Dinner Party Where Guests Show Up With Their Own Food (messages, issues)

[Chowhound]

Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks

I've seen this exact phenomenon myself. My ex SIL had one child, the most spoiled little boy anyone could ever meet. The only thing he would eat for dinner is McDonalds Chicken McNuggets. My ex's large Hispanic family made a big production out of every dinner, yet they catered to this child every single day.

On her way home from work, Mom would make a pit stop at Mickey D's for those repulsive Chicken McNuggets, and he would eat those while everyone else ate what my MIL cooked. I never knew him to eat anything else for dinner the entire time we were married.

Homemade Mexcian food???

Mrs. Chow is half white and half Mexican, her dads family was from Mexico. He had a GF and she was a little tiny Mexican lady and she made the best food EVER. I used to gorge myself sick when she would invite us over.

LOL, I cant imagine eating that friggin McNugget garbage over her cooking, but there's no accounting for taste. Kids are weird in general when it comes to food. Most people outgrow that crap when they get older. Not all, but a lot of people do. I did work with a co-worker a while back and he had the palate of a 10 year old. All he ate for lunch was white bread bologna sandwiches and chips. EVERY SINGLE DAY. One time we had a training session in the office and they catered in lunch and they brought in sandwiches and he about literally had a screaming fit because the sandwiches were "crap" according to him. I'm like yeah, just because they had various styles of bread such as focaccia and things along that order without wonder white bread the food was crap to him. LOL, what a pinhead, I mean really

[randomparent]

So let me get this straight: serving soup to guests is somehow a failure on the part of a host? I love soup. I'd be thrilled with home-made soup in bread bowls. In fact, our traditional Christmas Day meal is home-made tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, and, yeah, that's what we serve our guests, too.

[Chowhound]

Originally Posted by randomparent

So let me get this straight: serving soup to guests is somehow a failure on the part of a host? I love soup. I'd be thrilled with home-made soup in bread bowls. In fact, our traditional Christmas Day meal is home-made tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, and, yeah, that's what we serve our guests, too.

A little unconventional but you can't beat that with a base ball bat.

Tomato soup and grilled sammies sound fine to me. I keep threatening to do a curry Christmas dinner one of these years. I love me some good Indian and Thai curry.

[kokonutty]

Originally Posted by cpg35223

It was incredibly rude.

I'll cut the husband some slack, however, chiefly because it was likely an attempt to not make the guests feel awkward.

Jeez. I think I should write a thread on how to be a guest at someone's dinner party. But here's the Cliff's Notes.

1) Make sure it's not pot luck. Typically, the invitation is pretty clear. In the event it's not, the simple question "What can I bring" would suffice.

2) Dinners require preparation and timing. That means showing up on time, not whenever you get around to it. And don't hand us that "Well, I have a hard time being on time." You don't have an illness. That just means you are inconsiderate of others, especially given how you likely make concerts and flights on time. And don't use that line, "Well, you could just start without me." Because essentially you're asking the others in the dinner party to be just rude as you. Don't drag us down to your level.

3) Bring gift for your host as your way of showing appreciation. Bottle of wine is typically good. Flowers if they are not drinkers. But something nice.

4) If you really do have a dietary need or an allergy, speak up way ahead of time. It seems as if everybody is claiming to be gluten-intolerant today. But given how a tiny fraction of the population really does have celiac disease (<1%), it's more likely that they want to have a disease that's stylish rather than have any real health problem.

5) Eat what's put before you.

6) Make conversation. And by that, not just with the people at the table who are most interesting. That is your sole obligation as guest, aside from basic courtesy. Be more interested in learning about the stranger next to you than talking about yourself. Master that basic skill and you'll be the most fascinating conversationalist at the table.

7) This should go without saying, but don't eat too much, drink too much, or discuss politics and religion. Fart jokes are taboo, too.

8) Don't show up with extra guests. And don't bring your damned kids if they weren't invited. Believe it or not, kids aren't the center of the universe, and there are occasions where adults should be allowed to not have to deal with them. And your child is no exception. We were at a dinner party a few months back where one couple just couldn't bear to part with their eight-year-old daughter. Just showed up with her. The poor hostess had to rummage around in the freezer for some chicken nuggets and fries, cooking a second meal on top of the one she had already made. I mean, hey, if your long-lost brother shows up in town unexpectedly, at the very least call the hosts and ask.

9) Compliment the host and thank them. Another thing you'd think you shouldn't have to mention. But there you have it.

Please don't invite me. Not that I have a major disagreement with any of your points, but your emphatic presentation does not lead me to believe it could be an enjoyable evening.

[randomparent]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

A little unconventional but you can't beat that with a base ball bat.

Tomato soup and grilled sammies sound fine to me. I keep threatening to do a curry Christmas dinner one of these years. I love me some good Indian and Thai curry.

Between office, school, neighborhood, and family parties, December is one huge Bacchanal, and by the time Christmas Day rolls around, I cannot face one more 5,000 calorie meal extravaganza. Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a salad is a welcome & simple delight after the non-stop feasting.

[kokonutty]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

I find that parents tend to do this more often than not. We used to have family gathering and Mrs. Chow's brother and wife would always bring McDonalds for the kids to eat instead of what everyone else was eating.

I found it to be rude as hell and frankly, lazy parenting. The SIL is a pig in general though so her lazy parenting style is to be expected. Little surprised that her brother goes along with it. He was raised with manners, not so sure about the pig SIL, I think she was raised by wolves.

I find it "rude as hell" to call another human being a pig.

[Chowhound]

Originally Posted by kokonutty

I find it "rude as hell" to call another human being a pig.

LOL, trust me, this woman is a pig. If you met her you'd agree. I don't ever call people nasty names on CD, but this woman has earned it over the 23 plus years that I've known her.

[kokonutty]

After reading a hundred messages here I can't help but wonder if the husband's relatives spoke to him about bringing some soup themselves and he just didn't think it was important enough to pass on to his wife. I mean what's another pot of soup to have along with your chips and salsa and soybeans?

[kokonutty]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

LOL, trust me, this woman is a pig. If you met her you'd agree. I don't ever call people nasty names on CD, but this woman has earned it over the 23 plus years that I've known her.

Yes. You do.

[Chowhound]

Originally Posted by kokonutty

Yes. You do.

Ok, got you, you're one of those types that like to argue and take opposite views just to be combative,

Done with ya....