Disposable plates on Thanksgiving

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Google pottery barn catering set. Not overly expensive. Can be reused for any occasion.

Bring civility back to the world.

We host 25 plus. Real China. Real silver. Real crystal. It's actually pretty nice. And yeah, it does taste better.

You have a set of sterling silver flatware, enough for 25+ people?

Not PP, but I do. My own silverplate for 12 and my grandmother's sterling for 16.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Add your special touch to make it special. If it is doing dishes for three days afterward, then go for it. Some of us like to actually talk to guests.

So do I! That's why I do a lot of prep work before guests even arrive (Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for mashed potatoes that can be made the day before), take people up on offers to help (yes, please bring a pie!), set the table the night before (we go out for pizza with overnight guests), am a very clean-as-I-go cook, and let people help with clear-up and cleaning. Working together, it's done in just two hours.

Who takes three days to do dishes? How odd.

+1 And the more you host nice events, the easier it gets the next time, and the next...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Add your special touch to make it special. If it is doing dishes for three days afterward, then go for it. Some of us like to actually talk to guests.

So do I! That's why I do a lot of prep work before guests even arrive (Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for mashed potatoes that can be made the day before), take people up on offers to help (yes, please bring a pie!), set the table the night before (we go out for pizza with overnight guests), am a very clean-as-I-go cook, and let people help with clear-up and cleaning. Working together, it's done in just two hours.

Who takes three days to do dishes? How odd.

If I were hosting 25+ people for Thanksgiving, with fine china (which we don't have) and silver (ditto) and crystal (ditto), it would take us three days to do the dishes. We have one kitchen sink and four dishwashers: me, my partner, and our two children. Or I suppose one of us could use the kitchen sink, and the other three could use the powder room sink, the bathroom sink, and the bathtub.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MIL is not doing it the way you'd do it so you want to host. You wouldn't do it the way MIL is doing it so she would want to continue hosting.
Ironic.

Not PP, but what bugs me about this whole dynamic is that it's always the "let's just do it the easy way" people who seem to get their way. People who want to use nice linens and china, to put in the extra effort, are always accused of "making a big deal about it." Well...yes! Let's have 2-4 meals a YEAR that we make a big deal out of! The "let's just keep things simple" people don't seem to realize that it is truly a joy for some of us to make an event special.

If MIL isn't up for hosting a special evening, and the DIL is, why not just go and enjoy a special event that someone else takes charge of?

I think that, in your mother-in-law's opinion, your mother-in-law IS hosting a special evening. It's just that your opinion of what makes a special evening is different from hers.

I was one of the pps who dislikes the way Thanksgiving is celebrated. This is very true. Inlaws love their Thanksgiving traditions and think it's special. They love being with everyone also. It's just that the holiday is a complete 180 from how I celebrated growing up, none of my favorite foods are present (I've tried bringing them to the disdain of everyone else and was told things like pecan pie are not on their traditional menu) and it is super casual. I honestly get depressed and lonely about the holiday every single year. I would LOVE to celebrate with my extended family or even my parents who live with us, but they aren't invited.

[Anonymous]

I love fall, but hate Thanksgiving so much. This thread has already got me dreading Thanksgiving and it's two months out. Shouldn't have opened the thread.

[Anonymous]

What have we become?? It's one day, one meal, setup a proper table with proper plates, have some pride in your capabilities as a hostess. No wonder kids don't know a darn thing about setting a proper table or even eating in proper plates, if you do paper plates it will be considered tacky and lazy. Also, what's this talk about washing, it's only 1 meal and hopefully someone in a party of 25 will be decent enough to help you. God, we have become a country of slobs, sheesh!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Add your special touch to make it special. If it is doing dishes for three days afterward, then go for it. Some of us like to actually talk to guests.

So do I! That's why I do a lot of prep work before guests even arrive (Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for mashed potatoes that can be made the day before), take people up on offers to help (yes, please bring a pie!), set the table the night before (we go out for pizza with overnight guests), am a very clean-as-I-go cook, and let people help with clear-up and cleaning. Working together, it's done in just two hours.

Who takes three days to do dishes? How odd.

If I were hosting 25+ people for Thanksgiving, with fine china (which we don't have) and silver (ditto) and crystal (ditto), it would take us three days to do the dishes. We have one kitchen sink and four dishwashers: me, my partner, and our two children. Or I suppose one of us could use the kitchen sink, and the other three could use the powder room sink, the bathroom sink, and the bathtub.

I have some serious concerns about your efficiency. I will take me 1 hour max to wash those many dishes, without any help. And, yes I regularly use china for everyday dinners and parties. Half of the joy of a good meal is the ambiance, the setting, eating like civilized people rather than a bunch of lazy people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Google pottery barn catering set. Not overly expensive. Can be reused for any occasion.

Bring civility back to the world.

We host 25 plus. Real China. Real silver. Real crystal. It's actually pretty nice. And yeah, it does taste better.

You have a set of sterling silver flatware, enough for 25+ people?

Not PP, but I do. My own silver plate for 12 and my grandmother's sterling for 16.

Not PP, but I have china and sterling silver flatware for 50 guests. We were raised this way, I stocked it up when I got married 11 years back, have been using it ever since. And yes, bring back civility to the world. THANK YOU, PP.

[Anonymous]

Go to Ikea, they sell clear glass plates for about $1 each. Then you have them forever and they look great!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just went to the IKEA website to price out tableware for my Thanksgiving for 25. Basic white plates were $4-5 each, leaving aside dessert plates, coffee cups, etc. So we're talking $100-125 just for dinner plates, so probably around $300 to get all the dishes I need. Then I need to deal with flatware, at IKEA I'm looking at $6 for a 6-pack of each type of utensil. I need 25 dinner forks, 25 dinner knives, 25 dessert forks, and let's call it just 15 coffee spoons, since not everyone drinks coffee. That will cost me $108 for enough flatware. I'm good on wine glasses for the number of wine drinkers we have, but I'll need more basic drinking glasses for people who want other beverages. Again, IKEA will sell me 6 for $4, I should probably get four packs of those for another $16. So $424 plus tax, which will bring it up to nearly $450. On top of the hundreds of dollars I'll be paying for a large turkey and ham, ingredients for other sides, wine, other beverages, etc. That is a crazy amount of money to ask someone to spend hosting Thanksgiving, especially when I can get enough plasticware for about $40.

This might be true if you are never going to host another event again in your life. But if you buy this stuff now (and I'm pretty sure you could, in fact, find it more cheaply elsewhere or even just different options at Ikea) then it's going to be used again and again over your lifetime.

When I was 25, I rented wineglasses and plates like 4 times to host showers before I got smart and bought 50 cheap wineglasses and 50 plates at Ikea. I'm in my 40s now and I can't tell you how many times I've used them. I also loan them to friends - ask around, I bet a friend can loan you stuff, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

MIL is not doing it the way you'd do it so you want to host. You wouldn't do it the way MIL is doing it so she would want to continue hosting.
Ironic.

Not PP, but what bugs me about this whole dynamic is that it's always the "let's just do it the easy way" people who seem to get their way. People who want to use nice linens and china, to put in the extra effort, are always accused of "making a big deal about it." Well...yes! Let's have 2-4 meals a YEAR that we make a big deal out of! The "let's just keep things simple" people don't seem to realize that it is truly a joy for some of us to make an event special.

If MIL isn't up for hosting a special evening, and the DIL is, why not just go and enjoy a special event that someone else takes charge of?

I think that, in your mother-in-law's opinion, your mother-in-law IS hosting a special evening. It's just that your opinion of what makes a special evening is different from hers.

I was one of the pps who dislikes the way Thanksgiving is celebrated. This is very true. Inlaws love their Thanksgiving traditions and think it's special. They love being with everyone also. It's just that the holiday is a complete 180 from how I celebrated growing up, none of my favorite foods are present (I've tried bringing them to the disdain of everyone else and was told things like pecan pie are not on their traditional menu) and it is super casual. I honestly get depressed and lonely about the holiday every single year. I would LOVE to celebrate with my extended family or even my parents who live with us, but they aren't invited.

Then why on Earth do you celebrate with your ILs every year? Take turns! One Thanksgiving with ILs and Christmas (or whatever winter holiday you celebrate) with your family, then the next year Thanksgiving with your family and Christmas/other holiday with ILs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Add your special touch to make it special. If it is doing dishes for three days afterward, then go for it. Some of us like to actually talk to guests.

So do I! That's why I do a lot of prep work before guests even arrive (Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for mashed potatoes that can be made the day before), take people up on offers to help (yes, please bring a pie!), set the table the night before (we go out for pizza with overnight guests), am a very clean-as-I-go cook, and let people help with clear-up and cleaning. Working together, it's done in just two hours.

Who takes three days to do dishes? How odd.

If I were hosting 25+ people for Thanksgiving, with fine china (which we don't have) and silver (ditto) and crystal (ditto), it would take us three days to do the dishes. We have one kitchen sink and four dishwashers: me, my partner, and our two children. Or I suppose one of us could use the kitchen sink, and the other three could use the powder room sink, the bathroom sink, and the bathtub.

If it would take you this much time and effort, then you aren't doing it right, and you probably never will, so use paper plates and don't worry about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I was one of the pps who dislikes the way Thanksgiving is celebrated. This is very true. Inlaws love their Thanksgiving traditions and think it's special. They love being with everyone also. It's just that the holiday is a complete 180 from how I celebrated growing up, none of my favorite foods are present (I've tried bringing them to the disdain of everyone else and was told things like pecan pie are not on their traditional menu) and it is super casual. I honestly get depressed and lonely about the holiday every single year. I would LOVE to celebrate with my extended family or even my parents who live with us, but they aren't invited.

PP, I think that you should have your own Thanksgiving, in addition to your in-laws' Thanksgiving. I mean that sincerely. Do your Thanksgiving the way you want to do it, even if it's just for your immediate family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Add your special touch to make it special. If it is doing dishes for three days afterward, then go for it. Some of us like to actually talk to guests.

So do I! That's why I do a lot of prep work before guests even arrive (Pioneer Woman has a great recipe for mashed potatoes that can be made the day before), take people up on offers to help (yes, please bring a pie!), set the table the night before (we go out for pizza with overnight guests), am a very clean-as-I-go cook, and let people help with clear-up and cleaning. Working together, it's done in just two hours.

Who takes three days to do dishes? How odd.

If I were hosting 25+ people for Thanksgiving, with fine china (which we don't have) and silver (ditto) and crystal (ditto), it would take us three days to do the dishes. We have one kitchen sink and four dishwashers: me, my partner, and our two children. Or I suppose one of us could use the kitchen sink, and the other three could use the powder room sink, the bathroom sink, and the bathtub.

If it would take you this much time and effort, then you aren't doing it right, and you probably never will, so use paper plates and don't worry about it.

Oh, stop. You are just trying to be difficult and unlikable. Mission accomplished.

Different PP here. We happen to have more than enough place settings of fine china, crystal, and silver. We don't bother because it has to be hand washed. We invite over 30 people. It does not take me long, I am well practiced, but I would rather talk to guests and have the clean up over with, than lingering dishes when the guests leave. I do not make my guests do dishes. Maybe you do, but that is your issue.

ITA (other PP), have a guest bring one thing *if* they insist (most do). Stop acting like a petulant child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Google pottery barn catering set. Not overly expensive. Can be reused for any occasion.

Bring civility back to the world.

We host 25 plus. Real China. Real silver. Real crystal. It's actually pretty nice. And yeah, it does taste better.

You have a set of sterling silver flatware, enough for 25+ people?

Not PP, but I do. My own silver plate for 12 and my grandmother's sterling for 16.

Not PP, but I have china and sterling silver flatware for 50 guests. We were raised this way, I stocked it up when I got married 11 years back, have been using it ever since. And yes, bring back civility to the world. THANK YOU, PP.

Sterling silver flatware for 50 guests, at $1,000 per place setting. Wow.