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?.

Ew, so many different people touching it all with no plates or napkins. You’d think folk would have become more aware with Covid.

This can look stylish if dine properly, with plates to eat off

But, post Covid, I think people will be more focused on hygiene, so I don't see this becoming mainstream

It's just everyone else groping your food because fking everything is squashed together.

I prefer my food socially distanced. By which I mean nowhere near that crap.

Oh god that nacho hack video has put me right off my breakfast!
This thread is reminding me of when I went on an AI holiday to Mexico. There were a couple of American families who would pile everything onto one plate like a mini version of a grazing table. I was waiting behind one guy trying to balance cake slices on top of his tacos, and when I said “you are allowed to come back for the cake you know” he looked at me like I had 2 heads

Urgh that Nacho thing. Just why? 🤢

It’s just a big smorgasbord

I took it apart when starting. It's a pizza box so fruit was taken out and put on the lid, packaged crackers taken out, dips put on the table and we had side plates so we just picked our choice out and built on our own plates using knives to spread and forks to pick from the box

....so in other words it doesn’t work; you had to take things out, put other things on “plates” (the fruit put on the lid, for instance). It’s completely style over substance and a really stupid idea.

Apart from the food allergy issue which numerous pp have mentioned (and lots and lots of people have allergies) what about vegetarians, pescatarians and vegans? I used to have a home restaurant and I’m guessing that would be about 15% diners would be ruled out from safely being served this style if you include allergies.

The other issue is timing. A big spread like that original picture takes time to put together. High risk food (like cheeses, fish or any meats like charcuterie etc - I’ll be generous and include the Iceland style scotch eggs and unidentifiable “beige” food in the original pic) should be out for no longer than 2 hours. How long ago do you thing the food on that graze table left the fridge to be put together and then served? A lot longer than 2 hours.

At least with a normal buffet you can get everything ready and then just place in the platters of high risk food at the last moment.

It looks rank it is rank. Style over substance.

It’s a big from me too.

I still can't get over the whole 'but the food is directly on the table' thing.
That in itself is gross to me
I don't even really care if it's actually on some cling film or foil and not directly on the table the fact it looks like I am going to eat food off the table grosses me out
It is, as a PP said, like a toddlers high chair tray and that really is not anything to aspire to.

I don't have anything against a nice buffet. An artfully arranged buffet with things at different levels would also be nice but I want my food to be on plates that can go in a dishwasher and be properly cleaned.

When I noticed the photo was from Margate, I thought it ought to be exhibited in the Turner Contemporary art gallery in the town. After all, if an unmade bed can be exhibited along with other Tracey Emin works...

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

Items are mixed up together on what looks like flat boards. That is the problem. I'm a vegetarian - I don't want to eat fruit and cheese which has been nestling in salami. Cross contamination is an even bigger issue for people with allergies.

I would not eat from any of these tables as all of them show fruit, cheese, meat and other items on one underlying table/plate/banana leaf or whatever.

@CorvusPurpureus

I'm in the ME, & these were trying to be an iftar thing in Ramadan last month.

The pushback was robust - they were nicknamed 'scruffy buffet' & were basically social death.

Nice bought in sharing platters of cheese or meat or pastries are fine, obviously, but everything slobbed into a big pile to be picked at wasn't going down well.

Scruffy Buffet is probably the nicest thing anybody could say about them.

Absolutely fucking minging would be another.

'This can look stylish if dine properly'

Sure. You know what else looks stylish? Plates.

I've always hated buffets tbh. This just gives me even more reason to hate them! I've been to a birthday party where a couple each mounded up two plates after practically elbowing everyone out of the way in order to get to the front of the queue. These things bring out the worst in some people. And I hate queueing for food.

Everything dad wants for £20!

As a person with medical dietary needs the cross contamination potential here is

If they are done professionally, meat will not be touching non meat. There will be a buffer - dip bowls or decorative plants. Same with gluten free. It's not really a whole lot different from two platters next to each other. Only the very edge foods would be at risk of contamination.

Trendy and stylish my arse. Sloppy, lazy, possibly cross contaminated, germ infested feast more like it
The people who are marketing these must have marketed the Emperors New Clothes
God, can you imaging, people picking things up with their hands, licking their fingers and then going back in
And I'm not OTT hygienic either

God, can you imaging, people picking things up with their hands, licking their fingers and then going back in

How is that any different to a buffet. The only difference here is it’s not on as many plates. People are still picking up food and going back in at a regular buffet too.

Can you imagine how revolting this would all look once people start picking at the food?! All the crumbs and spills

What happens with left overs? It will all be jumbled up and have to be picked up again to be stored.

'It's not really a whole lot different from two platters next to each other.'

It's not is it? Could probably just stick with two platters next to each other then.

@ShutUpAlex

God, can you imaging, people picking things up with their hands, licking their fingers and then going back in

How is that any different to a buffet. The only difference here is it’s not on as many plates. People are still picking up food and going back in at a regular buffet too.

Yes TBF people are unhygienic wherever there is communal/serve yourself food. Double dipping/finger licking. The food on the graze tables looks like there's more touching required though as it's more of a pile of food, with things on top of each other.

Anything to cut costs, eh?
A race to the bottom.

Same with gluten free. It's not really a whole lot different from two platters next to each other. Only the very edge foods would be at risk of contamination

Oh well that's nice. Only some food will be contaminated. Until of course things are moved around as people take items and knock others and it gets mixed up.

Or of course we could be boring and old fashioned and keep foods segregated on different plates/platforms etc.

@NuffSaidSam

'Oh imagine. Small children eating sausages in chocolate...where will it end?

What do you suppose will happen to them?🙄🙄

I think she was more concerned about the sausagey chocolate than the kids eating chocolate sausages!

I would want to eat from a chocolate fountain that was tinged with sausage.

I think AlmostSummer21 really missed my point there!

As a veggie, I don't want sausagey chocolate! No idea how long they had been doing it for or what else they tried