Reply to Is it rude to decline food or drinks when you are a guest?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm from the midwest. I was raised to offer food/drink to guests and even if they declined, we were to provide a beverage.  My parents are children of the Depression.  They and their families remember difficult times when people didn't always have enough to eat. There was a real reluctance to acknowledge you didn't have enough food.  To spare your guest embarassent, you were to offer food and whether it was accepted or not, you were to provide your guest with something.  Guests were free to partake or not.  If the ate/drank all the food, you always refilled the plate/glass until your guest didn't finish what he had.

I think this is a common tradition in cultures that remember hunger/need/want.  I didn't experience times of hunger but I do remember people not having enough money because of unemployment.  It's why I was taught not to open presents at birthday parties because you wouldn't want to embarrass a guest who provided a more modest gift or didn't bring one at all.  My parents and grandparents insisted birthday parties were for fun and socializing, not presents.  No one was to be embarrassed because they didn't have enough money for a present or to feel pressured to spend money they couldn't spare.

I'm teaching my kids these same lessons because they're good life lessons.  Not everyone, even in this affluent area, has enough.[/quote]

+ 1.[/quote]

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