To think this is slightly odd dinner party etiquette? (bit light-hearted)

[LittleBlackDress]

Had some friends round for dinner and they asked if they could bring anything. I said it would be very helpful if they could bring pudding. So, they turn up with pudding - yummy and we all ate just over half of it. All good so far. I did notice some exchanged looks when I had seconds, but didn't think too much of it.

Anyway, when it comes to time to say goodbye, they wander over to the fridge and take out the remains of the pudding and take it home with them. (they live very locally so would have been no problem to drop off the dish the next day).

I just thought it was odd to take your pudding back home with you, but maybe I am the weird one?!! I then thought the exchanged looks may have been because they were hoping at least half would be left over for them the next day. What do you think is 'normal'? :)

Very weird! If I give something I always see it as a present, so even if a a bottle of wine isn't opened or pudding isn't eaten I just consider it to belong to the hosts as a "thank you" for dinner.

Very odd behaviour I think. Did they also take home any left over wine that they'd brought? I would never dream of expecting to take any leftovers back. V strange people

That's weird.

Odd indeed! We went for dinner last night and I took 2 bottles of wine and some biscuits and left the lot. I never think to give people things back. Had no idea I should!

Even if I had wanted to take the dish I would have asked if you had a container that you could keep the remainders in.

It's normal to leave the pudding with the host. Even if you transfer it to another dish you leave it! Your friends are a bit odd? Maybe fat too? ;)

Yes, very odd behaviour. Even them going unsolicited to your fridge to retrieve it is odd. Are they a bit tight normally? I don't know anyone who would do this

I think it's odd asking someone to dinner then asking them to bring the dessert - if it's dinner at mine I provide everything (apart from them bringing a bottle of wine). But they were odd too.

YANBU You cook dinner, provide drinks and host and they take their half-eaten pudding home? It's more than odd, it's rude!

I had similar once. An acquaintance came to stay for the weekend with me and brought a bottle of whisky to thank me for letting him stay. We had a few drams, but only about a quarter. On Monday I had to go back to work and he went off after I left. I came home to find he had taken the whisky with him!

Not saying you shouldn't invite them over again, but they certainly wouldn't be at the top of my list.

YANBU, the norm would be to leave what's left for the hosts. Taking it just makes them seem tight.

No, it is not normal! But they'd obviously been planning to take it home all along if they were concerned that you were having seconds.

no way!!! how odd

i might empty it to give the dish back and offer it to them but no one would accept

To add, I don't think it is is odd to ask someone to bring dessert - but I'd only do this if they were really good friends whom I cooked for a lot.

my best ever party was when i said " yes please" to people who offered to bring food. it was this summer in the garden. People brought such awesome food.
mY fave was asparagus spears wrapped in filo with garlic butter and parmesan on, HOT out of the oven

We do go over to each others houses a fair bit and we normally split the food prep between us - so I would normally take a starter / pudding to theirs and vice versa.

Glad to know that I am not the only one that thinks it was a bit odd to take their pudding home though. I was only gutted as it was absolutely delicious!!

Yes, that is odd.

Slight hijack, but I find it odd when people being round opened bottles of wine. I mean, why? I always think 'did you get thirsty on the way round or something?' I have a friend who does it all the time.

I've never known this although there was one occasion when I had a do and a guest brought a souffle for pudding with no warning so I had catered for pudding anyway.

No one ate any of it so she took that home. I didn't want it anyway.

The OP's friend is rather strange. Would you take a box of chocolates to someone and take home the six remaining in the box? It's the same sort of thing, isn't it?

It's a trifle odd!

Waaaaa haa haa!

Sounds like my mum with the wine. My parents went to my sister's one Christmas and took wine with them, drank all the wine my sister had and my mum took theirs home the next day as they hadn't drunk it. Told my sis to drink their's first next time. In my dad's defence this is my mum's foible and he wouldn't have dreamt of taking it home.

Craftyone - I'm fat but in those circumstances I'd have left the dessert or just asked if I could take my bowl home.

Definitely odd behaviour.

Who brings an open bottle of wine?!?!?! good grief!

Pickles

One word.....POMBEARS

lbd honestly; she does it all the time. It's just... Odd, you know?! I never know what to say, just give my thanks and then DH and I wonder when she had the first glass

mum hahaaa! Sounds like something my mum would do!

Isn't it funny how people get with food and drink?

That is odd. I've never known that happen.

I'd have assumed that the normal thing to do would be to leave any leftover pudding at the hosts house. And ask the host to transfer the leftovers into another container if you want the pudding dish back.