Grazing tables...

[upandmummin]

Seen them gaining popularity on Instagram and TikTok over the last year and came across my first as the evening food at a wedding recently. No one there serving it, no gloves provided, just a grubby fingered free for all. Also flies were very attracted to it

AIBU or are they a bit yuck?! They look great, but I was really put off especially after kids went up first

Looks perfect for veggies and vegans

That photo sets my teeth on edge. Things should be separate on platters, not mixed up blurghhhh

I hoped they were over with too. Not been to anywhere that had one, but wouldn’t like the idea of everything all messed up together. It’s a buffet for someone who hasn’t bothered with plates, surely?

It makes me feel nauseous. But I'm
Properly OCD - don't even enjoy ordinary buffets especially kids with sticky paws touching stuff 🤮

Is that just a trendy new word for a buffet?

No a buffet is much more hygienic and has PLATES

I think I could cope if it was just fruit and veg cut up. Its the salami that makes me baulk

I've become a massive fusspot over eating out for a number of years, I never eat hot buffet food having been ill a couple times from where it's been festering in dishes for a while keeping warm, not hot. Never, ever eat stuff like Harvester salad bar, or carvery meals either, too many people breathing over it while they pick over the items.

It's safer for me to stay at home and do it all myself 😄

Allergies, food intolerances, religious requirements, vegetarians, vegans, people who hate different foods touching (very common amongst people on the autistic spectrum) - all reasons to reject this hideous trend. We want plates!

Butter boards? Thankfully they've escaped my notice until now. Anyone want to tell me what they are? I'm wary, sounds a bit horrible.

Grazing tables?? FFS are they cows? Looks minging 🤢

I'd be really disappointed to see food laid out like this.

Even if you like the look at the start, it will be horribly cross-contaminated in no time at all.

I'd probably go hungry and leave as early as decently possible.

Surely it's possible to have a conventional buffet with plates/platters/bowls etc and pretty it up with greenery/fruit/flowers in the spaces, so you get the effect without just dumping a load of random stuff on a table?

That’s pure grim, what is wrong with people? There’s a good reason these things weren’t popular before attention seeking twats on the Internet did it and it’s not because nobody thought of it.

You smear a thick layer of butter on a carving board, throw toppings on it, then people dig in with their hands, wiping up the butter

SO GROSS

Butter boards - basically a board covered in butter with things sprinkled over it. Also gaining popularity at the moment.

I got curious as to what butter boards are - www.theguardian.com/food/2022/oct/07/butter-boards-the-deliciously-rich-trend-thats-whipping-up-a-storm

What I don't get is why it isn't in a bowl? And the author talks about eating butter on it's own - surely you'd spread the butter on bread or a cracker or something?

There's a local company who do these where I live and they're constantly posting photos in all the community Facebook groups/buy and sell groups. Someone asked them "isn't there just absolutely loads of waste?" and they got a bit defensive and basically said that yes, there's always loads of food leftover and it goes in the bin but who cares because it's all been paid for 😐 So that's my main reason for being completely turned off by them. The idea of so much excess that you know is just for show and will be going in the bin is just completely vulgar.

Also I reckon by the time a few people have started dipping in, it's going to look a complete mess with everything touching everything else. Very unappetising. Can't wait for this trend to die.

They did.
Covid put a stop to them

I went to a party that had a grazing table recently, it honestly looked someone had forgotten the serving plates for the buffet and chucked the food on the table instead.

It actually looked very pretty but within seconds of everyone digging in it looked hideous 😩

Those photos make it look like a giant has vomited up his/her dinner. Gross.

Does the food have to be thrown away afterwards then as it’s all sogged into each other?

A nightmare for kosher, halal, GF and vegans.

Having said that I went to a buffet where they mixed up ham sandwiches with ones that had vege fillings which was off-putting to everyone except carnivores and omnivores. A food related privilege in some ways of the dominant culture,?!

Dear God the horror of that butter board , who thinks up this shit ? Eating off slates , chips served in a miniature shopping trolley etc , certainly not anyone who actually likes food

Grotesque..Buffets are implicated in Norovirus transmission, this looks even worse, people's unwashed hands guddling about ~ Children especially.

Threadworm, anyone?