To make a cheeky comment to my friend about this?!

[feedmefudge]

Last night I hosted drinks and nibbles for a couple of friends; one of whom we haven’t seen in over a decade. I bought wine and nice wee snacks for us.
The local friend I see more regularly brought a box of posh crackers. Looking at the box, I could see that they are 6 months out of date. Not only that, but the date was covered with a weird sticky stuff that was murder to remove from my kitchen surface. Clearly the box had come from the deepest corner of her kitchen cupboard!
Wealthy friend, money no object. And to be honest, it grates a bit.
I’m tempted to make a light-hearted comment which shows that it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
A bit passive-aggressive maybe, but AIBU? And any funny suggestions of what it could be?!

Maybe she accidentally looked at the date because there was some sticky stuff there which transferred to kitchen counter.

Oh gosh! It is so embarrassing if you forget to take something. I would be so embarrassed if you mentioned it or even worse told someone else, the third party always enjoys telling the person.
Years ago my mum had a friend. She would always rock up anywhere with out of date things from the factory she worked at. Not always edible by the time she gifted. But she wax the kindest , funniest woman you could ever meet. She has been dead a long time but if ever any one mentions her a loving story will come out. One I never new until recently a friend said “ she gave me a lift from the supermarket when my waters broke. Then half way to hospital she delivered my baby in the car”.
i would rather be the woman who brought the out of date things than the woman who tried to shame her.

Omg brilliant! You nailed it! 😀😂

Had the crackers exploded in the box? On opening was there a cloud of toxic gas that rendered everyone unconscious?
If not, no problem.

Too many people stress about bloody dates on food.

I honestly would not appreciate any of those gifts. They would immediately be given to the next tombola. I would thank you profusely but would be thinking “what a showy waste of money” I would not come to your house after that as I would not want to bring a gift you hated.

You’d never know I hated a gift because I have impeccable manners. My house is full of friends and family and kids regularly so no problems there thanks.

Also a cinema voucher, bottle of wine, nice chocs is hardly ‘showy’ 😬

You do you though.

It's a bit off really to bring out of date crackers as a gift no matter how expensive they are but as long as they didn't taste stale then it's not really a problem. Even if they were stale I wouldn't say anything.

Reminds me of an incident years ago when a neighbour didn't put her dog on its lead in front of their house and it ran off the pavement into the side of the back of my car.

The dog was unconscious for a very short time but wasn't hurt, I wasn't going very fast, but I was a bit shaken up.

Anyway, a few days later she gave me a box of chocolates by way of an apology, which I appreciated, but when I opened them they were all covered in white bloom and tasted absolutely foul; obviously they were way past their sell buy date.

I was a bit insulted to be honest but, of course, I didn't say anything.

I’m tempted to make a light-hearted comment which shows that it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Presumably she didn’t know they were out of date.
I can’t imagine wanting to purposely cause an actual friend embarrassment by doing something like that.

Are 'pound stores' a thing in the UK like Euro stores elsewhere?

My (very tight) ex absolutely loved shopping in them. His obsession with getting a deal was such a turn-off. We both earned good money and I would feel like; please can we just get the packet of biscuits we want instead of you insisting we get ones we don't like just because we get triple the amount?

Anyway one Christmas I came home with three weeks cash instead of one weeks for our cleaner; a bonus. Tight ex says oh no I already got her a gift for Christmas and pointed at the table where there was a box of After Eights and a dvd (yes really) nobody had ever heard of which he'd clearly gotten in a bargain bin someplace.

I put my foot down, the cleaner would be expecting cash not stupid gifts. He then huffily said he was taking the crap gifts back. I opened the box and relief washed through me he had not handed them over; they were a big massive of melted goo down one end of the box, disgusting.

The only time Id say anything is if I wanted to actively embarass and humiliate a friend. Which is never.

Jeez. I’m glad my friends aren’t like this. YOU hosted.

I think you’re being unreasonable to want to deliberately fashion a passive aggressive comment in retaliation for a Box of out of date crackers. Maybe she didn’t know they were out of date. I can’t see any way you could comment on it and make it ‘funny’. I’m not a fan of letting people know things haven’t ’gone unnoticed’. What’s the point? Obviously to make her feel shit i assume? If it bothers you, sit down with her and and raise the issue in a serious fashion. If that sounds ridiculous to you to do that, that’s because it would be ridiculous I’d rather have a friend who brought me out of date crackers than one who was looking for advice on how to pull me up in a passive aggressive yet ‘ever so jaunty’ fashion. I can’t stand that carry on.

But did you die though?

This happened to.me once. I took some nice chocolates that had been in my cupboard. I was absolutely mortified when I was called out on it as I really hadn't done it on purpose. I wouldn't have mentioned it to my friend. We're not friends anymore, mainly due to other times when she has been pretty mean to me.

I bought some posh biscuits in Morrisons and got them home only to find they were 3 months past their sell by date so it can happen that people buy them in good faith.

Depending on the friend I might make a quip about whether they were pre- or post-Covid crackers.

I recently ate some crackers that were at least six months past the best before date and they were absolutely fine. But I wouldn't have taken them somewhere where I was a guest.

I've had that happen with chocolates in date bought straight from the shop, it is due to inadequate storage which can happen in a supermarket.

Unfortunately, with these chocolates it wasn't inadequate storage, the sell by date, which I didn't look at until after I tasted them, had passed quite some time before she gave them to me and they had gone bad.

If this friend had a habit of giving crappy second hand/unwanted gifts, or was stingy in general, then I would say something.

If this friend is normally generous, I would let it go as I would assume they were too busy/scatty to have picked up something decent.

It all depends on her regular generosity.

You’d never know I hated a gift because I have impeccable manners. My house is full of friends and family and kids regularly so no problems there thanks

This thread is clocking up some absolute peak-MN belters.

Back to you OP, it would be clunky beyond belief to mention it 'in a jokey way.' Of course you shouldn't say anything. She probably just thought "Oh, I'll take that box of biscuits we haven't opened yet," and didn't think to check the date.

It's just not a big deal. Making a 'light hearted comment' would seem incredibly petty.

This whole exchange blows my mind. You are offended because your friend brought an out of date box of crackers to your party? I mean is that even a thing? With the best will in the world, I think you need to find some other things in your life to focus on.

You’re being really petty.

She was likely running late, grabbed something which she thought was decent and had zero awareness they were out of date.

I can’t imagine she was plotting to save herself less than a fiver and thought her friends couldn’t read use by dates so was chuffed she was pulling a fast one by clearing out her cupboards at the same time.

Even if they weren’t out of date, does she need to do a dedicated shop? She bought something.

I think it's rude and I wouldn't say anything if she doesn't have form to be a CF

Did you serve the out of date crackers ?

Have you contacted the Daily Mail OP?
They could do a lovely article on this with a photo of you with your best compo face.

😂😂😂😂