Grazing tables...wtf?

[BiffChipsandKippers]

Anyone seen this craze for just dumping a load of food in a table as the catering at a party? AIBU that this is unhygienic and gross?

I was asking what’s the appeal in presenting the food this specific way. What do they think is specifically appealing about it?

Not “what’s the appeal in offering food to guests at all” — I understand that bit

Under normal circs I’m not super picky about stuff touching either, but that doesn’t mean you have to guddle it all up together.

I become suspicious when it looks like food is being treated primarily as a sculpting medium, yet I’m still expected to eat it. To me it suggests the actual quality and freshness of the food is a secondary concern.

I also remember that thread. I think of it often. I have struggled to accept any food or drink in anyone's house since reading that

@magicthree - don't get your knickers in a twist over an opinion. How do you know how clean your 'party goers' hands are? Let me guess, you're probably one of those people who charge through the nose to go to Aldi and do a shop only to chuck it all onto a table and think it is a real skill, considering how personally you've taken my reply? There's nothing nice about them, and that's my opinion.

So glad I started this thread. It's the gift that keeps on giving...

'Folorn ham flaps'
'Professional food stylist'
'Love juice'

🤣🤣🤣

How about a carb one?

How did you get pictures of my family Christmas dinner?

Yes its pretty gross.

They are disgusting looking things based on the photos here. Thankfully I have just realised that I never get invited to parties anymore. I think I should be bothered by this revelation but I'm not.

I'm traumatised by the description of butter boards.

I really don't get it - it looks like a food jumble sale.

The first one has a honey dipper balanced on one of the cheeses and no honey anywhere on the table. That would bother me even without all the other aspects.

I won't eat anything that's touched meat, I mustn't eat anything that's touched dairy, the slices of fruit and cucumber scattered over everything would make the biscuits soggy - and nobody outside Eton/a student rugby club wants a soggy biscuit.

As for the dessert table - that looks like what happens if you don't clear up a beached whale before its guts ferment and the whole thing explodes.

No thank you.

I have to admit the ones I’ve seen look absolutely amazing. Wouldn’t want to share with a bunch of strangers that I don’t know what their hygiene habits are like though.

I often think that they might look nice for 5 mins, but if you're not at the front of the queue you'll just end up with the dregs looking like scrapings off plates. And so unhygienic. Yuck!

I realllllllllllllllly dislike them and have for ages - to me they scream:

'LOOK AT THE HUGE PILES OF FOOD I CAN BUY WITH ALL OF MY MONEY'

Grossly excessive, and one step up from a pig-trough. Ditto all the comments about touching, allergies, food preferences etc etc. Nightmare and probably a shitload is wasted.

AND... people present them like they're some AMAZING feat of culinary fucking genius... when in fact all that has been done is the opening of some fucking packets. Have a fucking Chufty Badge and lets go back to proper buffets with things on plates and platters and ideally, labels so we all know whats what!

I appreciate the presentation isn't very appealing, but how are they any more an ostentatious show of wealth than a buffet or sit down meal for any event?

I think because it’s obvious how much of it will be wasted, because nobody can eat wet crackers or wants melon-flavoured pork pies or salami-tainted Stilton, so a lot of the touching stuff will be scraped straight into a bin at the end.

So you think they are deliberately set up to spoil food and make it inedible for guests, in order to show off how much food the hosts can waste?

Not at all, and I can’t see where you are getting that from in my post - I wasn’t the person who mentioned cost originally. But it does seem very obvious to me that there will be much more wastage from the outset than with a buffet on plates, where things can be replenished from fresh stock as needed, or put away quickly if they aren’t popular, so they aren’t spoiled or wasted if not eaten immediately. So even if the intention isn’t to show wealth, presenting food in this way does show you are willing to throw away at least a proportion of the money you have spent, simply by muddling it all up together like this.

We've had platters like these for work events. Everyone's really careful and uses provided cutlery, no one is touching food with their hands.

How does that address the issues of cross-contamination which is obviously happening even before anyone touches it?

Presume you have no colleagues with dietary requirements or food allergies, no Muslims, Hindus, Jews, vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs, etc. Or do they just go hungry?

I think they only exist on social media.

We are a pretty diverse team of Muslims, Jews, vegetarians and others so dietary restrictions are catered for.

How are all dietary requirements catered for when all the food is cross-contaminated?

It's not enough to just claim they are.

No Muslims, Jews, Hindus, coeliacs or vegans could eat anything on a table like that.

Are you sure you don't mean a buffet, with say a platter of cheese, another of ham, one of ordinary crackers, one of coeliac bread, etc? Ie the stuff on the platters is touching each other but it's the same so wouldn't contaminate?

Somehow, yes, to me they are - its that every square inch of table is covered in food I think.

Not saying I'm reasonable here, I might well be being a massive snob but it really pisses me off!