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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To expect to share alcohol?

241 replies

Riversideandrelax · 28/06/2024 13:59

We went on an adult only trip to to celebrate a big birthday of a friend. It was a large group and we were divided into different holiday homes. We were sharing with one couple who are mutual friends of ours and one couple who we'd met a few times before but are not friends of ours.

Before we went this couple suggested we all put a bit of money in and they'd get some basic ingredients for breakfast/snacks for the holiday home. We agreed as did the friends of ours.

When we arrived they showed us what they'd bought. It was lots of 'basics' type things like cheap white bread, biscuits, crisps, squash, margarine, baked beans, instant coffee, sugary cereal, lots of sausages and bacon (I'm vegetarian.) This is not the type of food I normally eat but after a moment just thought I obviously had different expectations but as nothing was specified I'll have to put it down to experience. So we didn't say anything negative about the food - just got on with it.

We'd all brought some alcohol with us. Myself and the friends of ours said to everybody else 'please help yourself.' We'd brought a bottle of champagne, some wine and beers. Our friends had bought similar. The other couple bought a bottle of spirits. I realise now they'd not suggested that it was to be shared. I'd also brought some nice nibbles to share - crisps, olives, bread sticks.

On the first proper night (had arrived late on the first day) we were all sat in the lounge having some drinks and the nibbles I'd brought. I'd opened one of our bottles of wine and myself and the 2 other women were drinking that. The men all had some of the spirit. Anyway the evening went on and the men were a bit drunk. The man who brought the bottle of spirits started a physical fight with my DP because he'd helped himself to the spirit. It all came out. About how they'd offered us a cup of tea but we'd not reciprocated - we didn't ever have a tea as we don't like the cheap tea bags. We should have made them breakfast to thank them for getting the shopping.

I realised the whole thing about us paying for this shopping was essentially because they couldn't bare to share anything.

My DP didn't retaliate but left the holiday home to go for a walk to let things calm down. When he got back we packed our things and left.

I think the moral is not to go on holiday with people you don't know well. We are the type of people that share everything. They'd been counting every time my partner had some of their alcohol. They also eat very differently to us, which is fine, I'd just not realised. But perhaps they should have checked as they wanted to do it this way.

OP posts:
sandyhappypeople · 30/06/2024 13:48

How much of their drink did DH drink? You said he helped himself to a second glass (after he was poured a first glass), but in the op it says they were counting every time he helped himself?

they are bang out of line but maybe they wouldn’t have minded one or two glasses.

what did you DH take for his drink? Did he offer any of his?

pocketaces · 30/06/2024 15:07

Communal buying like this never works as people have different norms and expectations and like different things.

Whilst they were probably knowingly on the make by buying loads of stuff they normally buy expecting it not to be used so they can take it home I don't think they maliciously bought cheap shit it's just they bought what they eat.

I would never eat value basics food either (sausages come in three levels with the good stuff 90% pork, standard stuff 70% and cheap shit about 30%) but everyone had their level.

On this thread people have turned their nose up at tea bags and mentioned getting loose leaf tea. Who the fuck buys loose leaf tea. And I'd happily buy nescafe and orange juice from concentrate but apparently that's not good enough either.

Failing to discuss and communicate was the issue here. Telling them you were veggie but then buying loads of bacon was inconsiderate but how would they know you wanted pastries if you didn't tell them

Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 16:07

sandyhappypeople · 30/06/2024 13:48

How much of their drink did DH drink? You said he helped himself to a second glass (after he was poured a first glass), but in the op it says they were counting every time he helped himself?

they are bang out of line but maybe they wouldn’t have minded one or two glasses.

what did you DH take for his drink? Did he offer any of his?

I'm actually not 100% how much he had. But it can't have been that much as only a short time. 2 or 3 maximum.

DP and I jointly brought beer, wine and champagne. We made it clear it was to share. They were welcome to help themselves - although we were keeping the champagne for the next night so didn't have that out.

OP posts:
Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 16:16

pocketaces · 30/06/2024 15:07

Communal buying like this never works as people have different norms and expectations and like different things.

Whilst they were probably knowingly on the make by buying loads of stuff they normally buy expecting it not to be used so they can take it home I don't think they maliciously bought cheap shit it's just they bought what they eat.

I would never eat value basics food either (sausages come in three levels with the good stuff 90% pork, standard stuff 70% and cheap shit about 30%) but everyone had their level.

On this thread people have turned their nose up at tea bags and mentioned getting loose leaf tea. Who the fuck buys loose leaf tea. And I'd happily buy nescafe and orange juice from concentrate but apparently that's not good enough either.

Failing to discuss and communicate was the issue here. Telling them you were veggie but then buying loads of bacon was inconsiderate but how would they know you wanted pastries if you didn't tell them

I think it can work if you know each other well/like the same things. But we made the mistake of assuming they like the same as us, which they obviously didn't.

I have to say in my defence I'd been at some BBQs with them before where people all chipped in and I'd never seen them bring super cheap items then. But obviously that wasn't enough to know the food they like for breakfast/nibbles.

And yes, you may be right.

Obviously, everyone has what they like, what they consider 'normal' and that is what myself and other posters have been commenting on. Personally, I don't use loose leaf tea but I can't stand Nescafé (flavour and morals) or orange juice from concentrate. It's not about it being good enough per se - if you like it it's good enough, if you don't it isn't. If you pay a certain amount of money, I don't think it is that odd to expect a certain quality of items, however misguided that expectation turned out to be!

OP posts:
Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 16:17

And I didn't particularly want pastries over something else. That was just a list of the kind of thing I would like. If they'd provided decent food for a fry-up that would have been fine too.

OP posts:
StarvingMarvin222 · 30/06/2024 17:11

All the posters here berating the op for cheap white bread, cheap rashers, sausages.
Imagine you giving someone money to buy stuff and they bring back loads of the stuff you hate.
We all have stuff we don't like.
So imagine giving them £30nd they bring back your most hated item.
Something that you'd never eat.
That's how the op felt.

LadyChilli · 30/06/2024 17:48

Leaving aside the violence where obviously the guy was in the wrong. I think if you let someone else have control of the buying without communicating it's not surprising there can be mismatched expectations. Some people think fresh squeezed fruit juice, yoghurt and pastries would be a nice holiday breakfast, others would treat themselves to sugary cereal and a load of sausages. Neither is wrong.

I'm assuming the violent guy saw everyone else sharing similar drinks to each other and was keeping himself to his own drinks but thought he was being generous by offering a glass of his spirit, then got upset when he thought his stuff was continuing to be consumed when he wouldn't want any of the wine or beers. I'm a fussy eater and experience similar with sharing plates or tapas - offer the person sitting next to me a taste of mine even though I've said I won't join in the general ordering and before I know it everyone is helping themselves to my plate and I end up hungry as I don't want theirs. It can be awkward to remind a group you can't eat their food and people can inadvertently get carried away taking mine. Like your husband taking a glass of vodka without realising the man brought the amount he thought only he would drink.

Don't go away with other people is the moral of this story, unless you know them well. This story brought back memories of a very similar situation when I was in my 20s, minus the violence, and I've not done a break like that since. In our group it was agreed that the one smoker in the group shouldn't need to go outside for a cigarette and when I got home I had to bin anything I couldn't wash as it all reeked. I had no idea that would have been the group norm (early 2000s).

SagittariusDwarf · 30/06/2024 18:54

Given you're so fussy about food OP, why didn't you do the food shop yourself?

CountFucula · 30/06/2024 21:35

Hardly fussy not to want cheap shit?

Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 22:33

StarvingMarvin222 · 30/06/2024 17:11

All the posters here berating the op for cheap white bread, cheap rashers, sausages.
Imagine you giving someone money to buy stuff and they bring back loads of the stuff you hate.
We all have stuff we don't like.
So imagine giving them £30nd they bring back your most hated item.
Something that you'd never eat.
That's how the op felt.

Thank you. That was what it was like.

OP posts:
Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 22:38

LadyChilli · 30/06/2024 17:48

Leaving aside the violence where obviously the guy was in the wrong. I think if you let someone else have control of the buying without communicating it's not surprising there can be mismatched expectations. Some people think fresh squeezed fruit juice, yoghurt and pastries would be a nice holiday breakfast, others would treat themselves to sugary cereal and a load of sausages. Neither is wrong.

I'm assuming the violent guy saw everyone else sharing similar drinks to each other and was keeping himself to his own drinks but thought he was being generous by offering a glass of his spirit, then got upset when he thought his stuff was continuing to be consumed when he wouldn't want any of the wine or beers. I'm a fussy eater and experience similar with sharing plates or tapas - offer the person sitting next to me a taste of mine even though I've said I won't join in the general ordering and before I know it everyone is helping themselves to my plate and I end up hungry as I don't want theirs. It can be awkward to remind a group you can't eat their food and people can inadvertently get carried away taking mine. Like your husband taking a glass of vodka without realising the man brought the amount he thought only he would drink.

Don't go away with other people is the moral of this story, unless you know them well. This story brought back memories of a very similar situation when I was in my 20s, minus the violence, and I've not done a break like that since. In our group it was agreed that the one smoker in the group shouldn't need to go outside for a cigarette and when I got home I had to bin anything I couldn't wash as it all reeked. I had no idea that would have been the group norm (early 2000s).

Edited

I completely agree neither is wrong. I think where they were wrong is asking for so much money and buying lots of extra food for them to take home.

It was a lot for just him to drink! But maybe it was as you say. His wife was sharing, though which confuses things.

And yes, I agree, we have learnt an important lesson!

OP posts:
Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 22:40

SagittariusDwarf · 30/06/2024 18:54

Given you're so fussy about food OP, why didn't you do the food shop yourself?

I wouldn't say, I'm that fussy to be honest. But yes, I wish I had! Then again maybe I would have bought things they didn't like!

OP posts:
Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 22:41

CountFucula · 30/06/2024 21:35

Hardly fussy not to want cheap shit?

Yes, I wouldn't call myself fussy. Liking healthy/nutritious food is not being fussy.

OP posts:
IsMayBefore · 30/06/2024 22:42

I'd have felt the same. I bet your contribution wasn't a small amount either - sounds like they made profit!

Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 22:53

IsMayBefore · 30/06/2024 22:42

I'd have felt the same. I bet your contribution wasn't a small amount either - sounds like they made profit!

We paid £30 per couple so they had £90 in all!

OP posts:
IsMayBefore · 01/07/2024 08:02

Riversideandrelax · 30/06/2024 22:53

We paid £30 per couple so they had £90 in all!

I bet they purchased their alcohol with the contribution total so felt you were drinking their 'profit'!!

What awful people. Even if I felt resentfully tight, I'd never actually air that!

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