Is this friend taking the piss?

[gailedit]

My friend and I visit each other with our children (5 years old) often, we usually alternate hosting.

No long ago we were at her house and they were talking about this juice they started drinking, which is on the expensive side. She diluted it with water for the 4 of us saying that is because of the sugar content but also to make it last longer.
Fair enough.

DD and I really liked the juice and started buying it. I didn’t want to dilute it for myself so DD asked to try it undiluted and she prefers that way too.

So next time the friend is due to visit, I tell DD that I will dilute the juice for the 4 of us because this is like how they drink it (and I didn’t want to create friction between friend and her DD in case her DD wanted the juice undiluted too.

So they came, and when is snack time DD explains (not my instructions, out of her own accord) that we like the juice undiluted but we will dilute it today because they are visiting.

So friend very quickly say ‘absolutely not’ since it is our house, they can drink it undiluted too.
Okay no problem.
And they really love it and keep having more. I serve in a jar so topped up when needed.

Then it was our turn to visit them again and to my surprise, friend serves 4 glasses of the diluted juice and that is it.

Then her DD blurts out that she is looking forward to come to our house next so she can drink lots of undiluted juice again😅

Friend was mortified and quickly changed the topic.

Btw, her household income is double than mine. But I appreciate she might have debt as she is always complaining about money and the price of things… for instance she complained that her cleaner uses too much product and should use more elbow grease lol.

I don’t have debt. Nor a cleaner.

Should I serve unlimited undiluted juice next time?

On a slight sidetrack here, I live in Scotland but I am not Scottish, I've never been able to get used to the vast majority of people here calling what I call cordial/ squash juice, it just isn't. Orange juice is just that, not artificially sweetened orange flavoured water.
On the main subject of the post, I would just serve it as I like it in my own home but with the proviso of 1 or 2 refills maximum especially if serving reasonable quantities to small children. Similarly your friend can serve it as she likes in her home - it certainly wouldn't be something I'd fall out with a friend over.
I had a childhood friend ( we're both in our late 60's now ) whose Mum thought that all tomato soup had to be diluted until it was virtually transparent and then served barely tepid, I always thought I hated the stuff until I tried it undiluted and hot , but I didn't fall out with my friend because I loved her more than the soup.

Just give them tea.

"I've never been able to get used to the vast majority of people here calling what I call cordial/ squash juice, it just isn't. Orange juice is just that, not artificially sweetened orange flavoured water"

Depending on where you are in Scotland, things like irn bru, coke and lemonade are also called juice.

You might not think it's juice, but here in Scotland, it is 😁

What on earth have I just read? Nit-picking over juice! Just WOW 😲

Serve them water. For its low sugar content.

I'm not impressed with her hosting skills.

She only prefers to dilute it because of cost, not sugar. Otherwise she would ask for it to be diluted at her house and your house (and she'd served you it undiluted). She's a CF and I think you should hide it next time she comes round. Offer supermarket own apple juice or tea next time.

Who the f cares. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have such a stress free life I could post a 500 word borefest about diluting juice on MN . Sigh.

Thats 120 seconds I'll never get back. Next week, watching paint dry.

Christ alive OP, you don’t ’just think it’s funny’ - it’s not funny. It’s sad and boring that you’ve got so worked up by this you’ve written a long ass MN post!

Why do people assume that if someone posts something relatively trivial it means they're dull, worked up over nothing or have nothing else going on?

It’s worse than fizzy pop

just get a big bottle of fanta next time

Give them vimto next time!

What a big deal over nothing. Just don't bring out that juice again when they're at your house.

She is a tight arse Scrooge and is probably diluting the milk too.

And the alcohol.

The word dilute is starting to look weird now, I’ve read it too many times.

You’re under reacting if anything, OP. I think you should start a civil war about Juicegate.

Isn't pomegranate juice meant to be diluted? I'm just relieved we know what it is, I don't think it's unusual though.

You could just buy the cheapest, nastiest one you can find and see their faces! I would do this because I dislike juice, ha!

What the hell did I just read? Get a grip people

This!!

I still remember my granny diluting my Lucozade 65 years ago. For those who don't know, it's supposed to be fizzy! These things can have an impact even on well-adjusted children like myself.

I dilute baileys as I find it too thick, but would never dilute the whole bottle as that is selfish. Your friend is a cheapskate.

What's the issue? You all drink it Ur way at Ur home and you drink it their way at their home. Sounds normal. If it's tasty the kids will obviously drink more because it's nice. That's normal behaviour.
If you don't want them to drink lots of it, don't have a limitless supply available.
Sorted.

All that for POM? Pfft. I was hoping for Cawston's Rhubarb and Apple at the very least.

I’d find it cheap too. Bit like the friend who always has a small glass of the cheapest white on their round and a mojito on yours.

Why are they drinking so much juice? Surely you’d offer one cup then move on to water?