A plate... what's that for again??

Have you ever stopped to wonder what a plae is good for? It seems that I could save myself a lot of time and energy if I just prepared Madison's food on the floor... under the table. As parents we feel like we are doing the right thing by preparing food for our munckins, placing it on a plate and setting it in front of them. Why do we do this?? Apparently to a toddler food taste better after it has been dumped off of the plate onto the table. Eventually it gets tossed on the floor with a little smirk This is usually the cue that they have no interest in the food that has just been thrown to it's death. Splat!! The plate then becomes a nifty hat complete with hair gel in whatever scent the dinner came in. After that wears off, the plate too hits the floor signaling the end to meal time. So, being the good mom that you are you clean up the baby and get them out of the chair to play while you clean the floor. But wait... Apparently their appetitie is revived by seeing the food lying on the floor, or by the site of mommy frantically trying to clean up the mess before little one can get into something else. Next thing you know they are shoving food, and dirt from the floor in their mouth with a satisfying "Mmmmm..." Couldn't we just save ourselves some time by throwing the food on the floor in the first place??? Just wandering if anyone else noticed.