To bring a fizzy drink to a meal?

[mapofthechicks]

So, I visited my boyfriend's family for the first time on Sunday

His mum cooked for us all. Lovely meal. When I arrived, I came with a bottle of lemonade. I said this to his mum ''I've got this, can I pop it in the fridge? Please help yourselves''

When having dinner, I asked for a glass (there were only small wine glasses on the table).

His mum said 'but we're having wine?'

I said no thanks, I'll just have some of the lemonade please'

She seemed really at me!

We had a nice meal and then my boyfriend mentioned to me today 'Mum was really confused about your lemonade! Maybe don't do that next time '

AIBU to think it's fine? It wasn't just for me. Anyone could've helped themselves but it was so strange. It was as if I had placed 10g of coke on the table and told everyone to help themselves to a line

Very odd indeed surely?

As long as you don't call it 'fizzy' I think, from reference to the previous thread, you are fine.

I’m obsesssd with the coke class system I think I’ve got it

Full Fat Coke - Jeremy Kyle working class
Cherry Coke - Blue Collar
Coke Zero Coke - White Collar
Vanilla Coke - bourgeoisie
Diet Coke with Lime- Aspirational Middle class
Diet Coke - Upper Middle Class
Fentimans Coke - Upper Class
Columbian Coke - Peerage

Lemonade looks like water tho..

If you’re not a drinker you HAVE to bring your own drinks to some people’s houses because some will assume everyone drinks and only provide you with water. You weren’t odd or rude at all — she was, and so was your boyfriend for backing her up.

Snobs or heavy drinkers. Ugh.

I don’t drink so I bring some Bottlegreen or Shloer and chocs and my husband brings wine. There is usually something soft for me anyway. I am also happy with water. I love a glass of tap water.

This country is ridiculous about alcohol and socialising.

Oh and my son goes to school in Brentwood and has a few friends with parents that sound just like your boyfriends. Think they’re above their postcodes.

She wants everyone to join in slagging off her working class young mum boyfriend’s mother for getting ideas that the OP thinks should be above her station

Ridiculous. Them not you, OP. We enjoy nice wine but couldn't give a monkey's if someone brings their own soft drink. Our son in law rarely drinks and often brings a bottle of Pepsi when he comes over for dinner. What's the problem with that? 🤷‍♀️

If I was going to somebody's house for dinner and didn't want to drink alcohol, I would take both. Wine and a soft drink. However I hate seeing fizzy drinks at a lunch/dinner table so would have had water.

The MIL probably would have died if you brought Fanta 😮

@mapofthechicks ah, I wonder from that reply if they see drinking alcohol as the norm and maybe a bigger part of entertaining than you do. I find formality around visiting family very odd but my SIL is very formal when she visits my family or has us to visit and it really changes the whole dynamic and atmosphere. Whereas my other SIL just kind of always slotted right in and made herself at home.

I bring wine plus a nice non alcoholic drink. You can get some nice apple drinks like bramley or cox's apple juice.

I think there are a lot of rather snooty comments on this thread. The OP did bother to bring a gift for the host - chocolates. I think this is perfectly acceptable for a young woman to bring as a gift for her boyfriend’s mum.
I know plenty about pairing good foods with the correct wines and the benefits of drinking water with a meal. However some people just prefer fizzy drinks and that’s absolutely fine. You’d be welcome to dinner at mine OP and I would have the good grace to welcome your 7up without being a snob about it.

If I knew that my (hypothetical) son in law was coming I'd get some Pepsi in for him.

If I was invited to someone's house for a meal I'd take that they liked to drink, not what I wanted to drink. Or both. But not just what I wanted to drink, that does seems rude to em. Unless you brought chocolates or flowers too.

It's bizarre that they even spoke about the lemonade unless it was just to ask their son if you were pregnant. Maybe he didn't like his mum's line of questioning and that's why he asked you not to bring lemonade next time. Or could he have got it a bit wrong? I can't imagine they were actually that bothered by a soft drink. Unless you indeed slammed it down on the table. Sounds like you brought an alternative to booze. Most people wouldn't react, surely.

If I know no-one drinks alcohol I bring a couple of sift drinks and maybe chocolates.

As in from your BFs reply about a baby being on the way…as though the only circumstances that someone would choose a soft drink in is it they’re pregnant

Oh sorry, you did. Fair enough then.

Go and sit in commoners corner and think about what you've done.

I think it’s a bit odd to take it if it’s your first time meeting them, just because anyone that I’ve ever visited for dinner has offered lots of different soft drink/juice choices so there would have been no need. It‘s all about context though isn’t it, maybe you’ve been somewhere for dinner in the past and they haven’t offered you anything suitable to drink or maybe your boyfriend gave you a heads up that his family might not have anything for you to drink.

I think it’s far weirder of his Mum to assume that you’re an alcohol drinker and not offer anything else though🤔

Honeydragon I love cherry coke but it has to be diet. I also put fresh lemon in it. What does that make me? Oh and dh is definitely Vanilla Coke.

Why are people SO UPTIGHT (yes, people like @ChardonnaysBeastlyCat )?!?

of course you didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe a bit quirky, but they’re your boyfriend’s family, you’d think they’d be accommodating! Good luck with them :-S

@mapofthechicks next time take a large bottle of 'Professor Peppy' 🤣
It seems Lidl/Aldi have gone boring and they just called their version of 7up 'Lemon and Lime'.

I do think the fact it was a first time meeting makes a bit of a difference.