When you're at a dinner party and there's only wine, no other drinks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There should be still and sparkling water or is this a trailer home

Oh shut up

You don’t sound classy.
NP here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so american. I would never drink juice with dinner and it would never occur to me to serve that!! Tacky!! I serve wine, still and sparkling water.

It’s not American. OP is the outlier.

I haven’t bought juice in over a decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so american. I would never drink juice with dinner and it would never occur to me to serve that!! Tacky!! I serve wine, still and sparkling water.

It could be “so American” except that most Americans here don’t agree with the OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve returned sodas because no one drinks them. Both traditional sodas like coke, Diet Coke, and the fancy sodas like pellegrino lemon/lime. And of course even when I offered those, I’m sure there was some d-bag like OP that complained that I didn’t offer caffeine free diet sprite.

How cheap are you that you RETURNED them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For a dinner party, I’d certainly offer people water, beer, wine, or coffee/tea, but it’s unlikely that I’ll have something like lemonade on hand unless there are children.

Why not have other drinks? Many people don't drink beer/wine, coffee/tea and would like something more tasty than water.

I’m pretty sure most adults drink one of the beverages PP serves.

We don't normally have other options in the house. I'm not going to buy various kinds of soda or whatever, "just in case". Water/coffee/wine/beer would have to suffice.

You seem like a crappy host. I have tons of things on hand just in case. I have never regretted it, are you cheap?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve returned sodas because no one drinks them. Both traditional sodas like coke, Diet Coke, and the fancy sodas like pellegrino lemon/lime. And of course even when I offered those, I’m sure there was some d-bag like OP that complained that I didn’t offer caffeine free diet sprite.

How cheap are you that you RETURNED them?

And what a waste of time to keep buying them and returning them. If you entertain often enough that you have to keep returning them, you could just buy them and keep them. It's not like they go bad quickly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But why is soda and juice ok for cocktail hour but not for a dinner? I truly don't understand this. I'm an adult who doesn't like water and doesn't drink alcohol. When I eat dinner either at home or at a restaurant I either have soda or juice. I know sugary drinks aren't good but I don't eat dessert/sweets and I don't smoke/drink alcohol, so I figure it's ok. I just find that if I only drink water the food just doesn't taste appealing and I have very little appetite.

Because for formal dinners, wine or water is meant to enhance--or at least not distract from--the flavors of the food. That's what wine pairings are all about. Making a beautiful filet mignon only to have someone bring Diet Coke to the table is tacky--it just lowers the level of formalitly that your host was trying to achieve. Again, for a pizza dinner, soda is fine; but not for formal dining.

NP. I'm not going to judge you for drinking a Diet Coke with dinner. I love DC...and I love wine with my dinner. I probably won't specifically offer it with dinner, because it's just so rare that someone wants it. If I was serving it before dinner, though, you are absolutely welcome to ask for a second glass and I won't think twice if you want that glass at the dinner table.

All of this comes down to the fact that OP is asking for something fairly unusual. Even among adults who don't drink, very few want a sugary drink with their meal. I know many people who don't drink and have dined with them at restaurants, so I know what they do when they have an unlimited selection of drinks. Lemonade at a formal sit-down dinner is just unusual. I'm not going to get all judge-y about it...I just don't provide it because no one drinks it.

Exactly. I hope OP realizes she's the one with the unusual taste; a taste so rare that the vast majority of hosts would never dream of serving anything other than water, sparkling water or wine at a formal, sit-down dinner.

OP here. I don't get why I'm so unusual. Why is dessert served at the end of a meal--because people want something sweet and sugary. Well I usually eat fruit for dessert but prefer something sweet and sugary with the meal (i.e. juice). I also don't find water at all thirst quenching, it's very dry. If it's a 90 degree day and I've been outside water does not quench my thirst, but lemonade does. I rarely drink soda but instead buy a lot of organic juices from Trader Joes. I don't see anything wrong with this at all. I just find it intersting that so many people aren't like this. I will say though that growing up my parents always had sugary drinks in the fridge so maybe that's why.

Water is dry?!? This thread slowly becomes a classic...

Wow, I missed that among all the other nonsense that PP has posted. Damn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But why is soda and juice ok for cocktail hour but not for a dinner? I truly don't understand this. I'm an adult who doesn't like water and doesn't drink alcohol. When I eat dinner either at home or at a restaurant I either have soda or juice. I know sugary drinks aren't good but I don't eat dessert/sweets and I don't smoke/drink alcohol, so I figure it's ok. I just find that if I only drink water the food just doesn't taste appealing and I have very little appetite.

Because for formal dinners, wine or water is meant to enhance--or at least not distract from--the flavors of the food. That's what wine pairings are all about. Making a beautiful filet mignon only to have someone bring Diet Coke to the table is tacky--it just lowers the level of formalitly that your host was trying to achieve. Again, for a pizza dinner, soda is fine; but not for formal dining.

NP. I'm not going to judge you for drinking a Diet Coke with dinner. I love DC...and I love wine with my dinner. I probably won't specifically offer it with dinner, because it's just so rare that someone wants it. If I was serving it before dinner, though, you are absolutely welcome to ask for a second glass and I won't think twice if you want that glass at the dinner table.

All of this comes down to the fact that OP is asking for something fairly unusual. Even among adults who don't drink, very few want a sugary drink with their meal. I know many people who don't drink and have dined with them at restaurants, so I know what they do when they have an unlimited selection of drinks. Lemonade at a formal sit-down dinner is just unusual. I'm not going to get all judge-y about it...I just don't provide it because no one drinks it.

Exactly. I hope OP realizes she's the one with the unusual taste; a taste so rare that the vast majority of hosts would never dream of serving anything other than water, sparkling water or wine at a formal, sit-down dinner.

OP here. I don't get why I'm so unusual. Why is dessert served at the end of a meal--because people want something sweet and sugary. Well I usually eat fruit for dessert but prefer something sweet and sugary with the meal (i.e. juice). I also don't find water at all thirst quenching, it's very dry. If it's a 90 degree day and I've been outside water does not quench my thirst, but lemonade does. I rarely drink soda but instead buy a lot of organic juices from Trader Joes. I don't see anything wrong with this at all. I just find it intersting that so many people aren't like this. I will say though that growing up my parents always had sugary drinks in the fridge so maybe that's why.

Water is dry?!? This thread slowly becomes a classic...

Wow, I missed that among all the other nonsense that PP has posted. Damn.

Guys obviously OP is right and everyone else/science is just wrong.

[Anonymous]

A dinner party is not a restaurant - just like you are not handed a menu with entree choices, a list of drinks a mile long should not be expected. Water is 99.9% of the time, a universal choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's fine to have just water, but I do think your host should have offered it. But maybe they really just forgot.

This seems like the case since OP said the water glasses were out. I'm not sure why OP feels so upset at asking.

I definitely think it is rude for OP to think that the host should have offered more than water. That's like the wine drinkers complaining that there was no beer. Or the meal eaters complaining that there was broccoli but no asparagus. The host's house isn't Burger King and the host offered what the host wanted to offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But why is soda and juice ok for cocktail hour but not for a dinner? I truly don't understand this. I'm an adult who doesn't like water and doesn't drink alcohol. When I eat dinner either at home or at a restaurant I either have soda or juice. I know sugary drinks aren't good but I don't eat dessert/sweets and I don't smoke/drink alcohol, so I figure it's ok. I just find that if I only drink water the food just doesn't taste appealing and I have very little appetite.

Because for formal dinners, wine or water is meant to enhance--or at least not distract from--the flavors of the food. That's what wine pairings are all about. Making a beautiful filet mignon only to have someone bring Diet Coke to the table is tacky--it just lowers the level of formalitly that your host was trying to achieve. Again, for a pizza dinner, soda is fine; but not for formal dining.

NP. I'm not going to judge you for drinking a Diet Coke with dinner. I love DC...and I love wine with my dinner. I probably won't specifically offer it with dinner, because it's just so rare that someone wants it. If I was serving it before dinner, though, you are absolutely welcome to ask for a second glass and I won't think twice if you want that glass at the dinner table.

All of this comes down to the fact that OP is asking for something fairly unusual. Even among adults who don't drink, very few want a sugary drink with their meal. I know many people who don't drink and have dined with them at restaurants, so I know what they do when they have an unlimited selection of drinks. Lemonade at a formal sit-down dinner is just unusual. I'm not going to get all judge-y about it...I just don't provide it because no one drinks it.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
But why is soda and juice ok for cocktail hour but not for a dinner? I truly don't understand this. I'm an adult who doesn't like water and doesn't drink alcohol. When I eat dinner either at home or at a restaurant I either have soda or juice. I know sugary drinks aren't good but I don't eat dessert/sweets and I don't smoke/drink alcohol, so I figure it's ok. I just find that if I only drink water the food just doesn't taste appealing and I have very little appetite.

Because for formal dinners, wine or water is meant to enhance--or at least not distract from--the flavors of the food. That's what wine pairings are all about. Making a beautiful filet mignon only to have someone bring Diet Coke to the table is tacky--it just lowers the level of formalitly that your host was trying to achieve. Again, for a pizza dinner, soda is fine; but not for formal dining.

NP. I'm not going to judge you for drinking a Diet Coke with dinner. I love DC...and I love wine with my dinner. I probably won't specifically offer it with dinner, because it's just so rare that someone wants it. If I was serving it before dinner, though, you are absolutely welcome to ask for a second glass and I won't think twice if you want that glass at the dinner table.

All of this comes down to the fact that OP is asking for something fairly unusual. Even among adults who don't drink, very few want a sugary drink with their meal. I know many people who don't drink and have dined with them at restaurants, so I know what they do when they have an unlimited selection of drinks. Lemonade at a formal sit-down dinner is just unusual. I'm not going to get all judge-y about it...I just don't provide it because no one drinks it.

Exactly. I hope OP realizes she's the one with the unusual taste; a taste so rare that the vast majority of hosts would never dream of serving anything other than water, sparkling water or wine at a formal, sit-down dinner.

OP here. I don't get why I'm so unusual. Why is dessert served at the end of a meal--because people want something sweet and sugary. Well I usually eat fruit for dessert but prefer something sweet and sugary with the meal (i.e. juice). I also don't find water at all thirst quenching, it's very dry. If it's a 90 degree day and I've been outside water does not quench my thirst, but lemonade does. I rarely drink soda but instead buy a lot of organic juices from Trader Joes. I don't see anything wrong with this at all. I just find it intersting that so many people aren't like this. I will say though that growing up my parents always had sugary drinks in the fridge so maybe that's why.

Water is dry?!? This thread slowly becomes a classic...

Wow, I missed that among all the other nonsense that PP has posted. Damn.

Water is dry.

Damn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is so american. I would never drink juice with dinner and it would never occur to me to serve that!! Tacky!! I serve wine, still and sparkling water.

That something is “American” is supposed to be an insult? What classy country do you come from and why are you living here in America?

[Anonymous]

For a dinner party, I always have wine, water, and le croix (which I keep on hand anyway).

I’d say 95% Of the time guests bring a drink as well, usually wine or beer. If you’re not a drinker, bring one of those big Italian sodas you can get at Whole Foods. Showing up to a dinner party empty handed is a big no no where I’m from.

In this case, OP, the lack of water seems like an oversight but the lack of a non-water alternative seems within bounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve returned sodas because no one drinks them. Both traditional sodas like coke, Diet Coke, and the fancy sodas like pellegrino lemon/lime. And of course even when I offered those, I’m sure there was some d-bag like OP that complained that I didn’t offer caffeine free diet sprite.

How cheap are you that you RETURNED them?

And what a waste of time to keep buying them and returning them. If you entertain often enough that you have to keep returning them, you could just buy them and keep them. It's not like they go bad quickly?

I don’t want to serve year old coke. They have date stamps.