This is so weird to me. Don’t people at parties and such put a bowl of chips on the table so people can grab a handful at a time?

Anonymous wrote:You’re the host. If you wanted your guest to eat snacks out of a personal bowl, it’s on you to give them — and everyone else who wanted them, personal bowls with snacks, perhaps even adding that they could let you know if they wanted a refill. Not everyone shares your rules, and guest shouldn’t have to pick up on your hints. Be direct. This is particularly true if your guests are kids.

+1 here.

I hear where you are coming from with "basic hygiene!", but it is not soooo abnormal to eat chips/pretzels straight from the bag. People have different hygiene thresholds, and given that (some/many?) people shake hands and then eat snacks from personal bowls, it is within the realm of normal or at least borderline.

Covid and other illnesses may spread through saliva. I would never do this as a guest. I don't know if most people would think about this, though, so maybe your guest wasn't particularly rude.

You’re the host. If you wanted your guest to eat snacks out of a personal bowl, it’s on you to give them — and everyone else who wanted them, personal bowls with snacks, perhaps even adding that they could let you know if they wanted a refill. Not everyone shares your rules, and guest shouldn’t have to pick up on your hints. Be direct. This is particularly true if your guests are kids.

You shouldn't have hinted. You should have been direct and said "In this house, we put things like this in a bowl. Let me get one for you; here you go!"

Anonymous wrote:This is gross, right? We have a big bag of a snack that I bought for the kids to take for their camp snack. In our family if someone wants pretzels or veggie straws or whatever, they put them in a bowl and eat them. We don't bring the bag into the living room or to the table, I think repeatedly sticking your hand inside is gross, especially if you're not a member of our immediate family. I saw this and asked our guest if they wanted to use a bowl and they just stuck their hand back in and said "nope, I'm good!" and kept eating. Shouldn't they have taken the hint? I'm annoyed.

No, they should not have taken the hint, you should have had direct communication if this bothers you so much. "Larla, in out house we don't put our hand back in the bag repeatedly, please put however much you want in a bowl for your personal use," as you hand Larla a bowl.

That is what adults do - they don't play games, they aren't passive aggressive, they communicate clearly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its their giant bag of snacks now. Try to be a good host. People don't know all your family rules

They should know basic hygiene though.

It’s not basic hygiene. This is a common and acceptable to eat snacks even if it’s not how people do in your family.

This reminds me of an old Ruffles commercial where they would say, “Get your own bag!”

Anonymous wrote:So you don’t like them? Just hand them a bowl next time and hip them to your preference.

I like them just fine, I just don't like the way they eat snacks.

Anonymous wrote:Its their giant bag of snacks now. Try to be a good host. People don't know all your family rules

They should know basic hygiene though.

I don’t see the problem with it.

Yikes! I would never have thought of this, much less called a guest out on it.

So you don’t like them? Just hand them a bowl next time and hip them to your preference.

Its their giant bag of snacks now. Try to be a good host. People don't know all your family rules

This is gross, right? We have a big bag of a snack that I bought for the kids to take for their camp snack. In our family if someone wants pretzels or veggie straws or whatever, they put them in a bowl and eat them. We don't bring the bag into the living room or to the table, I think repeatedly sticking your hand inside is gross, especially if you're not a member of our immediate family. I saw this and asked our guest if they wanted to use a bowl and they just stuck their hand back in and said "nope, I'm good!" and kept eating. Shouldn't they have taken the hint? I'm annoyed.