To not like being fed leftovers when I am a guest?

[alfabetty]

Or am I being precious? We went to see some friends for an afternoon, for something to eat while the children play. So not expecting a big meal, just snacks.

What is produced is 'cheese & biscuits'. Which is fine. But every bit of cheese has already been hacked about and partially eaten. So it appears to be leftovers from another meal.

AIBU to expect that if you have guests and are serving them cheese and biscuits, you either cut a chunk off a larger block from your well-stocked pantry (my preferred option... ) or nip out and buy a few new lumps of cheese to serve up?

But what if I have guests a few times in a week? I could have 3, 4, 5 whole cakes with a slice out of them. I'd be the size of a house and etiquette wouldn't help me then, would it?

I wouldn't want to be the friend of someone who judged me on the cut of my cheese, or whether I produced entire cakes out of my arse.

Damn you all. I am eating Cheddar, Carrs and a Cox . You drove me to it with your non-stop cheese-dropping.

Moondog, we chatted too. Although I went a bit quiet when I saw the cheeseboard.

Alfa, can you invite her to yours in future, or arrange to meet in an establishment that offer's food you enjoy, it would be a shame to loose her friendship over cheese and undecanted coeslaw!

She will have noticed if you went quite when the food came out!

quiet!

ShoppingDays Fri 03-Dec-10 21:33:49
Jux, how do you cut cheese so the surface area is increased?

The way DS' father cuts it, using the knife to get about half-way, then snapping the rest, so that the bottom half of the cheese is all bobbly. EEEEK drives me mad.

BTW I disagree that you should scoop out stilton. If it has obviously been cut from a round cheese then each person should take a sliver so that everyone gets part of the crust (?heel?)

If the cheese was square to start with, then fair enough cut off a flat piece, but CUT it not snap it.

I have sympathy for you OP. I too prefer my Dairylea triangles still in their wrapper.

You wouldn't have five cakes because when people come they eat the cake. I don't make a new cake for one visitor, but if a family came to tea I wouldn't expect to have much cake left. And yes, I suppose if I invited five families to afternoon tea over a week I would make three or four cakes. But I have other things to do and therefore wouldn't.

I am completely lost here.

How on earth can any of you tell without photos ?

Was it like:
A
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or other :o

But Willa, the OP said it would be rude to present a cake to a guest with a slice gone out of it. Each set of guests, whether single or in groups, needs their own cake apparently, or else major faux pas.

Oddly enough, nobody has ever looked askance at me when I produce home made not full cakes, or cheese with a bit sliced off. Perhaps they are all posting on the internet though to share how terrible I am as a hostess.

I love this thread so much.

I stand by my original YABU which was given without knowing the invitey nature of the day. When I compared it to my friend popping round, that's typically on a day or two notice and I'm just not a good enough hostess to shop specially for that. However, if I did, it would seem a bit like I was trying too hard, if you know what I mean. She seems generally impressed that I've usually got homemade bread or cake around for the occasion, and that's good enough. I think I even had her bring some chutney last time as we didn't have much else to go with the cheese etc.

I don't think you're being entirely U, now. However, your OP still made me laugh. And the subsequent posts have been fabulous. I especially enjoyed the one about the aunt who was skilled in the art of meat blending. Learn something new every day!

I've particularly enjoyed Cumfy's photos of cheese which were helpful and informative.

I dOnt think you are being unreasonable! If they invited you for something to eat, a bit of cut at all angles cheese is not what they should have offered. People on here are being particulary bitchy to you about this and it is unfair on you so ignore the bitchy comments and know you are not being unreasonable!

I don't think what the host did was unacceptable. Having said that if I was entertaining guests, I wouldn't throw a load of odds and ends of cheese together for them. If all I had left was little bits of hacked away cheese, I would buy more. But that's just me.

gotta add to this, it's the totally weirdest thread ever.

of course you're BU. whoever said a zillion pages ago that this is like another slice of the loaf is quite right. but you'll be roughing up your cheeses now, in case any of your guests are Mnetters and out you, won't you

OP, I will go out on a limb and say that YA only partially NBU.

I have no problem with being served a pre-sliced bit of cheese, but it does need to be cut properly. You don't cut all the corners off a piece of cheddar, it needs to be sliced off nicely so that it is square. Brie is a bit more tricky, but can still be cut at an angle so that it is aesthetically pleasing. And one definitely doesn't leave bits of dangling wax on the edam.

Cut properly, served on a lovely board, with a few artfully arranged grapes or apple slices, it is perfectly possible to present an acceptable cheeseboard from leftovers.

SlightlyJaded, are you my niece?
I always arrange foods nicely.

I have a friend coming over, we'll be having potato waffles, pancakes with maply syrup and bacon and a half eaten morrisons 'festive cheeseboard.

She is bringing matlesers and jacobs crackers and won't give a rats arse that the cheese doesn't have a 'nose'

But snow and RL drama means my stock cupboards are low, even for a saturday night shire telly and catch up night in I'd serve far nicer food than this....

choccp1g, kinda like this:

Just out of the packet cheddar:

----
|................|
|................|
|................|
|................|
|................|
----

Cheddar after small person has taken a chunk out (OK I put my hand up, it used to be me, generally to see how frustrated dad would become)

----
|................|
|................|
|................|
|.....|---|......|
|.....| |......|
-| |--

And sometimes, if I was feeling particularly devilish, I would cut out windows too. I once did a whole battlement along the top. (I had to hide until dad calmed down )

Oh bother, why can't you draw on mn?

Jux, I dare you to draw the acceptable way to cut Brie.

Side view of cheddar (originally square) after DS' Dad has been hacking at it:

|---|
|---| nice and straight.
|---| proves knife can cut
|---;
|----: all crummy at the bottom.
|---.. Proves he can't be bothered
|---.; to finish cutting

Oh that's so annoying! And also the fact that you can draw on mn and I can't!