Is it rude to bring food if you are asked 'just to bring yourselves'?

[Anonymous]

I threw a BBQ on the Fourth, and of course we have some leftovers to contend with. Because most guests were out-of-town visitors, only my local cousin took home some of the bounty.

I asked my local cousin to bring a dessert; everyone else, I asked to please just bring yourselves. For the most part, they did. But one out-of-towner brought:
Pasta salad
A cheese selection--three cheeses, crackers, grapes
Blueberries
A six-pack of beer

Of course this is very kind and generous, but I already had so much food, to the point where I knew I had gone a bit overboard. Now I have all this to contend with! Only one guest drank beer, either the kind she brought or the several selections I brought. And no one ate much cheese, as the cheese-bearer arrived later than everyone else, and people were getting out of appetizer mode.

My fridge looks like a game of Tetris right at the end where you know you're about to see "Game Over." I really, really would have preferred people not to bring anything except for the cousin who brought dessert.

I know the intentions were good and the spirit was generous. But it's a very real, very constant pain in my ass at the moment. I want my fridge back! We're entertaining again this Sunday, and the fridge is stressing me out.

[Anonymous]

Just throw it out

[Anonymous]

So throw it away? You are under no obligation to keep the food. The person who brought it thought they were being a good guest and now you come here to whine. If hosting when you revive extra (and good) food stresses you out to the point you’re talking about it days later, then maybe hosting isn’t for you.

[Anonymous]

Take the beer out of the refrigerator. Take the crackers out of the refrigerator. Eat the blueberries and grapes. Now you're left with the cheese and pasta salad. Probably if the cheese and pasta salad were not in the refrigerator, the refrigerator would still look like a game of Tetris - yes?

[Anonymous]

^^Yes, but it would all feel like "my stuff, my problem." I was already worried about excess, and that's on me. The other stuff feels like, "Why?"

Won't beer skunk if you take it out of the fridge after it's been cold?

[Anonymous]

I'll send my husband over - he'll take care of the beer!

[Anonymous]

Send it to fire department or homeless shelter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Send it to fire department or homeless shelter?

You really think a fire department or homeless shelter wants six-packs of beer, opened boxes of crackers and a half a log of goat cheese?

[Anonymous]

I hate wasting food so I would not throw it away. I would freeze what you can, or have another smaller get together with close friends and put out all the left overs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^Yes, but it would all feel like "my stuff, my problem." I was already worried about excess, and that's on me. The other stuff feels like, "Why?"

Won't beer skunk if you take it out of the fridge after it's been cold?

Nope! Get that beer out of the refrigerator and feel liberated.

[Anonymous]

No the guest was not rude.

[Anonymous]

Serve a cheese board on Sunday.

[Anonymous]

Op Jesus just throw it out.

[Anonymous]

Not rude. A little excessive, but no big deal.

Leftover veggies from a veggie tray go right in the crock pot as the base for soup.
Left over berries can be cooked down into a sauce that can top ice cream or pancakes or a cake filling etc.
Left over cheese can be made into mac n cheese and frozen.

[Anonymous]

Why didn't you send it home with her? My neighbors do lots of events with contributions and you take home your leftovers after usually offering them to the host or guests if appropriate. Anyone like a few cookies for tomorrow?