To not be able to feed 3 extra adults unexpectedly for lunch?

[ImFree2doasiwant]

I'm single, with 2 small children. I do a weekly meal plan and shop once a week.

If 3 extra adults dropped in for lunch, I'd either be able to feed them but have to go shopping again, or not have enough food in to feed them at all.

Its not like I can't afford to, I just buy the food that we, as a family, will eat. I have a small freezer. I could probably manage dinner better.

Am I that unusual?

Very admirable to run such a tight ship. What do you do if you can't get to the shops? I'd hate to only have the week aheads food in.

I have loads of food in and could always rustle up something. If a friend drops in then I'd have to make what I have planned stretch. This is fine when I have batch cooked but not ideal if I'm doing say 4 pieces of meat or fish between 4.

It’s not unusual if you are struggling financially. In your situation op, as you are not in good poverty, then yes I do find that unusual. Surely you would want to feed unexpected guests.
I could easily feed our family for two months without going shopping. We have a well sticker pantry a regular freezer and a chest freezer.

I wouldn't even answer the door to three adults unexpectedly turning up never mind feed them!

So yes,my mistake, I should have put sandwiches instead of lunch .

yes, that would make more sense.

If someone was desperate to have sandwiches, I'd give them the direction of the nearest sandwich shop frankly. It wouldn't even occur to me to serve sandwiches to anyone.

Who the hell expects sandwiches when they visit (and worst without warning?)

I presume your mum or someone has turned up with two others unexpectedly wanting lunch?

I could quite feasibly not have enough lunch stuff in, depending on when the shopping came. I would think it’s unspeakably rude though to turn up uninvited at someone’s house and to object to what they feed you!

@Mummyoflittledragon I fully expect to have to buy a whole new fridge freezer for the food once my DC are older. Ours was an open house when I was a teen. Its important to have at least 1 in the friendship group.

@thevicarstroketwice nearest sandwich shop. about 9 miles

I wouldn't even answer the door to three adults unexpectedly turning up never mind feed them!

Same here!!

Unless they had been flooded out of their home or similar, but even then I would expect them to phone ahead swing by Tesco on the way or come armed with a pile of Subway sandwiches.

So you had three people turn up and demand sandwiches from you. Who does that?

They can't have been that hungry if they refused salad, pasta or omelette and only a sandwich would have been acceptable.

Currently I'd struggle to provide conventional sandwiches because the only sliced bread we have is a bit stale so only good for toast,

They'd be welcome to it, but it would be a lot more palatable as toasties or a vehicle for cheese, beans or egg on toast. We also have two different types of pittas, wraps, couple of brioche and a load of ciabatta in the freezer, again a bit stale, so will be used for brushetta, toasted with soup or made into garlic bread.

YANBU. It would be rude to just drop in on someone and expect a meal!

I could probably throw together some pasta or sandwiches fairly easily but I’d struggle if it was the last couple of days before our next delivery!

If you're dropping in unexpectedly for food, you can't really expect much more than "edible" and "won't hurt you".

If you're fussy enough to be offended by having a cooked lunch instead of sandwiches, the polite thing to do is bring some food yourself, or money for a takeaway.

[quote ImFree2doasiwant]@thevicarstroketwice nearest sandwich shop. about 9 miles[/quote]
if the guests are so keen on sandwiches, it's a perfectly reasonable distance. Were they as rude as they sound?

My teens have done this on occasion, brought back a few mates on Friday lunch time. ( school is half day on a Friday here)

But then it's freezer to over meal, using up half packets of fish fingers, potato wedges, nuggets, pizza, a few samosas, chicken nuggets, all a big mixture.
Edible, but not the best lunch imo.

I always have on hand, a bag of dried pasta, a can of chopped tomatoes and a lump of cheese. If I need to expand a meal for unexpected extras, , some combination of those will do it.

As a teen I was fed at home, but I had a really difficult time with my parents and spend more time per week at friends than my own house. Whilst my friends didn't necessarily realise, the parents did and always fed me, lunch or dinner, and treated me like I wasn't an imposition.

There was even a time I turned up when my friend wasn't even there, and the first thing her mum did is heat up some leftovers for me.

I think it's affected the way I look at impromptu guests. I'd mentioned I always have a couple of pizza, but I also always cook meals big enough for more than us (which could be padded further with salad) and freeze the remains, so actually unless I was planning on having steaks I'd also be able to prepare something for guests.

why are people 'dropping by' unexpectadly for dinner?

I dont/wont feed random guests just as I choose not to host dinner parties, I dont want people getting the idea they can invade my space whenever they please, hell they would be lucky if I even answer the door if Im not expecting them.

Who are these people who show up unannounced and want sandwiches?
What's the backstory with them?

I don't eat bread at all so I wouldn't be able to make sandwiches at the drop of a hat. As I don't eat bread I don't have sandwich filling ingredients either.
I've got a freezer full of portions of stuff I've previously made in bulk but I doubt I have three of anything so if three people showed up they'd have to have three different types of soup or one of them would be getting a pasta dish, another one a veggie chili and another one some lasagna or something.

It's rude of people to show up unannounced and then claim that you are unreasonable for not being able to whip up a load of sandwiches. They should let you know they are coming. If they don't they can take a hike.

My parents eat sandwiches everyday and always have a well stocked fridge of deli meat and cheeses and little pots of salad and lots of fresh salad stuff. I grew up being able to have a sandwich whenever and everyone who popped by was always offered a sandwich. I, on the other hand, do not eat bread much and h doesn’t like cold food. I could whip up pasta or a risotto or omelette, but not cold sandwiches and salad.

I have to have warning if my parents are popping in and I go to the shops and buy 2 rolls and a pack of ham etc. Sometimes my dad drops by unannounced and I have to run down to Lidl and he rolls his eyes as he can’t understand how we can live so sparsely. But I could live for weeks off what’s I’m my fridge/freezer/larder, (unlike them) but it’s not fresh bread based perishable in 48 hours deli meats type stuff. It only ends up going off and I’d need to shop every couple of days.

For me it depends on when in the month they drop by. I do a monthly shop for meat and staples, small weekly for fresh fruit, veg and sandwich.

If anyone comes to me this week, they would be given a bowl of cereal. I have enough in for my family, plus snacks for DS, freezer is also empty because the big shop is next week. Bit of notice and we would be able to defrost something

@Overdueanamechange I want to come round to your for lunch! I'd bloody love it if someone made me fishfinger sandwiches. Would I be a CF to request tartare sauce?

In all seriousness though, I would never expect a friend to make lunch/ dinner for me unless I'd been expressly invited.

I over buy so I'd be able to feed extra guests. If I was low I'd get a deliveroo from the local shop. I need to stop over buying though as it means I over eat. Times change though, when my kids were small I had to count the slices of bread to make sure I had enough food to give them lunch for the week.

I couldn’t do sandwiches.

I could always do pasta with a jar sauce, omelettes - or a potato waffle with beans!

I would always be able to make guests something whether it just be beans on toast or some soup and scones.

I have a knack of seeing meals that can be made when my H does not though. He's a good cook but he likes the meals to be easily accessible whereas I thrive on thinking outside the box to use leftovers up.

My mam would say if you have eggs, cheese and potatoes you will always have a meal.

@Overdueanamechange

Depends on whether fish finger sandwiches constitute a meal for adults. Placemarking for the backstop.

I would find that acceptable.

Do you have any mayonnaise?

Mummyoflittledragon, that does sound unfair. To be honest though, why is your daughter associating with people who treat her like this? It's not just one set of fiends, is it? It's multiple friends whose parents are aware that their children are catered for by you - who then pointedly ignore your daughter's needs.

That's more than unlucky and if it were my daughter, I'd be talking to her about her friendships and what they mean to her.

Poor and unbalanced friendships aside though, the fact that you run an open-house though, that's something quite alien to a lot of parents. If you choose to do it then do, with open hand and stop counting.