No. We had to put at least of bite of everything onto our plate. If we appeared to be finished eating and there was something left on the plate my mother would reach over and tap our plate with her fork. That was a signal that we were not finished. That ended around the age of 12.
Yes it worked while we were small. Around junior high age, probably more like 10 we started complaining so she gave up. She was teaching/disciplining. That is the job of parents. I'm sure I love some foods now because she made me try them........but NOT any kind of greens, hominy, pickled eggs, or pickled pig parts.
My kids liked most everything. They both preferred green vegetables other than green beans but green beans are one of my favorite foods on the planet. We just don't all like the same stuff, thank goodness!
Stu Spelling Bee 