To ask for your worst dinner party experiences?

[Smileandtheworldsmileswithyou]

I know there have been threads on this before, I just absolutely love them for some reason. These and the CF ones are the best! I'll start with mine. I had recently moved with my husband to a new country and my new boss invited me and a few other people from work to his house for dinner. When we arrived he was completely pissed, literally stumbling around drunk. He spent ages showing us a lizard on the wall which we all politely commented on, and waited and waited for the food...He then dropped a box of brownies all over the floor that another guest had brought as a gift and laughed about it for ages. Finally we were asked to sit down for dinner, but he said he couldn't carve the chicken so asked me to do it for him. He then came into the tiny kitchen to watch me try and carve it up and told me how I shouldn't worry, he would make sure I passed my probation at the end of the year. He then persuaded my husband to go in and finish off the job with the chicken before asking him if I was happy at work and if I liked him. We finally got to the table and he starts drinking my wine which I just ignore. He then tells everyone that he has made the bread rolls himself, even though I saw them in a packet in the kitchen. He told us a big elaborate tale about where he found the seeds for them. Dessert was finally served at around 1am, by which time everyone was desperate to get the hell out of there. He said we should take it in turns to host, funnily enough no one ever did take him up on that!

[Aquamarine1029]

I think I would have faked a heart attack to get the hell out of there. Maybe a stroke, whatever it took to escape.

[transformandriseup]

Not a dinner party but a boss once invited us all for a bbq at his house and he was telling a lot of elaborate stories also. His wife was very drunk and looked like she didn't care to be there either. The food was undercooked and a few of us were very unwell.

[LadyB49]

I was very young about 25 and just married. It was mid 70s. My dh was an Engineer and got a job on the continent and I went with him renting out our home. Happily I also got a job in the finance office in a large multinational company where the working language was English. All very good. We tried to make a social circle which was pretty much work colleagues. Asked two guys from dh work to dinner with their wives. No worries, I can knock up a dinner no bother. Kept the main course simple with steak, hasselback potatoes and salad. I went into the butcher on the way home from work and got 6 steaks. Guests arrived, I hadn't met them before this. Spuds in the oven, salad made. Conversation was grand , easy flowing. Lots to talk about as each couple came from a different country. The guests spoke excellent English.

I went to cook the steaks. Well ..... No way were these steaks ever going to cook up tender. I did all I could and in the end had to serve them. So embarrassing. We chewed and chewed amid my apologies. In the end we just gave up. I can't even remember what I did about food. It's lost in a fog of best forgotten.

Next morning on my way to work I noticed the horse's head above the butcher's shop. It was a horse butcher!! In my innocence I'd bought horse meat.

It took a while for me to regain my confidence and for a long time afterwards my entertaining relied a lot on lasagnes. !!

[Smileandtheworldsmileswithyou]

I'm loving these. Horse steak! Jesus.

Aquamarine it was just so mortifying, I could feel my husband looking at me in shock during moments of the evening, he just couldn't believe that this mess was my new boss. Awful.

[ILoveYoga]

There have been a few times we have been invited for dinners different people’s home - only for there to be no food!

Another time we were invited to a friend’s home for dinner. She cooked a chicken. Her husband carved and handed out plates to each person with a piece of chicken on it. I got a wing, my DH got a wing. Friend’s husband then removed the chicken from the table. With both breasts still intact. We had to stop on the way home for a take away.

We once travelled an hour to visit friends for “tea” at 4pm. We had our little one with us, same age as their child. Tea was just that. A cup of tea.

We sat there at the table, just a cup of tea and no biscuits or anything. We brought flowers and choccies. Choccies put away, not even in the table.

Their child started grumbling for something to eat, so they went into their kitchen, got a banana and gave half to their child. Our child started grumbling for the other half. So my DH asked if we could please give the other half to our child, answer was no.

After that we always brought food for our child no matter whose house we went to.

[FAQs]

For three years running I had the sympathy single mum, invite (begged) to a friends for Christmas dinner, her and her husband hated each other, friend was having an affair with the man in their annex, every plate would be put down heavy, alcohol measurements would get more generous (I’d drive so was a spectator) and they’d ask each other questions via me, sometimes I’d say nothing and just watch, the kids would all be amused until they buggered off, we would then go off for a walk with the kids and dogs whilst my friend would cry and say she was going to leave but was waiting for his parents to die so he would be loaded for the divorce, she never worked, and was an ‘artist’

They are now separated and I’ve not seen them for over a year, presume me as a distraction is no longer useful.

[Justcallmebebes]

Not a dinner party but a bbq a couple of years ago. Couple had obviously had a fight before we arrived and the wife's face like thunder and clearly not impressed we were there. (Her husband was a work colleague of my partner). Eight of us in total and they threw 4 burgers on the bbq. Nothing else. No salad, rolls, potatoes, nothing. We had taken wine and that disappeared inside and we weren't offered a drink. When my partner asked about the rest of the food she stormed off inside and we never saw her again.

All very weird . We were made to feel so uncomfortable we left after less than an hour

[PegLegTrev]

@ILoveYoga they actually said no to your hungry child?

[grassisjeweled]

Best I've seen is BIL inviting his ex flame and her husband to a dinner party, with SIL there.

This woman was extremely successful, beautiful, spoke 3 languages etc. Was there with her husband (she cheated on with BIL whilst she was married, SIL didn't know this).

This woman was dressed really sexily - heels, belly on show, very glam. SIL, who is usually glam too, for some reason decided to dress down in legging sand a t-shirt. This woman was dancing salsa in the living room, drunk, flirting with BIL, looking amazing, big hair, etc etc.

I have never seen someone as jealous as my SIL was that night. She was almost green. She could barely speak.

[malificent7]

Dinner parties sound like hell on earth!

[Shadow1986]

Probably the worst was when we were invited round to someone’s for a roast dinner, along with another family. All families are families of 5 so she was cooking a roast for 15. I kept saying forget the roast, we will all bring food etc but she insisted. We turned up and nothing was ready. She looked so stressed. Finally it was ready and it soon became obvious she had nowhere near enough food. She had one chicken for the meat for all of us , about 12 pigs in blankets which wasn’t even one each...we had about one potato each. It was just so awkward serving ourselves knowing there you could take hardly anything as there wasn’t enough. Her kids were grabbing all the pigs in blankets so she should have known her kids alone would have eaten all of them.
Whenever I host I always have far too much but that’s taught me it’s definitely the better option!

[movingonup20]

Not dinner, but that was the problem - got invited to a party at 6pm, a bring the kids type party, asked if we could contribute anything and was told it was all in hand. The food (for around 30 guests) was 5 bags of crisps (the 150g size) we all were looking at each other and by 7.30 realised pizzas or similar weren't on the cards so made excuses and left - if we had been invited at 3pm no food is fine but 6pm is dinner time for kids!

[ILoveYoga]

@PegLegTrev. That’s correct. The husband (my DH friend) said no because their son would want the other half after his dinner.

I’d also say, there was no cooking going on either so when this child’s dinner was going to be, don’t know.

We did wonder if they’d had an argument or something because this guy’s wife usually puts on a great spread. She’s a chef and in later years even had her own catering company. Fabulous food and always lots of it hence also why we brought flowers and choccies and not food to contribute to “tea”.

[Marylou62]

Pregnant with DC1 just when the 'rules' came out about not eating unpasturized food, pate, coleslaw, raw egg, soft cheeses etc. I also had bad migraines so no red wine, strong cheese etc..Well I didn't know my DH co-worker well and had only met her once so didn't want to make a fuss..They'd be plenty I could eat surely?!
The wine was red, starter was pate, main was cheese quiche and coleslaw, dessert was chocolate mousse.. I tried to eat the bread but she saw me struggling to eat the rest. .nothing wrong with the food, it looked lovely..She tried to make me a cheese omelette and I was mortified because everything she offered I had to turn down! I was NOT a fussy eater at all, just couldn't eat what was offered.. I still cringe and speak up now..

[Meruem]

Years ago I was a single parent, dating a science teacher. DD was in primary school and forever getting nits. One day he saw one on her jumper and he put it in a test tube (apparently he always kept a few in his car!). I then sorted her hair (yet again!).

The following week (me having forgotten all about it) we were going to his parents for dinner. His sister and her husband were also there, along with his brother. My first time meeting them all. We’d just finished the starter when he announces “dad, can I borrow your microscope after dinner? I saved a nit from Meruems daughter and want to examine it”. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me! His dad just sort of mumbled um yes and we all tried to pretend it hadn’t happened! Me and him didn’t last long!

[RollneckJumper]

A couple I can remember..

Friend invited me and now ExBF over for dinner. She used to be a chef, so we were looking forward to an amazing meal. We took wine and chocolates. Dinner was... half a small roasted aubergine each and a handful of salad leaves. The wine and chocolates didn't get opened.
We stopped for a takeaway on the way home because we were absolutely starving!!

A couple of years ago, I was invited to a hen weekend. Each hen was asked to pay £80 to cover food costs and was asked for their dietary requirements. I'm a vegan. The hen knew this. Her sister was making all the hen weekend arrangements. The hen had already given her sister the heads up, but I also made sure to let her sister know and offered to bring my own if she struggled. I was assured that I needn't worry, and that I would be catered for.
Second day of the hen weekend.. we went white water rafting (hungry work!) and then back to the hen's sister's house for homemade afternoon tea. There was not a single thing I could eat. All sandwiches had either meat or diary in them, as did all the cakes/scones etc. The hen's sister hadn't even attempted to make an effort to cater for me. I sat, starving, watching everyone else tucking in until the hen's aunt realised I wasn't eating and offered to make me a peanut butter sandwich. I was never offered any of my £80 back ...most expensive peanut butter sandwich I've ever had!

[littleloopylou]

I have a gluten intolerance. My DH and I went to spend the weekend at his friend's home in the country. Four adults eating. When it was time for dinner, DH's friend proudly presented a game pie that he had prepared (crust made of deadly-to-me wheat flour).

I was very uncomfortable and thought DH hadn't reminded them of my food issue - but no, they were perfectly aware. This is what they wanted to make and they thought it would be fine for me to just eat the filling.

[crimsonlake]

Years ago a group of us gathered at a friend of a friend's for a meal.
When it was served we were all sat randomly in the living room, my food never appeared. I cannot fathom why I did not speak up, nor did anyone notice so I went without.

[LadyHedgehog]

@crimsonlake

Years ago a group of us gathered at a friend of a friend's for a meal.
When it was served we were all sat randomly in the living room, my food never appeared. I cannot fathom why I did not speak up, nor did anyone notice so I went without.

Oh God this is the sort of socially awkward thing I would do. Luckily this has never happened to me.

[VickyEadieofThigh]

Ex and I invited a couple we were very friendly with for dinner (we'd done cottage holidays with this pair). They had got well into Spain and Spanish food so I spent most of the day cooking a range of tapas.

He turned up on time. She'd gone up West with a mate and got rat-arsed, finally turning up 3 hours later almost incapable of walking.

Never invited them anywhere again.

[fourquenelles]

I have two - both from the 70s. I was living with my then boyfriend in a flatshare. One of the other flatmates had lived somewhere very exotic with servants and was a wee bit up herself! She invite us for dinner one evening. The menu was pilchards on toast followed by spaghetti with a tin of tomatoes tipped on top, one glass of wine and no dessert. She was very wealthy but really didn't like us. The worse bit was that throughout the meal she sat there with one breast completely exposed through the gap in her wrap over top. I still think she did that deliberately almost like thumbing her nose at us!

The second dinner party was hosted by a couple in their mid 20s. I and then BF turn up with a bottle of decent wine each which was taken off us never to be seen again. They bring out a half pint stone carafe and pour one small glass of plonk each and then no more for the rest of the meal. We couldn't work out if they were tight or, as newly qualified doctors, very health conscious. I was too polite unassertive to say anything at the time. Wouldn't happen now!

[chestnutshell]

@BuggerBognor oh my goodness!! How were you still standing. That’s some serious hosting skills right there.

Also, I bet your guests didn’t mind a bit!

[Willfiasco]

@BuggerBognor

It was one of mine

Boxing Day dinner a few years ago. All in laws and a couple of friends - about 15 in total. I felt a bit rough and breathless, took 2 paracetamol and cooked roast Turkey, rare beef and all the trimmings and made lemon posset. Slapped the Turkey down, poured the wine...then woke up in hospital with double pneumonia. Apparently I keeled over as soon as I sat down.

DH ladeled out lots of the food to the guests to take home before heading over to the hospital. They still return odd bits of Tupperware to me even now. I love entertaining but this still mortifies me.

Blimey @BuggerBognor that’s not mortifying, that’s heroic!
💪

[Mustbe3ormorecharacters]

I worked with this really quiet guy who kept to himself and never talked about anything other than work. One day some of us got an email from him inviting us to his house for dinner when we told him at work we were looking forward to it he was completely shocked. His wife had used his email address to invite everyone then deleted the emails of people who replied.
He explained his wife was unwell and sometimes went through manic episodes, a few of us ended up going and she had a complete breakdown. It was sad to see but seeing a woman throw a joint of pork across the room like she was an American footballer was impressive.