AIBU - to say Christmas Dinner is not the meal to go wild on flavours?

[StacksOfSnacks]

TLDR
My sister has just dropped that she is doing an ‘elevated’ Christmas dinner. Can I politely ask her to keep it simple?

Long Version
My sister and I share a love of food and cooking, we enjoy food and flavours from an array of cultures and will often do dinners composed of a spread of small plates - this is to say that I’m not typically unadventurous or fussy.

We are spending Christmas at hers this year, as we have previously, and were expecting her absolutely delicious yet conventional Christmas dinner. However, she has just excitedly shared what she plans to cook and I’ve been knocked for six. I have no doubts that she has the skills to execute it, and that each element will be delicious, but it seems a bit to busy to have all on one plate, I’m not sure they will mingle well together. And I just love a traditional Christmas dinner and think that it should be left to be simple and tasty, this just won’t feel like Christmas dinner to me. I will put her intended menu below.

I know she’s the host and should cook whatever she wants, and I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but I feel this has been dropped on me. I know she would reject me offering to bring a dish or two. We’ve each said many times that having people bring a dish to an occasion like Christmas is more hassle than it’s worth. It’s too late to make alternative plans for Christmas without it being a ‘thing’. I’m a bit gutted, can I say something? If so how?

• Ballotine Porchetta Turkey
• Nam Prik Pao Smoked Prime Rib
• Rosemary Bonito Gravy
• Fried Sprouts + Cheese Foam + Preserved Lemon + Pistachio Relish
• Honey Gochujang Carrots
• Truffle Cauliflower Cheese
• Marmite Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Roasties
• Parsnip and pecorino stuffing
• Sticky Pomegranate Pigs in Blankets
• Champagne Cranberry Sauce
• Hazelnut and Nutmeg Bread Sauce
• Yorkshire Puddings

If every ingredients is going to taste of something else it's going to be a bit overwhelming and not balanced as a meal.

rosemary and smoked tuna gravy??

Personally I like the taste of veg and wouldn't want to mask the natural flavour of a delicious sweet carrot with sticky sugar sweet chilli gochujang.

However if I'm being cooked for I'd just say "thanks very much" and repeat the bits I feel I missed out on some other time myself at home.

It's a bit over the top, but surely it will still be enjoyable, and you can just leave any bits you don't fancy. It'll be a lot of work so she probably won't try the same level again next year.

@lxn889121I think that’s the only way to approach it! One or two veg and meat at a time. Together it’s just too complex to contemplate. Awful in fact.

She needs to at least pick a single/complementary cuisines if she's departing from traditional!

I hate this. Telling people what they can and can’t post about. OP might have huge problems in her life and not want to post about them. Then again, she might not. She is free to choose what to post about because it isn’t doing anyone else any harm.

How was the dinner?

Everything was executed well, and it all tasted good, as expected. Also as expected it was too busy flavour wise, though in fairness some items were more subtle than I feared - for example the carrots were more of a hint of the gochujang than very forward. While helping her get the kitchen straight that evening DS said that - though everything was lovely you just can’t beat a classic Christmas dinner - so I think we’ll be back to normal service next year!

Glad it wasn’t a complete disaster and hopefully next year will be a more traditional affair :)

While helping her get the kitchen straight that evening DS said that - though everything was lovely you just can’t beat a classic Christmas dinner - so I think we’ll be back to normal service next year!

Is your son normally so rude?

Didn't say she can't post, just said the flavours of Christmas dinner when you are fortunate enough to have family inviting you as a guest aren't really worth getting upset over.

Says you.

as my son is 4 months old he doesn't have the power of speech, much less the ability to eat then critique a Christmas dinner. My sister, herself, said that a classic Christmas is the best, it was just the two of us in the kitchen.

DS normally means darling son and Dsis is sister which is probably where this poster got confused