eating habits

When I was a young child (before third grade, that is), my family traveled through some curves in life's road. My Dad was struggling with whether or not God was calling him to preach, Mom had cancer, and then in the midst of it all, the company of the store Dad managed sold out. It may just be my child's warped sense of time, but it seemed to me that it was during this time frame that Dad initiated the "three bite" rule.
We were not allowed to make a face or say yuck to anything on the table, and regardless of whether or not we liked it, we had to eat three bites of everything served. Since Mom fixed our plates, that meant we basically had to clean our plate. And yes, countless battles ensued - Me vs. the Macaroni & cheese, Andy vs. the broccoli, Me vs. saur kraut and wiennies, Merinda vs. any breakfast food. I don't seem to remember Naomi whining about foods.
Today my three ABRO kids were joined by three others. At lunch I noticed my three watching me to see how I would react to the other's eating habits. One pulled the meat and cheese out of her hamburger. She ate her lettuce and bread and french fries, so I let it go. #2 pulled all her lettuce out of her hamburger, but ate everything else. #3 ate her french fries and wasn't going to eat anything else about the same time Aleh decided half his french fries was enough, so I pulled rank. I told her she had to eat three bites of her hamburger and she could be finished. She look astonished, and my three started laughing. She did it, though. And Aleh in turn ate half of his, despite his sighing and rolling of eyes.
I don't think I'm mean. I try to find foods they like and serve them a healthy balance. But the fact remains that if I only let them eat what they wanted, they would only eat ice cream, pizza, spaghetti, chips, bananas, and drink sodas. I try to make sure they get somewhat close to the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, but they don't like it in the least. And I now understand my parent's frustration. There's nothing more infuriating than to work all day, come home, stand over a hot stove, and then to hear someone exclaim, "Yuck!"
And while I never thought I'd say this as a child, I think I benefited greatly from learning to eat foods that I didn't like. China comes to mind, but also settings in homes where you never know what will be served. Manners matter, and those things must be taught in childhood.