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Tell me about the worst dinner party you've ever been to

213 replies

IwishIwishIwish · 27/07/2013 11:57

We had friends to dinner last night and despite feeling ill I did my best to do a good meal because my mum brought me up to always treat guests well however hard things may be otherwise.

It set me thinking about meals I've been invited to and then I remembered the horribly embarrassing meal we were invited to at a work colleagues of DP last year. I didn't really know them but we went along. On arrival we were served with a glass of ribena. Unusual I think to myself but I quite like ribena (dp hates it). We stood about politely drinking ribena then were told dinner was ready. In each place was a plate with a piece of toast (most of it cold) and in the middle a packet of tesco value pate not even opened and one knife. The 12 of us carefully shared it out. Hostess then produced an apple each cut into quarters with a slither of cheese followed up by a cup of tea or coffee and that was dinner (served with more ribena).

Maybe I'm just a horrible person but it has to be the worst dinner party I've ever been to! Socialising with friends was lovely but surely a dinner party is as much about the food as the socialising?

DP and I had brought a bottle of wine as had all the other invited couples but all of those were squirreled away by host and not seen again. I don't think they were short on money by the way though you can't always tell by looking so they may have been trying to make the best of a bad situation

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BaronessTeapot · 27/07/2013 12:03

So you got the starter and the cheese course but they just forgot about the main & dessert Grin

How bizarre!

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BaronessTeapot · 27/07/2013 12:04

I've just read it again. It is even more bizarre second time around!

It is like a "pretend" tea party that children will have with their teddies.

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ImperialBlether · 27/07/2013 12:11

Wouldn't you love to hear the conversation the couple had before presenting you with that meal?

"What shall we cook?"

"Cook? Why cook when there's an apple in the fruit bowl?"

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IwishIwishIwish · 27/07/2013 12:12

It was exactly like that. Hostess kept saying she wasn't a very good cook so she'd just done her best - she said it so many times it became embarrassing. Oh forgot to add welcome glass of ribena was issued with a choice of a packet of cheese wotsits or prawn cocktail crisps.

Not a pom bear in sight Shock

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BaronessTeapot · 27/07/2013 12:12

If they couldn't be bothered cooking - why not just pop open the pringles?

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susiedaisy · 27/07/2013 12:13

Wow op that's the worst dinner party I've heard of in a long while and I haven't got anything of my own to add to this thread, what did the other guests say??

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ImperialBlether · 27/07/2013 12:14

I wonder what would have happened if one of the guests asked whether they could crack open the bottle of wine they'd brought?

"Just doing your best" could mean buying in takeaway food or ready meals or anything - but cheese and apple for dinner seems strange!

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SpiderCharlotte · 27/07/2013 12:14

When our hosts cooked our meal when we were there by browning some mince and mixing in a tin of macaroni cheese. Then they had an almighty row and she threw a cup at him and marched upstairs while DH and I turned inside out with embarrassment.

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ImperialBlether · 27/07/2013 12:15

I wonder whether they found a huge lasagne in the oven the next morning and thought "Shit, we forgot to give them their dinner!"

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susiedaisy · 27/07/2013 12:15

Even if she can't cook she could of got some fresh bread and more pâté from the supermarket with some nice ice creams and cheese and biscuits!!

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IwishIwishIwish · 27/07/2013 12:15

Suzie nobody said anything to them. We just graciously thanked her for a lovely evening then most of us went to the pub for a meal and discussed their cooking skills

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BaronessTeapot · 27/07/2013 12:15

Imperial Grin

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susiedaisy · 27/07/2013 12:16
Grin
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AlicesNextDoorNeighbour · 27/07/2013 12:17

Haha that is beyond weird. If you cant cook, then don't invite people for a meal!!

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BaronessTeapot · 27/07/2013 12:18

I did forget to serve dessert once but it was New Year's Eve (tipsy) and everybody wanted a break after the main course.

People started leaving about 2.00am when I suddenly remembered dessert and rushed around serving it.

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IwishIwishIwish · 27/07/2013 12:18

We wondered that too Imperial. One woman said that she thought she'd smelt something cooking when they first arrived but it was agreed that it must have been wishful thinking. Perhaps it wasn't!

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BaronessTeapot · 27/07/2013 12:20

That's it! Whatever she was cooking was a disaster so they decided not to serve it and tried to brave it out.

Poor woman. I feel sorry for her now.

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Nancy66 · 27/07/2013 12:20

once had very awkward evening with a couple whose marriage was breaking up.

So lots of

'Sorry, we're out of wine. If somebody had gone out and got some like he was told instead of looking at porn on his computer we wouldn't be in this position'

and

'Well if a certain person got off her own arse a little more rather than expecting everyone to wait on her then perhaps her arse wouldn't currently be the size of a bungalow.'

etc etc...

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IwishIwishIwish · 27/07/2013 12:21

spidercharlotte that sounds horrendous! I hate it when couples row in front of us and thankfully its not happened very often and they're usually close friends

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MrsGeologist · 27/07/2013 12:22

The worst was staying with friends and their children (teens, so should have known better) spent a good portion if the meal slagging off their GPs because they were Northern. Calling them stupid and saying it must be the northern air and that they spoke funny etc.

We are Northern and their GPs were lovely people. More annoying was that the parents just let them carry on. Mine would have been sent to bed not only for insulting their GPs, but insulting the guests as well.

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MrsGeologist · 27/07/2013 12:23

If I cooked something shit, I'd own up to it and say, right shall we just get pissed instead?

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BaronessTeapot · 27/07/2013 12:24

I would MrsG, or ring for takeaway.

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KoalaFace · 27/07/2013 12:28

Hahaha! Genius!

I like to imagine that they burnt the beef and their chocolate mousse didn't set so they just through together some pate, apple and cheese.

When you all left they probably started high fiving and saying "well...we covered that well!"

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cuillereasoupe · 27/07/2013 12:28

I went to one with my ex years ago with an old school friend of his. The only thing I knew about this guy was what ex had told me, which was that he'd got his GF pregnant when she was 15 and then pressured her into an abortion, which didn't exactly make me warm to him. He and his wife and their other mate proceeded to completely ignore me all night. Very weird.

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NatashaBee · 27/07/2013 12:30

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