Niku-bakari tabenai-de, yasai-mo tabe-nasai. Eat your vegetables too, not just the meat.

Situation 1: The Okubo family is having sukiyaki for dinner.

母 :　　 光男、肉ばかり食べないで、野菜もちゃんと食べなさい。

光男：　 うん。だけど、頭を良くするには、たんぱく質をたくさん取らないといけないんだよ。

Haha: Mitsuo, niku-bakari tabenai-de, yasai-mo chanto tabe-nasai.

Mitsuo: Un. Dakedo, atama-o yoku-suru-ni-wa, tanpakushitsu-o takusan toranai-to ikenai-n-dayo.

Mother: Mitsuo, eat your vegetables too, not just the meat.

Mitsuo: OK. But Mom, to make your brain sharp, it's important to take in a lot of protein.

Today we will introduce phrases using the particle of emphasis ばかり (only/always/merely). X(noun)ばかりY(verb) is the emphasized form of XをY. For example, 肉(にく)ばかり食(た)べる is the emphasized pattern of 肉を食べる (to eat meat) and expresses that a person eats meat exclusively. This construction tends to have connotations of reproach or criticism. More examples: 文句(もんく)ばかり言(い)っている人間(にんげん)は成長 (せいちょう)しない (A person who only complains does not grow); 勉強(べんきょう)ばかりしていないで、たまには遊(あそ)びに行(い)こうよ (Instead of just studying, why don't you come out and have fun with us occasionally?). ばっかり is the further-emphasized form of ばかり that is used in casual conversation. You'll see it in the Bonus Dialogue.

Situation 2: Continued from Situation 1. Mother notices Takako is not eating at all.

母：　　 たか子、さっきからため息をついてばかりで、何も食べていないじゃない。学校で何かあったの？

たか子：　 ううん、何でもない。食欲がないだけ。

Haha: Takako, sakki-kara tameiki-o tsuite-bakari-de, nani-mo tabete-inai-ja nai. Gakkō-de nani-ka atta-no?

Takako: Ūn, nan-demo nai. Shokuyoku-ga nai-dake.

Mother: Takako, you've done nothing but sigh and haven't eaten a thing. Did something happen at school?

Takako: No, nothing. I just don't have any appetite.

XばかりY can be changed to XをY(verb in te-form)ばかり to express that a person does the same action continuously or repeatedly. For example, ため息(いき)ばかりつく can be changed to ため息をついてばかりいる/ばかりだ). When the verb is intransitive, this pattern is used without Xを, as here: 彼女(かのじょ)はあれから毎日 (まいにち)泣(な)いてばかりいます (All she has been doing every day since then is crying).

Bonus Dialogue: On Sunday, Ms. Tamachi is chatting with her friend Erika.

えりか：　 うちの会社(かいしゃ)、毎日(まいにち)残業(ざんぎょう)ばかりだし、課長(かちょう)は部下(ぶか)を怒(おこ)ってばかり。こんな生活(せいかつ)、もう、いや。

田町：　　 彼氏(かれし)とか、できないの？

えりか：　 それが、うちの会社、おじさんばっかり。

田町：　　 会社の中(なか)ばかりで探(さが)しても、見(み)つからないでしょ。紹介(しょうかい)しようか？

えりか：　 あっ、ぜひ、ぜひ！どんな人(ひと)？

田町：　　 私(わたし)の同僚(どうりょう)で、三田(みた)さんっていう人なんだけど、やさしくて、テニスとスキーが得意 (とくい)で、わりとかっこいいし...。

えりか：　 そんな素敵(すてき)な人なら、どうして自分(じぶん)が アプローチしないの？

田町：　　 うーん...。結婚(けっこん)したら、彼(かれ)の親(おや)の家(いえ)に同居して、家事(かじ)と育児(いくじ)に専念 (せんねん)すべきだ、という考(かんが)えの人だから、 プロポーズの度(たび)に、ふられてばかり...。

えりか：　 そうか。なかなか、うまい話(はなし)って、ないんだなあ。

Erika: I have to work overtime every day and my boss is always telling off the staff. I'm disgusted with this kind of life.

Tamachi: Haven't you got a boyfriend?

Erika: There are only old guys in my office.

Tamachi: You won't get one if you only look around your office. Shall I introduce you to someone?

Erika: Oh, please, please! What kind of person is he?

Tamachi: He's a colleague of mine named Mr. Mita. He's kind and good at tennis and skiing. On top of that, he's fairly cool.

Erika: If he's such a nice person, why don't you ask him out yourself?

Tamachi: Well ... his way of thinking is that his wife should live together with him in his parents' house and devote herself to domestic work and taking care of their children. So, every time he proposes to someone, he gets turned down.

Erika: I see. There are no too-good-to-be-true deals in this life.