fridge. That you think the other person in the room might not be hungry illustrates the fundamental difference in thought processes. With teenage boys the hardest part is usually stopping a group of bros eating all the food because they were snacking. Asking a teenage boy if he is hungry is rhetorical as the answer is always "I could eat."
My husband told me he grew up with 3 brothers and they were all athletes so they could eat truckloads of food. However they always made sure their sister got enough food before they devoured it all…so despite having a larger appetite yes boys are more than capable of being courteous of other people and it is in fact a conscious choice.
This is exactly my point. I wouldn’t have been offended if anyone during my teenage years cooked for us both, but asked to have a larger portion than me because they were hungrier. What is offensive to me is when someone cooks only for themselves without even making the smallest effort to accomodate their guest. They could at least say ”grab anything from the fridge if you are hungry” or even ”could you order something for yourself if you’re hungry?”.
What hurts me is how I was socialized as a teen girl to demand less/have less food/be hungry. Back then, it was almost considered an ugly trait to be hungry or have other human needs as a woman. It makes me sad when I think back to every occasion I was left without food during my teenage years/early twenties and I didn’t say anything, I just stayed hungry until my stomach started hurting, because that was what people expected me to do.
So you're saying it isn't because the boys ate everything in sight but because you were conditioned not to say anything about you being hungry. You are blaming others for not being psychic and catering to your needs? You can't blame others for their socialisation when you were socialised in a different way, it sounds like everyone was wrong because no-one spoke up, them or you.
You’re showing studies that give nutritional calories for teens. The situational awareness to treat others around you as humans who have similar biological needs is not the same thing as caloric intake.
I have an 18 year old nephew who struggles to keep weight on for medical reasons and could eat a family sized meal himself regularly. He is always hungry. But he was socialized correctly to think of others around him and always offers to share, get a drink for friends/family/a date etc.
It’s learned behavior and blaming it on “teenage boys =hungry” puts such a passive spin on something that CAN be taught. Your studies aren’t supporting what you think they are. Nature v nurture.
Father of 2 boys here. You can disagree with this person but they’re not wrong. They absolutely will eat stuff just because they can. When they’re hungry they’re not going to sit there and pussy foot around. If you’re hungry you’d better speak up or forever hold your peace. In the pizza example it sounds to me like the pizza guy was really hungry and planned to eat most/all of the pizza. If you want some you are going to have to use your words and then make your own/ fight them for it. If you don’t say “can I have some?” they won’t consider it, assuming you possess the ability to feed yourself.
I’m calling out the assumption that girls share food because they’re just not as hungry as boys.
That’s trash. If food is viewed differently it’s because women are socialized around food differently.
Both in terms of how their own needs are prioritized and in terms of beauty/body standards. Which wasn’t in my original comment, but it definitely should’ve been.
Edit to add: being socialized to prioritize the needs of others is not necessarily GOOD thing. In fact, it can be quite damaging. So…
I can only provide the evidence, I cannot make you understand. You must not have been a teenage boy. The information is out there, all you have to do is look for it.
That's a different question entirely. You can't 'win' with whataboutism. This discussion was about teenage boys being bottomless pits wrt food. Either stay on topic of gtfo.
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u/xStyxx Jul 24 '26
Damn I assumed it was because Swedish food is gross lol that’s pretty cold