Citations:on one's plate


 * 1868 — Two Years and Four Months in a Lunatic Asylum: From August 20th, 1863, to December 20th, 1865 by Hiram Chase, published by Van Benthuysen & Sons Steam Printing, page 47:
 * The supper consisted of a couple of pieces of bread, one of wheat, and the other what they called brown or Graham bread&mdash;the best I thought I ever had seen&mdash;a small piece of butter and a small square piece of gingerbread. As I sat nibbling a little, for I did not eat much the first meal, my Irish companion on the right reached to my plate and took my bread. I looked at him, but he did not notice me; next he reached and took my butter, not seeming to act as though he had done anything out of order. An Irishman on the opposite side of the table reached and took the remainder of my bread and cake, so that when supper was ended, it appeared that I had eaten very heartily, for when I sat down there was enough on my plate to satisfy any hungry man. It was astonishing to see with what rapidity some of those lunatics would devour their food.