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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think my dinner party menu was better?

148 replies

TacticalWheelbarrow · 22/11/2012 16:55

A few weeks ago I invited a couple who have been friends with DH and I for years. Unfortunately the wife has been made redundant recently and they have been a bit stressed out. I offered to have them round for dinner and they seemed really up for it. So I for the evening I cooked:
Starter-homemade potato skins with bacon, cheese and mushrooms with a side salad.
Main- chicken fajitas with guacamole, sour cream, cheese and salsa (all in individual pots so everyone could help themselves) with nachos and jalapeños.
Dessert- homemade treacle tart (made by DH) and ice cream.

They picked at everything so I asked if it was ok and they turned round and said they had eaten a roast dinner before they had come. Shock

So they invited us round theirs for a dinner party and they served.
Starter- scallops which is fine yum. But it was one scallop with a purée thing, all very decorative but still one small scallop.
Main- a terracotta pot with layers of Aubergine, tomatoes, red onions and other veg in a creamy sauce with a small bit of salmon in soy sauce. Really nice but still really tiny portion.
Dessert- a chocolate mousse thing, lovely but served to us in a shot glass.
It was food that you get at one of them ridiculously expensive restaurants.
Now I had a good time and the food was nice but I was pissed off at the husband's comments. He said "it's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it" and "we understand that you were pushed for time having two kids but your food was better than we expected." basically dropping hints about my food. He even made a dig about our wine when he brought out this expensive stuff and said "this may be a bit stronger for people who are used to echo falls". Hmm
It made me feel very uncomfortable.

Aibu to think well actually what I cooked was better than the cordon bleu (sp?) stuff they served?

OP posts:
Pandemoniaa · 22/11/2012 17:14

I'd have preferred yours. I'd have gone home happily stuffed with grub. Also, I am not pretentious about "dinner party food" since a well cooked, well presented meal is dinner party food surely? It's not as if you served them spaghetti rings on toast is it?

MainlyMaynie · 22/11/2012 17:14

They were rude. I think your menu was fine for having close friends round for a casual tea, theirs was a formal dinner party menu. Did you really serve Echo Falls though Grin?

Nancy66 · 22/11/2012 17:14

While I love everything you cooked - it is a bit TGI Friday

MummyPig24 · 22/11/2012 17:15

I would be fecking ecstatic if someone invited me round for dinner and cooked foe me. I'd love your menu, I don't like scallops and by the sound of it the portions were too small. Yes they were rude, whose food was better is a matter of opinion, but there's no need to be an arse about it. Pass the Echo Falls!

MardyBra · 22/11/2012 17:17

I'd prefer to come round to yours than theirs though. You sound much better company.

Tailtwister · 22/11/2012 17:17

I think your menu sounds lovely! I adore fajitas and would have hoovered up the rest too (not as rudely as that I promise, but there wouldn't have been a scrap left on my plate).

Your friends sound really rude. There's no way they should have made such horrible comments and anyway, you both had completely different menus. Also, what were they playing at eating before they came!

We used to have people round a lot (pre-kids) and fajitas were one of the things we served most often. We never had any complaints. It's a shame your friends chose to be so pretentious.

BoulevardOfBrokenSleep · 22/11/2012 17:17

Blimey, apparently I have never been to a dinner party then. Who knew!?

I'm just struggling to comprehend why one would invite people round and then serve poncy mini-food things. Perhaps I'm irredeemably lower class then!

(Does anyone else remember the song, 'You don't win friends with salad', from the Simpsons? Grin)

Plomino · 22/11/2012 17:18

They might have served 'posher ' food ( in their eyes ) but he certainly doesn't have better manners , does he?

If we're talking 'dinner party' food , then yes, probably theirs would be closer , but frankly , I'd take a night at yours with your cooking , which sounds like a really good night , over some pretentious wanky competitive dining evening ANY time.

TacticalWheelbarrow · 22/11/2012 17:18

mainly yeah we did serve echo falls rose because in my opinion that is the nicest tasting and I don't see anything wrong with it. Is there?
Maybe I am quite uncultured then because I've always thought a dinner party was friends coming round for dinner, three courses job done. Better dig out the dusty cookbooks for the next one Grin

OP posts:
fromparistoberlin · 22/11/2012 17:21

they should not have said anything

even ruder was to eat before they came

byt the echo falls comment, WANKER!!!!

but your menu does sound a bit Tesco magazine saturday nite special!!!

Rugbycomet · 22/11/2012 17:21

TBH I have a feeling that they hadn't eaten beforehand and just didn't want to try or eat your food. Tough! I hope they went home hungry!

thecatsminion · 22/11/2012 17:23

I hope you manage to let slip you were so hungry afterwards that you had to have a roast dinner when you get back.

rotavirusrita · 22/11/2012 17:25

Wow! Get some nicer friends

i've always thought i was a bit of a snob but i would much prefer your menu! so it turns out i'm not a snob at all....thanks mumsnet.

Dinner parties are so 1980's and not in a cool retro way either

Plomino · 22/11/2012 17:27

TW, just think of yourself as more of a Nigella than a Gordon Ramsay cook !

I don't mind Echo Falls at all , and I've been subjected to some vile expensive wine in the past . My BIL gave us wine as a wedding present, which he talked up a treat , told us which vineyard , which medals it had won , everything short of the price tag ( we looked it up and it was seriously expensive ) . We opened the first bottle on our honeymoon , took one sip , looked at each other and reached for the Asti .

He keeps asking us if we've tried it yet , and we keep saying we're keeping it for a special occasion . We don't have the heart to say we thought it was vile.

Jins · 22/11/2012 17:35

I prefer their menu but I don't think much to their manners

Freshbloodletticia · 22/11/2012 17:37

Yours was definitely a supper with friends whereas theirs was a poncy dinner party menu. I would have enjoyed both TBH, as long as the portions were sensible and the company nice.
However, they are fecking rude, especially him with his bloody wine. I don't like Echo Falls much myself, but I would never, ever be rude like that about someone else's choice. Nor would I eat a roast before coming for supper. Looks like they wil struggle a bit to keep up appearances if one of them has been made redundant if they pooh-pooh good wholesome food and will only drink posh wine.
Don't invite them again - or go to theirs.

RobinSparkles · 22/11/2012 17:38

At least they didn't give you tinned tomato soup and pombears!

BoulevardOfBrokenSleep · 22/11/2012 17:42

Was the bloke really as appallingly obnoxious as he sounds?

Cause I can easily see DH's best mate saying to us, 'I've opened the good wine even though you pair of fucking philistines would probably prefer Jacob's Creek' ...but in a nice, banter-y way!

Wishfulmakeupping · 22/11/2012 17:42

I'd rather eat round yours any day of week OP much more informal relaxed and think I'd be hungry after leaving their house!

PorkyScratching · 22/11/2012 17:42

Id have preffered their food, yours is what my 12 year old can knock up, but they were very rude!
Also, if thats the sort of food you enjoy, there is no reason not to serve it to guests. I am grateful for whatever my friends cook for me.

Tailtwister · 22/11/2012 17:45

You wouldn't serve a really expensive wine with fajitas anyway (the spices would destroy it). Also, fajitas can be pretty time consuming. Making your own guacamole and salsa can take a while and you can go to town on the spices for the meat should you wish.

In any case, who cares. The guy was bloody rude and I would have shoved his shot glasses where the sun don't shine!

Mintyy · 22/11/2012 17:45

I'm a bit of a foodie and food snob but I would have preferred yours.

One scallop and chocolate mousse in a shot glass?

I'd have had to go home and make myself a sandwich!

And treacle tart did you say? Yum.

edam · 22/11/2012 17:45

He was extremely ill-mannered. You were kind and hospitable and he was RUDE. Sod him and his pretentiousness. If he was genuinely posh, he wouldn't make such a ruddy fuss - he's trying desperately to be what he imagines is posh and failing miserably.

thebody · 22/11/2012 17:45

The sort of people who expect dinner party food, what ever the fuck that is, are silly twats.

The comments from her dh are hilarious and pathetic.

Loved your menu and theirs to me sounded pretentious and trying way to hard, it's a sign of low self esteem.

Make nicer friends.

noddyholder · 22/11/2012 17:46

Prefer theirs yours is a bit 1980s diner!