Opinions on this BBQ lunch for adults and young children

[Owlsintowels]

Invited for a bbq lunch today. One of the inviting couple popped out to get the saus and burgers this morning so ample opportunity to buy other bits

BBQ for adults and 2 and 6 yr olds consisted of

One plain beef burger in a bun

One plain sausage in a bun

Option of ketchup or no ketchup

Some crisps to nibble

No salad. Not a cherry tomato in sight. No limp shredded iceberg. No cucumber or carrot batons. No pickles, mustard, mayo, fried onions
Nothing else

We met at 10am, went to park, kids had ice creams and shared chips as a snack since bbq was going to be 2pm. We joked about unhealthy snacks, kids living the dream eating just this food. I had no idea lunch wouldn't be a bit healthier

When I asked if there was any fruit I got given about 10 grapes per child

The hosts are very comfortably off, money is not the issue

I'm just dumbfounded this was their planned meal

We offered to bring something, w were told no thanks

We host them here just as much and would make potato salad plus salads, cucumber etc. My DC2 won't eat any veg so we'd also have houmous for his veg content plus piles of berries for nibbles. And crisps

Really interested in how many people think this is an OK lunch for such young kids

For context we had to leave our house early, and we got back home after at 6.30pm, so not much opportunity for us to get healthy food into our kids either end of the day, this meal was the bulk of the days nutrition.

We brought car fruit, and I'm aware noone will get scurvy or die

Well, im vegetarian so that wouldnt do for me at all. At my friends bbq last year she also had baked potatoes so i didn't go without food and get hammered

It's just one day. No one is going to die. No, it isn't very good on a regular basis, but just one day is neither here nor there.

It's jot a huge banquet and I would probably prefer a bit of salad but you not being able to return home until late and giving the children chips as a snack is your responsibility not tbe hosts.
Most people kids just have a burger and hot dog anyway. Although I'd miss some cheese and fried onions.
I think your over analysing it

Also humous isn't vegetables unless you mean he eats vegetables dipped in

I think it's a bit lacklustre but I wouldn't be too worried about it as a one off from a nutrition perspective.

I think you are being a bit precious.

I also want to see the piles of berries you provide. Why does everyone on MN providing piles of healthy things

*not

Car fruit?

pixie me too and 'carfruit'

It’s a bit meh, but it’s food. It does scream minimum thought and effort though.

Yeah, it's a shit effort

I would be embarrassed to serve that if I'd invited people over, we're not well off at all but there would at least be salad, potato salad, nibbles and dessert

Piles of berries must cost you a fortune. I would be side-eying their hosting skills but not really from a health perspective. It just sounds like quite a boring lunch!

Most salads at bbqs are still sitting there looking limp and forlorn at the end of the bbq, so sounds like a way to reduce food waste.

Maybe she couldn't justify the food waste and effort of making a salad for no-one to eat and then need chucked.

The salad always gets eaten at our/our friends' BBQs

Since when was hummus not vegetable?

It’s one day
It was lunch, which to a lot of people is a sandwich
If you always eat healthy why no food at home?
And what is ‘carfruit?’

I would have served it with salad, more sauces, fried onions, potato salad, coleslaw etc. I wouldn't have served hummous or berries/ fruit.

As a one off it's really not a big deal.

Unclear as to what you're complaining about, that the food was insufficient, or that it wasn't healthy.

From the 'health' perspective, who cares, it's a BBQ, burgers and hotdogs are staple. YABU.

But was it enough? Absolutely not. They sound like cheapskates. YANBU.

God, that sounds depressing. I've been to plenty of BBQs but even the most meagre ones would have at least corn on the cob, some form of potato and some veggie platter.

One day of no veg isn’t the end of the world so YABU to be getting her up about that. However as a preplanned hosted event the menu is pretty poor. Even if I was keeping it simple I would have done: burgers with cheese and fries onions, hotdogs, put out ketchup and mustard (and would have had a million other sauces in the fridge if anyone wanted any) a small bowl of mixed salad and some coleslaw and some boiled new potatoes or small jacket potatoes.

A friend invited us round recently and said “I’m having a bbq because I want to see everyone but I CBA faffing so I’m doing burgers and sausage and if you want salad etc bring it yourself.” We didn’t bother.

It’s one day, the sun was shining, don’t sweat it.

I’m not sure what your problem is if your kids don’t even eat veg anyway !! I would probably expect salad/sides at a bbq but I don’t think I’d notice the lack of berry piles and I certainly wouldn’t ask for fruit!

Next time, don't ask if you can bring something. Say "we'll bring the salad and a fruit platter for dessert".

I agree it was a weird meal.

People do different things at bbqs

We have loads, way too much
Sometimes it’s nicer to keep it simple and just have burgers and sausages.
We have to have fish, prawns, veggie stuff, salads and 3 types of potatoes. Crisps, dips and 3 different desserts

Really OP? I was with you in regards to the shit sounding bbq but all this fuss about fruit and veg and healthy etc. Get over yourself - it was one meal on 1 day of your childrens lives.

Car fruit!

It's a 2 hr drive each way so with little DC rushed to finish breakfast I brought car snacks. I was trying to make the point that since fruit is so important to me I didn't leave the house empty handed expecting my hosts to cater to my every whim

Berries we'd prob do approx a large punnet per child. Mine will happily eat this, especially the 2 Yr old who won't touch veg. I'm fairly relaxed that he'll eat veg one day (he'll eat soup and pasta / curry sauces, just not raw or cooked solo veg) so to ensyre he gets roughage and vitamins I give him a lot of fruit, especially in summer when it's all so nice and local

It is pricey but we grow lots in our garden which helps, and being lunt we're comfortably off too, don't spend money on big holidays or expensive clothes, and like to spend our money on nice food.

I count houmous as veg-ish as its got chickpeas which I assume are one of your 5 a day if baked beans count then chickpeas must plus tahini is sesame seeds which feel like the same sort of food group as veg. And lemon juice / garlic are on the right track too!

We're knackered from the day and I've just ordered us a takeaway so I'm clearly not super precious about healthy food all the time, just surprised they thought this was an OK spread for guests who've travelled

They know I eat veg - we've had plenty of film nights together pre-kids where I've put cherry toms and a cucumber in the basket alongside my crisps and chocs as a movie nibble and I've been relentlessly mocked for it.

I love food, I just think a bit of veg alongside the 'bad' stuff balance it out so that's how I eat. Think I was more surprised now they're parents that they don't offer veg with every meal.