When you hear the Idiom “My eyes are bigger than my belly” what does it mean and where did it come from?

I am sure many of you will hear this on Thanksgiving Day.

What does it mean? If someone’s eyes are bigger than their stomach

Does it mean they are greedy or gluttonous and take on more than they can consume or manage?

Some say it as an excuse for leaving food on their plate which they have found distasteful.

Is it a literal statement or a metaphor? In today’s world we use it metaphorically.

What is the origin?

The first known use of the idiom in Literature was by Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, Lord of Montaigne was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance, known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre.“I am afraid that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, and that we have more curiosity than understanding. We grasp at everything, but catch nothing except wind.”

Still others believe because there are examples of the expression from so long ago, it seems likely that it originated with the earliest settlers in America, the English colonists, or that they adopted the phrase from some Native American source.

There is also a similar Chinese proverb “The eyes are wide but the stomach is narrow meaning that desire is big but discipline and control are small…an admonition against greed.

Whether the saying came from French Renaissance period, Colonial America or a Chinese proverb we at eyegotcha would like to wish all of you a Happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday.