Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re not filling because it’s not real food like you’d have for dinner. Cheese fruit and crackers are a poor meal.

Those aren’t the heavy apps OP is asking about.

Actually, I think that is part of the problem. Lots of people think that they will serve "heavy apps" as a way to save money when throwing a party, but then end up with a veggie tray, fruit tray and cheese platter. People who have been guests at these parties feel cheated because they come to the party and then don't really receive a dinner, so they are wary of the concept.

Now you’re just making stuff up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They’re not filling because it’s not real food like you’d have for dinner. Cheese fruit and crackers are a poor meal.

Those aren’t the heavy apps OP is asking about.

Actually, I think that is part of the problem. Lots of people think that they will serve "heavy apps" as a way to save money when throwing a party, but then end up with a veggie tray, fruit tray and cheese platter. People who have been guests at these parties feel cheated because they come to the party and then don't really receive a dinner, so they are wary of the concept.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can definitely fill up on heavy apps. The people that say they need a meal—I don’t get it. It can truly be the same amount of food (even more calories sometimes if you’re having a lot of cheese/dough wrapped bites).

It’s fine!

This, it's the lack of protein and fiber, compared to a main and salad. A bunch of puff pastry might make me full (or greasy-sick) but not satisfied.

I don't serve that as a meal. If I want to serve them, I do a between meal party, like 2 to 5 pm.

There’s usually a vegetable tray, or at the very least lots of vegetables alongside crackers for the dips. I’ve never been to an app party that didn’t have lots of vegetables. Just because they are raw versus in a salad or roasted, like I don’t get it: there are vegetables. There are proteins.

Do you think people would feel comfortable taking enough vegetables from the tray to equal a small side salad? Would others, including you, judge the person who took that much of a vegetable tray?

People skip the vegetable tray almost all the time. Nobody is mad at the person taking a bunch of carrots or raw cauliflower. Usually it's like "Ah, another vegetable tray. Next." People aren't avoiding it out of politeness they just want something more interesting.

Heavy apps are great party food - not how I want to eat all the time, but for a holiday party, sure, bring it on.

I don't get it either OP.

DH said this last weekend when we went to a holiday party that had a really good apps and crudité spread out. The next day he was like "I feel like I hate garbage last night" and I didn't get it. Yes some of the apps were heavy or unhealthy but no more heavy and unhealthy than typical dinner party meals. They also had lots of fruits and veggies with hummus and other healthier dips, a veggie quiche appetizer, etc. I grazed for a bit and feel like I wound up with a balanced meal that is likely healthier that what I eat at a lot of dinner parties (not complaining, I don't need perfectly healthy meals when people host me). It certainly wasn't "garbage" -- it's not like they just put out potato chips and wings or something.

It was filling and reasonably healthy. I think people just have his mental block against a meal they eat while standing up.

I can fill up on apps but I generally am not going to get enough veggies. It's ok for a meal every so often.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find that there are plenty of calories at those things, but the distribution of calories is much higher in carbs and fats than the meals I prefer that have more protein and veggies. That being said, I eat what I’m offered and don’t complain.

+1

For this reason it's not a satisfying meal.

+2. Also loaded with sodium.

They are filling if you eat enough of them, it's just that some people would rather have a few bites of these things and then a meal with more lean protein and veggies vs. them being the entire meal.

they are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are an extraordinary obese nation.

Hence people complaining that any portion smaller than an entree from Cheesecake Factory is not filling.

A chicken breast and green beans is both more filling and healthier than a bunch of mini quiche and Lil Smokies wrapped in dough.

How is it “more filling”? Explain. I agree it’s healthier, but when your stomach is full of vegetables, meats and carbs, it doesn’t matter whether those are in the form of turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce versus full of cocktail meatballs, crudite and gougeres.

Plus, who serves chicken breast and green beans without so much as a roll or a scoop of mashed potatoes at a holiday gathering?

That's not how carbs work. Carbs have a quicker digestion cycle and energy spike and crash.

You aren't forced to wrap every bite of a breast of chicken in bread, the way you are when it's served as puff / dimsum / finger food style.

It’s odd how quick people are to say that those who don’t like appetizer-meals are fat and unhealthy. I think it’s the exact opposite. For goodness sakes, you have to explain basic digestion!

Anonymous wrote:
It's psychological, OP. Just because it's presented differently, people think it's not a real meal. But actually they may be ingesting even more calories than usual!

We know we’re ingesting more calories - but they are not types of calories many of us would prefer eating.

Serve what you want.
Let them stuff their beer bellies at McD's on the way home.
If they complain in person never invite them again.

It's psychological, OP. Just because it's presented differently, people think it's not a real meal. But actually they may be ingesting even more calories than usual!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can definitely fill up on heavy apps. The people that say they need a meal—I don’t get it. It can truly be the same amount of food (even more calories sometimes if you’re having a lot of cheese/dough wrapped bites).

It’s fine!

This, it's the lack of protein and fiber, compared to a main and salad. A bunch of puff pastry might make me full (or greasy-sick) but not satisfied.

I don't serve that as a meal. If I want to serve them, I do a between meal party, like 2 to 5 pm.

There’s usually a vegetable tray, or at the very least lots of vegetables alongside crackers for the dips. I’ve never been to an app party that didn’t have lots of vegetables. Just because they are raw versus in a salad or roasted, like I don’t get it: there are vegetables. There are proteins.

Do you think people would feel comfortable taking enough vegetables from the tray to equal a small side salad? Would others, including you, judge the person who took that much of a vegetable tray?

Anonymous wrote:All the people citing lack of protein are confused about what heavy hors d'oeuvres are. It's not cheese, fruit, and crackers.

Pigs in a blanket and meatballs may not be enough.