Drink/eat off/from/in a cup/bowl/plate

Question

Which combinations are you most likely to use? Do you drink from a cup? Eat something in a bowl?

I got into an argument with a Welsh English speaker over this. He insisted that he drinks and eats off a cup, bowl, and plate. He added that "from" would be OK, but not perfect. Me, I'm an American English speaker and I drink and eat from or in a cup or bowl, and I eat off a plate.

Answer 1

I would say the preposition used is determined by the position of the food/drink.

Your cereal is in a bowl, so you eat it out of or from the bowl. Similarly your coffee is in a mug so you drink it out of or from the mug.

Your meal is on a plate, so you eat it off [of] or from the plate.

From works in both on or in situations because it is a preposition that indicates the source or origin of something.

Off [of] only works for on situations because it is the opposite. Similarly for in and out of.

Answer 2

I’m English and I drink out of or from a cup, eat off a plate and out of a bowl. Does this Welsh English speaker speak Welsh? If so, he may be letting Welsh influence his English.