how not to eat until you explode

Every meal here is a feast! And since I have no language skills, I try to communicate my appreciation for all that Dave's family is doing for us by eating heartily. But in order not to die from overeating, I've had to develop a strategy, and stick to it. Here is what I try to keep in mind every day, every meal:

1) The one scoop rule: only take ONE SCOOP of each dish. No matter how hungry you are, no matter how delicious it looks...ONE. SCOOP. Because there might be 14 dishes. Or maybe you think there will only be 8 dishes, because you carefully listened to the waitress counting up the number of dishes at the end of the order (and your Mandarin can stretch up to ten)...but then you didn't notice someone else order three more dishes mid-way through the meal, and just when you think you survived another feast, THREE MORE DISHES COME. And leave the detritus on your plate, so that you'll have proof you can point to that you've tasted each dish.

2) Minimize unforced errors: What's an "unforced error" in this context? Snacking just because you feel like it. Buying food off the street thinking that dinner "isn't for another 2 hours." Getting a second helping of a dish just because the next course hasn't yet arrived. Eating the free mint chocolate chip ice cream in the lobby. DON'T DO IT.

3) Find a buddy: Say, "I'll share with him," and take a small bite of buddy's food. If you like it, eat half (or more). If buddy protests, get him another scoop.