DEAR ABBY: Is it OK for senior citizens to order off of the kids' menu? Friends of ours have recently begun to do this even though the menus state "6 and under, please." They are not poor and live a comfortable lifestyle. The waiter usually just looks the other way and allows them to do it. I find it embarrassing. I feel they are cheating the business and the server. -- BY THE BOOK IN OHIO
DEAR BY THE BOOK: As people grow older, they burn fewer calories than younger, more active folks do. Their appetites sometimes shrink to accommodate it. Many senior couples compensate for it by splitting a meal so they won't waste food.
Not knowing your friends, I can't guess why they order off the children's menu. However, as long as the server doesn't mind and receives a generous enough tip to compensate, I don't think anyone is being cheated. Management wouldn't allow it if it hurt the business.