....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?

Are there men's espadrilles? Or was he sporting ... ladies' portions?

It may have been because I was hypoglycaemic but in my opinion there was a feminine air about them.

In which case the Atmosphere of Spain Tinned Picnic Theme it is, then. Tinned olives and a can of plum tomatoes. And value sardines with the roll top key that doesn't work. Hours of fun.

Ooh and tinned cod roe too, and those octopus chunks you can get. Good idea linerunner. Would you like to be guest of honour. You must bring a piñata though.

I am picturing an evening like this

Friend invited self and DT for a BBQ, as my DH was abroad. I said I would contribute, so took two desserts and two bottles of wine. They contributed a sausage and a bread roll each, and a few lettuce leaves.(I kid you not). The three adults shared one bottle of wine, the other was put away and we had no more drinks. Also, one dessert was put in the freezer for them to have "later in the week".

I was once invited to a relative's for a "roast dinner" where 7 adults were served with 1 chicken breast between us and 1 dessert bowl of mixed veg. I kid you not.

5 of us were looking at each other trying to hide the and while the 2 hosts seemed to think it completely normal for grown adults to not have even a saucer's worth of food each for their main meal.

I know this is unrelated but I went to my brothers for Xmas 5 years ago and in four days had only two pieces of cheese, four crackers, two walnuts and three cups of coffee. And had to go to bed by ten. Do you think people dont like me?

at scarletfingernail
Wouldn't you just die of shame if your guests even looked as though they could eat another crumb?
I am usually manically forcing extra on people.

That's not a picnic, that's lunch for one!

Ok, ok I'm exaggerating but with the exception of your contribution of crisps which clearly he hadn't included as part of his picnic offering, my DH would just about eat that if he was hungry, as you say you were.

Invite them over for dinner and serve 'em up half a slice of toast each with a small tin of beans to share and smile encouragingly whilst serving it up

I'm the same SharperSeven I can't imagine why they thought that would be enough. The only defence I can think of is that they are both getting on a bit and have had years where it's just been the 2 of them and just aren't used to cooking for more people these days. But still...

I think, Geraldine, that you do inhabit a rather frugal world of food, pans notwithstanding.

I am seeking out a suitable stick; thank you for the kind invitation. I presume no-one will be supplying the actual hanging object with sweets.

There will be three liquorice allsorts and one werthers original. Make of that what you will.

Make sure you lick the werthers original and two of the allsorts first.

Il leave that to the maitre'd. If we are really lucky he may wee on the paper plates too. He's a spirited sort.

I was leaning towards giving the friend and his girlfriend the benefit of the doubt (crossed wires and all that) ... until I found out about the Espadrilles.

To say 'frugal' is being kind!

I have an individually wrapped caramel eclair that still looks to have some life in it.

Do you think they are hard up?? I know we have had folk over to stay sometimes and I have had to almost ration the food as we are on a very tight budget due to debt and lack of work etc. It's embarrassing and I think some folk don't realise how hard is is for some....or am I being to nice in thinking this might be the problem when in fact they are a bit tight??

They aren't hard up. Apparently gf's dad is vvvvvv rich (Russian businessman ).

Perhaps they have spent all their money on pans?

My housemate and I did once serve quite a small number of fishfingers as dinner to two friends - this was quite a long time ago now so can't remember whether they'd turned up unexpectedly or we'd just forgotten they were coming, but think it was our own dinner that we suddenly had to share between four rather than two. With nothing else to go with it. I think we did then pull ourselves together though and managed to pass it off as a fishfinger starter while we rustled something else up

I wonder what the rich Russian daddy thinks of the 49 year old espadrille-wearing boyfriend.

Now there's a sentence I never expected to type.

I don't think they have met. He was her language teacher. She has a tattoo on her face and I barcode on her arm. I can't help but judge. I once served carrot and coriander soup as a pasta sauce with crackers in lieue of bread. In my defence I was shit faced though.

A fishfinger starter sounds delightful. Very nouvelle cuisine.

Goodness, she sounds terribly Matrix.

You see the circles i move in now hey? Bet you are 'well jell'.