....or was this an unusually frugal picnic?

[GeraldineAubergine]

last week my dp invited his friend over with his new girlfriend (she's 20 he's 49,unnecessary but I felt I had to add it) and his daughter who was visiting for a week. I bought beer, coke, snacks and we ordered takeaway pizzas as it was a treat for his dd's holiday. All was lovely. Anyhow to say thanks he invited us (dp, ds and myself for a picnic yesterday. I didn't eat thinking il fill up on delicious picnic food.
The picnic consisted of ( for 4 adults and 2 kids): 2 cheese sandwiches cut into 4, 1 small prepack salad, a pear and an apple plus 3 low fat yoghurts. There was a carton of oj too. And six packets of hula hoops which I'm glad I brought :). It was a bit awkward. Am I being unrealistic was this a reasonable picnic? Or do I have greedy tendencies?

Doesn't sound like the end of the world to me.

Id have been hank marvin

What were they thinking? It isn't even a small amount of proper sharing food. That is an 'oh bugger what's in the fridge!' meal.

I think I might be a bit offended!

That's barely enough for two adults, given that on a picnic you expect to have lots of lovely picky bits. I hate undercatering.

that sounds just enough for 2 kids, and I would have assumed they had forgotten the adults basket.

Well of course it wasn't the end of the world but that was definitely not enough for 4 adults and 2 kids. Maybe neither of them has much experience of catering?

If someone invited me for a picnic I would assume we had to bring our own food - it sounds like he wasn't expecting to feed you either?! Sounds like crossed wires to me!

Should have been at least ten sandwiches!

I was going to invite them for dinner next week but now I'm concerned about what to give them and how much. I don't want to scare them :)

Id have said sorry didn't realise we were supposed to bring food!

By the sounds of it I think they were expecting you to bring your own food... I have to say that when ever I've been invited on a picnic I assume I'm providing my own share unless I'm specifically told otherwise and that works the other way around too (although I'll always over pack food so we can share)

Friend text dp 'food and drink sorted, just bring a blanket' so I think he did think he'd done a good job tbh.

Excuse me for bringing feminist analysis to a picnic thread but it could be that he thought picnic preperation is woman's work, and she thought, being only 20 and inexperienced at catering for mixed groups of adults and children, bloody hell, is the picnic today? What's in the cupboard?

Yes... the three yoghurts is odd. Definitely too little food for that number of people and he would have been better to not bring anything and take you all out somewhere for lunch instead.

They hadn't catered for you and your family, just themselves.

Did they not say anything at all?!

Tight as a nuns I'd say.

I'd have left hungry

Then I take it back, and your friend is definitely odd

Pmsl that wouldn't have fed dh and I!

I'd be tempted, for the dinner you invite them to, to provide a similar amount of food to what they provided.

Seriously though, did you not ask them where the rest of the food was?

I like the feminist analysis! Tbh I think he was a bit surprised at my ordering pizza and suchlike last week as although he's not a healthy food type of guy he seemed a bit worried about his dd eating it. I'm in the treats on holiday camp so I didnt really think. Maybe he was being health conscious?

Cripes, that does sound a bit on the frugal side! Perhaps they were expecting you to bring your own stuff and you misread the signals or maybe they forgot about the picnic till the last minute and had to scrounge around at the bottom of the fridge? Did you check the cheese for mould?! I must say when I'm entertaining I tend to overcompensate on the food which on the downside means I spend more - but on the plus side I get to eat all the tasty left overs:

V odd. Definitely not enough for 6!

'Food and drink sorted' Sorted? My arse. Did you actually see this text with your own eyes? I'm intrigued.

In my family it's considered a cardinal sin to let people go home hungry so maybe I'm over the top? Glad you all mostly think it's weird too. I might serve one chicken breast between four and some shredded wheat or something for afters next week :)

In light of the feminist analysis, I assume he asked her to do the picnic, she did, for them, not you as well. There's no way that was for you as well.

Where did you go for dinner after you left them