Travelled to friend's house for dinner, just strawberries for desert - AIBU to think it's low effort?

[Carefreebie]

On the weekend my partner and I travelled to a friend's house for dinner. The journey was over an hour by train.

The main course was sausages with nice sides (potato salad, tomato salad, another salad). That was nice.

But desert was just strawberries with some pouring cream.

We had a nice time, but AIBU to feel that the desert was very low effort and unexciting, and should have been more exciting than strawberries given the journey?

When my friend came to mine, I did a 3-course meal, feeling I should make a big effort because of her long journey.

You should file a formal complaint with the relevant authorities.

You could do what I have done,
you get hold of a map and draw concentric circles on centred on your house, at say 5 mile increments. Number each circle. Then, on a separate piece of paper (or ideally a spreadsheet) list what sort of food you would be prepared to travel for at each numbered ring, e.g.
5 miles - Beans on Toast, Viennetta,
10 miles - Chilli con Carne (home-made), Strawberries and cream
15 miles - Roast dinner, Jam Roly-poly.
etc.
Of course this list need expanding extensively but you get the idea.

Note: you can have a separate list of those foods for which no distance would be acceptable. e.g. oysters, hedgehog etc.

Can't stand those low effort deserts myself. They're not worth getting sand in your shoes.

I hope the host knows you well, wants to ditch you and thought a 'low effort' meal would piss you off! Success!

Real friends would be more than happy with a basic meal and great company!!
Jell I’d be happy with a takeaway just to spend time with my buddies!
This OP is just rude and entitled!

I'd be happy with a kebab from the kebab shop and sitting and chatting!

If someone served me a sandwich I'd be grateful. But I'm not on the dinner party circuit so probably not your intended audience.

Maybe they found your company less than unexciting, hence trying to get you to leave with a boring dessert.

Or, you could have enjoyed the main course with your friends and enjoyed the catch-up.

Hostess may of wanted to spend time with her guests rather than cook an elaborate pudding.

Did you go to see your friend for a catch-up, or for a free meal? If it was the latter you got what you deserved. How awfully critical you sound.

Christ, imagine if she'd presented an arctic roll? A choc ice? Cornetto? God forbid, some raspberries.

Strawberries and cream is lovely, nothing wrong with that.

Sausages - depends on the type and the quality. I know there are some top-notch gourmet sausages. Venison sausages for example.

However, going to a friend's house for dinner is more than what you eat, surely? It's an evening with a friend.

It isn't unusual to spend a hour each way travelling for a visit and a train is quicker than a car.

It's a bit mean to moan. Did you have a good time catching up with your friend and were you full up after the meal? Those are the most important things.

Sounds very boring tbh may as well have given you a bowl of grapes

Right!! Some friend eh

Wow, with friends like you, OP...

You sound like hard work. Find friends who also look down on simple, delicious food and stick with them.

Nothing wrong with strawberries op, lower your expectations

You sound high maintenance. Perfectly nice desert. Healthy and tasty.

It does sound a bit blah. Something like brownies would have been nice and still simple.

Seasonal fruit is a perfect desert especially for dinner (closer to bedtime). What did you expect for that length of a journey?

It's an unusual way to look at things. So if you'd travelled for several hours you'd expect croque en bouche in the form of a scale model of the Shard, but if your friend just lived round the corner they could get away with Angel Delight? Is that how it works?

Next time don't bother to go. Sure you can go to a restaurant in your own town and be happy.

If you were that bothered why didn’t you eat the bastards ? 😂

I get quite anxious when "entertaining" and one of the reasons is because of attitudes like this. So many of us are not skilled in the kitchen or have limited budgets. As someone who serves strawberries and cream often as a dessert, this post makes me feel a bit sad.

I hope the pouring cream was in a jug, and not in a plastic carton 😀🤣

Tbh I find the sausage and salad a stranger option. It sounds thrown together.

No issue with strawberries as a dessert