To think that this portion for an adult is too little?

Grim! Next time she offers to host make a light hearted 'joke' about still being hungry. Maybe she'll get the hint & put more food on.

Do we have the same SIL? It is not sufficient for a hosting a bbq. My SIL and husband ‘hosted’ a bbq but what that meant was we were asked to buy the bbq stuff in the way there and also buy some booze for her too. The only thing they supplied was small salad. They had about 8 or 9 people in attendance.

If she had said to bring a plate when organising I would have no problems. It was being asked to buy the entire bbq menu and alcohol that was a bit much.

We need to know more about the scale of disappointment, are these hot dogs the skinny ones you'd give the kids for tea or great big bratwursts? Size matters! 😅

If the latter then it's enough food but not enough choice. Is it even a BBQ if there aren't burgers?

That resonates @zippynotbungle. In 35 years MIL has provided cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, fish and chips from the chip shop and once when we visited en-route to a holiday at lunchtime and I said to do something simple, she bunged ham, prawns, and salad on the table, in the plastic packets, with a bottle of salad cream and sliced bread. Yum.

She and FIL had roasts, fish pies, high teas, casseroles' steaks, chops, and well served vegetables at ours with home made puddings. FIL liked a cheese sandwich at lunchtime. I was once told off for putting the cheese in the sandwich lengthways, rather than width ways. I once added supermarket raisins to the muesli rather than Sunpat and never heard the end of it.

**ing disgraceful.

That's a bit crap my DC are young adults now. But they had more than that as children. Usually a burger and hotdog each sometimes new potatoes and salad as well as a dessert. Who has a Barbie and doesn't do any burgers?😳

In 6 years of living walking distance from my in-laws, during which time we hosted them many times and oft including every Christmas, the only "meal" I was served in their house - once, and only once - was a sad and solitary hot dog. They've moved away and frankly I don't miss them.
Console yourself with the thought that you've done twice as well as me, OP.

Tbh I'm just reading this for menus.

We're having a family cook out tonight so no guests and I'm on crutches at the mo and we've got chicken, halloumi, grilled veg and 2 salady things. And flat bread. And ice cream.

Isn't this weather fab.

I make veg n halloumi kebabs, hotdogs, burgers, potato salad, coleslaw, salad, veg burger, veg hotdogs, fried onions...dips, crisps etc. I make loads...2 farty hot dogs is a bit oliver especially if it's been blown up to be this grand bbq

@Allthehorsesintheworld aubergine burgers, they're the best!!

That's really weird. Why are they not embarrassed to serve that? People are so odd.

It doesn't cost much to add some burgers and salad to the mix. If I was hosting there would be burgers, veggie burgers if needed, sausages, plenty of salad, dressings and sauces, corn on the cob, and massive beef tomatoes. We cook them in foil on the barbecue with lots of garlic. And there'd definitely be at least a tub of vanilla ice cream if anyone wanted something sweet after.

i would never host a bbq and only buy sausages and buns. thats awful :D

Yeah I think that's a bit shit. You need need some decent sides like salad, couscous, coleslaw, corn on the cob/other bbq veg, and at the very least two different meat options (preferably 3 or 4) when hosting a bbq.

Yes! It's a rule...

I've catered for both vegetarians and vegans. Vegetable kebabs are great, especially things you can marinade. Home made spiced lentil and chickpea burgers. Marinaded halloumi for the vegetarians. Quorn salad treated like bulgur with fresh mint and garlic in a herb and lemon dressing. I have a completely separate BBQ for the purpose.

Any vegetarians or vegans there? We’d have gone hungry ☹️

Sounds awful!! We had a bbq tonight, 2 adults, a 1yr old & 2yr old. 3 quarter pounder burgers, 4 sausages, with burger buns , a few kebabs, potato salad and Blueberries, Raspberries for after.

When we host, it would be minimum of 1 burger, 2 sausage per person and some chicken..plus potato salad, Coleslaw, crisps and desert of some kind. You want over indulge at a bbq generally. And you always want to over cater for guests

I wouldn’t even think that is appropriate at a child’s birthday let alone a supposed BBQ . My BBQ involve lots if different meats and cuts , several sides , salad and certainly deserted and a cheeseboard or starters .
that was plain rude imo

Calorie-wise it's comparable one of the smaller ready meals you get in supermarket, so passable for a light lunch.

But I've never heard of a barbecue being used to make a llight lunch. It's an objectively shit bbq - if money is an issue, ask guests to bring some more food.

Pretty rubbish but not something I’d dwell on.

No - a very basic offering would be 1. Hot dog 1. Burger - and a couple of salad selections. But if you are inviting others over for dinner I would expect substantially more effort.

Salads? Fruit? Dessert?

It's okay food wise for a meal, but I wouldn't be impressed if I was at a BBQ with snacks, sides and desserts. Then again I am a greedy fat bastard, so there is that.

Revenge is a dish best served 3 ways with a large selection of sauces salads and puds...

100% Agree

That's rubbish. Most people go way OTT on the meat at barbecues, it's not necessary to have four or five types of meat, but you DO need at least a couple of side dishes. A green salad, new potatoes, coleslaw, macaroni cheese, or a nice interesting salads with things like lentils, rice, pasta, beetroot, cousous or SOMETHING. Just sausages in buns is a very poor effort.

@drusth "I would be less generous to them in future"
Tempting. Or....
You go massivly the other way in a huge pass agg effort to shame them?

Revenge is a dish best served 3 ways with a large selection of sauces salads and puds...