Graze tables - really???

[LEMtheoriginal]

They look like something from that progtam that used to shame people for unhealthy diets and when theyve been dipped into are going to look a bloody mess. Why?.

My idea of hell. Along with buffets. Fingered food left out uncovered for goodness how long, made by goodness knows who, with cross contamination with items touching each other. Vile. I just don’t get the excitement I see many hold for them. But many others to me totally love it. Piled high plates by greedy people (who haven’t washed their hands) compounds my feeling around it all.

I hate buffets of any kind anyway for hygiene reasons but that looks awful and totally unappetising.

As other have said a buffet without plates where food can continuously be touched by various people during a pandemic yum 🙄

I've seen really cool bbq ones online in america, the one on the picture looks baddd

I don't mind the boxes that are say just chocolate or sweets or cheese and meat but mixed together I'm not keen on
Like this looks nice

It's looks ok. What would be better though is if each thing were individually wrapped (for freshness and hygiene) and everything wasn't smooshed together. We could call it....a hamper?

I hate the looks of a graze box never mind a flipping table. Heave.

I live in the US and see pictures all the time on Facebook. I would only eat from one with my immediate family and we still have a pandemic and people touching stuff, not happening.

It looks like some leftovers, that I would put out for the birds, all except the dips.. I hate any dips.

I think it could be pretty nice (in non-covid times, with serving tongs, and sensible, sanitary guests, all of whom have unrestricted dietary requirements!) It’s not that different from a huge cheese/charcuterie tray is it?

This looks so much better

Gross....

@WeAreTheHeroes

The photos JBaez has posted are cold buffets artistically presented, whatever they are being called, with the majority of items plated. The different levels are classic buffet presentation and make it easier to reach things.

I have never been to a cold buffet where most of the food items are arranged directly on the table. The ‘majority’ of the items are not plated. Scroll in.

"We want plates!"

That should say ZOOM in! Just woken up!

Someone showed me a video of the funeral meal for a relative who had been buried abroad. It was traditional to invite the whole village to eat. Similar to an all you can eat buffet, empty plates were refilled immediately. I was surprised to see children who had arrived equipped with a plastic carrier bag. They emptied their plates into the bags to take home to share. Curried meat, vegetables, rice, sweets, everything mixed up together in one carrier. It was a poor village in a poor country and this was from necessity. A 'grazing table' looks equally appealing.

It must all get mixed together pretty quickly, and the fruit sitting on top of everything making it all soggy. Not for me and I love all those foods, just arranged separately please!

@Oenanthe

When I was at school, back in the seventies, we used to have to scrape our plates into a dustbin which went to the local pig farm, for swill.

I've just had a massive flashback.

I had the exact same flashback.

The last buffet I endured was a funeral. All I can remember was by the time I went up to the table all the cocktail sausages and mini sausage rolls were gone, most of the sandwiches demolished and I think all was left was crudités and crumbs. The table looked as though a swarm of locusts had ran through it. God knows we don’t need help to ‘deconstruct’ a buffet in this country.

This is a 'thing' now. I really don't get it, just random deli items in a box.
I could go to Waitrose and buy the same items for half the price.

Some of the grazing boards look beautiful. However, even in non Covid times, I wouldn't want to take something that someone has brushed against when taking their item. Not everyone is hygienic. No thanks🤮.

I’ll just leave this here …

“Nacho hack”

Normal buffets make me feel sick with everyone touching all the food etc, this is next level 🤢 see a lot of influencers having these at parties too but they just look a bit gross to me

@JBaez - you can clearly see most of the food is on plates or platters with things like crackers, bread and pretzels spilling onto the table.

Graze tables are what happens when you get toddlers to put the food out.

Or when people don't want to wash up.

I went to one a few years ago where the food was dumped "nestled" amongst foliage. I was afraid to have a sausage roll in case a lizard leapt out and attacked me. Awful.

What if there's a salad? Does one just hurl tomatoes and cucumber at the centre of the table, and hope there's a handy dent somewhere to plop the houmous?

Seriously, who comes up with this shit?