How Late Can You Be With Food As Host?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There should be heavy appetizers if food not ready at 4:00. I’d say on invitation, dinner at 6 but come early if you’d like a drink or apps at 5.

It wasn't a formal invite, and it wasn't a memorial weekend barbecue or something. Today at noon they said "we are going to throw burgers on the grill at 4, and these other neighbors are coming."

Then, I would have definitely brought food to add to it. 5en you would have had some food to eat prior to the burgers being ready.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There should be heavy appetizers if food not ready at 4:00. I’d say on invitation, dinner at 6 but come early if you’d like a drink or apps at 5.

It wasn't a formal invite, and it wasn't a memorial weekend barbecue or something. Today at noon they said "we are going to throw burgers on the grill at 4, and these other neighbors are coming."

Then, I would have definitely brought food to add to it. 5en you would have had some food to eat prior to the burgers being ready.

No, folks. You don’t take your own food to dinner at someone else’s house. You ask if you can bring anything like op did, and then you are at their mercy. And even if op had brought—oh, say potato salad—what the heck is she supposed to do with it 2 hours in with no grilling in sight? Pull up to it with a fork? Or do you show up to dinner parties with a sandwich and sit there and eat it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Latest without apology - 7:30. That’s still a perfectly reasonable dinner time. If you usually eat at 6 or 6:30, load up on apps.

With an, “oh shoot look at the time! I gotta light the grill, sorry folks!” I’d still be understanding of 8pm.

Any later, OR if there were inadequate apps, and yeah, I’d be frustrated.

But then why would you invite them to come at 4? OP had been hanging around for 3 hours and burgers were not on the grill. Was there other stuff to do? Badminton? A pool?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There should be heavy appetizers if food not ready at 4:00. I’d say on invitation, dinner at 6 but come early if you’d like a drink or apps at 5.

Yeah, I love invitations with lots of details on timing and food, like:

Barbeque at our house 4-8pm. Come hang out and snack, have beers, and play corn hole any time after 4pm. We'll have burgers and hot dogs from the grill at 5:30 with sides and desserts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There should be appetizers or snacks immediately and cooking needs to start by 5:15 or so. Don’t invite people at 4 if you don’t plan to serve until 6!

There. Were. Appetizers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who needs to eat at 4pm? Children? Adults eat dinner at 7pm or later where I am from.

I go to bed at 9. I’m absolutely having dinner by 6:30.

same

You must be aware that most adults do not go to bed at 9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There should be heavy appetizers if food not ready at 4:00. I’d say on invitation, dinner at 6 but come early if you’d like a drink or apps at 5.

Yeah, I love invitations with lots of details on timing and food, like:

Barbeque at our house 4-8pm. Come hang out and snack, have beers, and play corn hole any time after 4pm. We'll have burgers and hot dogs from the grill at 5:30 with sides and desserts.

I’ve never received an invitation with times like this. Who plans a party like that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Food should be ready by the arrival time noted on the invitation. I have a cousin like Op's neighbor, and she is terribly disorganized. A few years ago, she invited us to her house for dinner, and not only was the food not ready, but she wasn't there. We waited outside for 30 minutes, and when she arrived, she began cooking the food she had just purchased.

If you invite me to dinner, I don't want to watch you prepare it. Everything should be ready by the time your guests start arriving.

Um, no. Have you never been to an adult dinner party? You come, the host offers you a drink. There are hors d’oeuvres set out on the living room table. You chat and nibble for an hour or so. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. One of the hosts may be in the kitchen for part of the time, cooking. The other host is on drinks and conversation duty. This is the “cocktail hour.”

After that, you move to the dinner table and eat. Dessert may be served at the dining room table, or in the living room again, sometimes with coffee, although these days not usually. This is a multi-hour affair. Everyone is conversing throughout. You do not arrive, snarf your food, and bolt. If all you desire is free food, there may be some food pantries that can assist you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Food should be ready by the arrival time noted on the invitation. I have a cousin like Op's neighbor, and she is terribly disorganized. A few years ago, she invited us to her house for dinner, and not only was the food not ready, but she wasn't there. We waited outside for 30 minutes, and when she arrived, she began cooking the food she had just purchased.

If you invite me to dinner, I don't want to watch you prepare it. Everything should be ready by the time your guests start arriving.

Um, no. Have you never been to an adult dinner party? You come, the host offers you a drink. There are hors d’oeuvres set out on the living room table. You chat and nibble for an hour or so. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. One of the hosts may be in the kitchen for part of the time, cooking. The other host is on drinks and conversation duty. This is the “cocktail hour.”

After that, you move to the dinner table and eat. Dessert may be served at the dining room table, or in the living room again, sometimes with coffee, although these days not usually. This is a multi-hour affair. Everyone is conversing throughout. You do not arrive, snarf your food, and bolt. If all you desire is free food, there may be some food pantries that can assist you.

Does PP's sister sound like someone throwing a cocktail party??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Food should be ready by the arrival time noted on the invitation. I have a cousin like Op's neighbor, and she is terribly disorganized. A few years ago, she invited us to her house for dinner, and not only was the food not ready, but she wasn't there. We waited outside for 30 minutes, and when she arrived, she began cooking the food she had just purchased.

If you invite me to dinner, I don't want to watch you prepare it. Everything should be ready by the time your guests start arriving.

You like your food overcooked and cold?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Food should be ready by the arrival time noted on the invitation. I have a cousin like Op's neighbor, and she is terribly disorganized. A few years ago, she invited us to her house for dinner, and not only was the food not ready, but she wasn't there. We waited outside for 30 minutes, and when she arrived, she began cooking the food she had just purchased.

If you invite me to dinner, I don't want to watch you prepare it. Everything should be ready by the time your guests start arriving.

Um, no. Have you never been to an adult dinner party? You come, the host offers you a drink. There are hors d’oeuvres set out on the living room table. You chat and nibble for an hour or so. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. One of the hosts may be in the kitchen for part of the time, cooking. The other host is on drinks and conversation duty. This is the “cocktail hour.”

After that, you move to the dinner table and eat. Dessert may be served at the dining room table, or in the living room again, sometimes with coffee, although these days not usually. This is a multi-hour affair. Everyone is conversing throughout. You do not arrive, snarf your food, and bolt. If all you desire is free food, there may be some food pantries that can assist you.

Does PP's sister sound like someone throwing a cocktail party??

I am describing a dinner party, not a cocktail party. You don’t seem like someone who has any reading comprehension.

[Anonymous]

No way anyone should have to wait for 3.5 hours for food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who needs to eat at 4pm? Children? Adults eat dinner at 7pm or later where I am from.

People who plan their day and have a late breakfast and then expect to eat at their invited dinner event around 4:30. Lots of us love just the two meals if timed well. We don't want to stuff our faces after 7 and sit around digesting and turning that food into fat.

+1

That’s why obesity is so common here! So much eating all the time!

[Anonymous]

You must have been at my sister’s house, lol. She has no kids, and she and her husband are huge foodies that love the entire meal prep process. She regularly hosts and insists that we arrive at a certain time, and often doesn’t even start prepping a meal until after we arrive. It’s HOURS until we eat…. And I have two small kids. I’ve taken to just bringing very robust snacks for the kiddos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who needs to eat at 4pm? Children? Adults eat dinner at 7pm or later where I am from.

People who plan their day and have a late breakfast and then expect to eat at their invited dinner event around 4:30. Lots of us love just the two meals if timed well. We don't want to stuff our faces after 7 and sit around digesting and turning that food into fat.

+1

That’s why obesity is so common here! So much eating all the time!

If you have very strict dietary parameters, you should likely not accept invitations to dine. Especially to dine on burgers and hot dogs.