Offended by friend’s comments about party food

Absolutely, but it should only be allowed ironically - e.g. not when someone is hosting a nice dinner party but in the nost mundane/unglamorous circs

E.g "should I let the builder use my toilet even though he left a mess last time?"
Answer "of course! Removing someone else's skid marks is how one shines as a hostess!"

I do wonder what some of the people are like that come out with this crap completely seriously. Hyacinth bucket rides again!

It wasn't a children's party. A lot of posters seem to have assumed this was something like a young child's birthday party, hence all the references to sandwiches, crisps and ice cream. It was a social gathering to watch football together, with a few adults and a few children. If I hear 'party food' I assume food for a social gathering, and the precise form it takes depends on who's coming and who's the host.

She was rude to mention it obviously. Me and mine would have loved your buffet.

However it does remind me of a posh christening in Hampstead we went to. The baby was a few months old and the parents had no other children so seemed to have that PFB view of children. The children’s buffet consisted of hummus, pitta bread, carrot and cucumber sticks etc. You get the picture. It was held in the church hall and it became apparent there was lots of comings and goings outside the back door of the hall.

Turned out there was someone doing secret runs to McDonalds to get food because no one wanted the buffet. Ended up with an almost untouched buffet but happy children who had eaten.

She was rude to let you know the food wasn’t to her and DC’s liking; as the host, you can cater as you see fit. I’d argue it was rude of her not to offer to bring any food, especially if she is picky about what she eats. As you say, then hotfooting it to McDonald’s is baffling.

Tbh I wouldn't have eaten anything either, but would not be so rude as to comment on the upf.

Genuinely wondering who is voting YABU?

Would you really be outright rude where someone has paid for food and hosted you. Even if it wasn't to your taste, would you not just either politely pick at it or leave it altogether and not make a snide comment in front of your host?

I hope this sticks around. "Cancel the cheque, penis beaker, shine as a hostess"

Exactly.

Whether it’s what you would choose is beside the point.

As I don’t. I’ve still been able to eat onion bhajis, spring rolls, potato wedges, mini quiches and pizzas etc. at parties. And I’ve enjoyed all of it. I certainly didn’t cry in the corner over the lack of stir fried kale.

Agree with this.

Incredibly rude at every point.

I suspect it’s not snobby more that prawns and Indian etc were pushing their sphere of experience. McDonald’s is pretty lowbrow food; I doubt they would have thought this wasn’t as “ classy”! 😆
I think they are probably fussy with very limited palates.

Totally this. I knew someone who worked in a chicken factory and they put different lables on the same chicken. Same with someone who worked in a bakery.

She was very rude. I don't like Iceland frozen food either. It's looks nice but it just doesn't taste nice to me.
But that's not the point. If she and her child didn't want to eat it they can just not eat it. Nobody is going to starve because they miss one meal. No excuse for being rude to the host.

These MN scenarios are beyond belief. Do people really have these conversations? The main purpose of the afternoon was to enjoy the football.

This x 1000000000.

This x 1000000000.

Fwiw I do think the M&S offer tastes better, they do do that stuff well. There's no way it's healthier though and she was v v rude.

And yet somehow there isn’t a permanent epidemic of “bellyache” amongst Iceland customers…

This. Total bad manners all round. If someone is kind enough to provide free food, be grateful and eat up. I’m always grateful if I don’t have to cook and someone else has made an effort. I taught my kids to be grateful too and to be polite even if they didn’t like what was being offered. Not sure why people are commenting on whether they would have liked the party food. It’s not about what they would have chosen 🙄

Yes, the difference is the price point.

I've made that sort of food from scratch, OP, and it took two days to make a buffet for 20 people. Never again! That's why supermarkets sell it in shedloads.

But how did she know?! You put it on a plate right? Didn't present it in the boxes???

She sounds like a silly snob

Your friend sounds very rude and ungrateful. I would be mortified if my child made it obvious they were unimpressed with someone’s food in their home.
to loudly announce a mcds trip was just unnecessary.
I would not be hosting her again!

Nothing’s wrong with sandwiches. There’s also nothing wrong with trifle, or cheese and crackers, or Black Forest gateau. But none of that was on offer! The point is it’s bloody rude to insult what the OP WAS offering!

For those who think Iceland food is less healthy than higher-end party food from elsewhere - it isn't.

All supermarket ready-made food - from budget to gourmet - is ultra-processed and has similar amounts of the ingredients (thickeners/gums, stabilisers, emulsifiers, preservatives) that alter the make-up of the gut microbiome, which makes us sicker via inflammation.

A couple of carrot sticks aren't going to change that fact unfortunately.

Your friend has bad manners OP. One of my DC is a nightmare with food but there are much better ways to deal with it in front of a host than what she did. Modelling good behaviour by at least trying the food properly herself in front of her child would have been a good start.

<goes off to see whether 'ShineAsAHostess' has already been snapped up as a MN username>

To me party food is sandwiches, sausage rollls, ice cream and cake, but they were very rude regardless.

I'm not a fussy eater at all, never have been, but as a child we visited an Italian neighbour who served some sort of cake we all really struggled with. Maybe it was nuts or something, it was very different to anything I'd ever had before. When neighbour left the room, mum put it in her handbag so as not to offend!