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?

I’m now slightly curious what drinks, alcoholic or not, people do keep at home. Obviously, if people are coming for a meal, you would get something in, but normally what do you have in? We never have any alcohol in, no wine, beer, gin, whisky, etc. We don’t have lemonade, Coke, squash or anything “soft” in a bottle or can. We only have water (tap), variety of teas, coffee, hot chocolate, fruit juice. Nothing else.

Our house would always have these in, regardless of whether we were expecting anyone:

Wine - white and red, usually a fizz too
Various ales / craft beers
Whisky - Scottish & Japanese
Gin
Schnapps
Tonic water
Fruit juice
A couple of varieties of Bottle Green cordial
Tea - Yorkshire, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, plus lots of varieties of herbal
Coffee (filter)
Espresso (mokka pot)
Hot chocolate
Milk - full cream

We're not actually big alcohol drinkers at all 😂, but we like to have good quality stuff in for when we fancy it. Our most commonly drunk items day to day are teas, coffee and milk.

Neither of us drinks fizzy pop so we'd never have that in.

It was a Sunday roast, not a bloody Michelin star tasting menu.

I drink fizzy drinks all the time with meals even in fine dining places. Sometimes I don't want alcohol.
Everyone I know has some sort of soft drink with dinner if they're not drinking.

Because sugary drinks like that ruin the taste of a good meal, which is disrepectful to the host/cook.

That’s ridiculous.

Lots of people put extra seasonings on like salt and pepper or use sauces like cranberry, mint, white bread sauce etc which all change (and some may say ruin) the taste of the meal - but it’s in no way disrespectful to the cook.

(That list above looks massive typed out like that, but it's mostly just store cupboard stuff.)

7up is a brand of lemonade so it’s both

Bette:
We have wine, (red/white/rose or sparkling) water, fruit juice, tea & coffee. The juice would usually be on offer at breakfast primarily. If i knew we had kids/teens coming i might buy pop but it wouldnt be served with dinner.

We also have various spirits/fortified that dont come out so often - port, triple sec, amaretto, gin& tonic.

I usually have cider in but mainly for cooking.

He could have also let his mum know what she would like to drink and encouraged his mum to get drinks in that his girlfriend would want and make her feel comfortable as a guest. Drinking lemonade with a meal is pretty normal

@MilkyYay isnt that up to the person consuming the meal though?

My DM hates my DH drinking cans of monster at her Sunday dinners

This is such a British thing, but my DH was shocked by my rudeness when we dared to take someone at their word. How are you supposed to know to bring wine/chocs/flowers if they literally say "Don't bring anything. Just yourselves!" In American, that means don't bring anything!😂

This thread is hilarious.
Why do people spend so much energy worrying about the type of drinks other people drink with their meals. It's such a non issue, just let people drink what they want and be happy.

DH drinks Pepsi Max with everything. He once had Coca Cola in a 2 Michelin starred restaurant, it was on the menu so was obviously an acceptable choice.

A quick rummage here and I could provide for guests-
White wine
Red wine
Vodka
Southern Comfort
Rum
Gin
Prosecco
Guinness
Cider
Lager
Beer
Hotel Chocolat liqueur

Grapefruit squash
Orange and Pineapple squash
Rose Lemonade
Waitrose own Lemonade
Coke/Diet Coke
Sparkling water
Orange Juice
Apple juice

We have tap water, a SodaStream for fizzy water, coffee, and tea including herbal ones. Milk, if that counts. I used to always have wine, beer, and various spirits for cocktails, but not since living with DP, who’s teetotal. It wouldn’t occur to me to get soft drinks in when hosting a meal when water and sparkling water exist, and don’t detract from food the way 7Up or Dr Pepper do.

@Bettethebuilder
tea
coffee
milk
blackcurrant squash
gins

we only buy wine or lager if we fancy it. I can’t drink wine though so that’s just for the husband

sometimes I get fizzy drinks for the children but that’s not a common occurrence

Except any fizzy drinks that you say you don’t have in because you don’t drink it. What happens if you had a guest and they wanted a soft fizzy drink?

I don’t like tea or coffee but I know to always have it in because other people do and I like to have it to offer them

I'm sure you think you have a point but fuck me if I can work out what it is.

Bringing a bottle of something to a meal is really thoughtful. I hope my sons bring a girl like you home 💖

Is it normal to drink lemonade at dinner?

I've never seen an adult do it. We don't really buy fizzy/sugary drinks in our house. Only really a small amount of orange juice that the kids have with breakfast on weekends.

We might have non alcoholic wine or gin in if we knew a non drinker was coming.

What happens if you had a guest and they wanted a soft fizzy drink?

I've got to 37 and never had an adult guest request a soft fizzy drink so its never seemed important to buy it in.

Same. I've never had a guest who wasn't happy to have a nice cordial or herbal tea or something if they weren't drinking.

The only time I see my friends drink fizzy drinks is in pubs tbh (where there are few options if you dont want alcohol).

And then people all have different preferences anyway - someone who would drink diet coke won't want a full sugar 7up or a Dr Pepper for example. Trying to cater by having everything in would be impossible.

Maybe they would have liked something else but didn’t like to say. They knew you wouldn’t have any anyway.

But which random fizzy drink would you have in for guests? Lemonade, Coke, which? I wouldn’t ever have a fizzy drink in for guests, because no-one I know would ever drink them. And surely once you’ve opened the bottle it just goes flat, so it’s nothing you can keep just in case. I’ve just never seen anyone ever drink a fizzy drink with a meal. We really just have water.

I've also never seen someone ask for coke in a posh restaurant! It may be on the menu, but I bet the waiters judged!

If I want a soft drink at a posh restaurant I usually choose soda water or chamomile tea. Consuming masses of sugar (or sweetener) definitely does mess with your taste buds. I wouldn't put ketchup on a meal at a Michelin star place either - why pay for the quality if you don't want to taste it?