to think this couple are bonkers

[SlightlyJaded]

So we have got quite friendly with this couple through school. They are both professionals lawyer/banker and seem to have shedloads of money and live in a beautiful house. But I have always thought they are a bit odd - a few strange random comments and slightly bonkers opinions on things, but I don't mind strange and DD gets on well with their DD.

They invited us round to supper at their big posh house the other night and DH and I made a real effort to 'scrub up'. Paid for babysitter, dolled ourselves up and spent more on wine than we ever would at home.

We get there - all fine and lovely. Glass of wine and chit chat - slightly odd topics (sex life of Nomads in Papa New Guinea and a less interesting 15 minutes on Chinese banking but still...), then we sit down at quite a formal dinner table and hostess serves starter of.... tinned soup. We know it's tinned because it's Heniz tomato soup and there are 3 empty cans in bin... That's ok, we like soup and chat away. Hostess starts laughing uncontrollably at something. Host doesn't think this is odd but sits back and wait for her to stop. We smile and ask what's so funny but she just carries on laughing. Then she stops and carries on talking as though nothing had happened. She then makes a bit to-do and hoo-ha about serving up main course of.... macaroni cheese. Not even baked in the oven, just macaroni stirred into a cheese sauce - like I make for DCs. And that's it.

DH and I eat it and try not to catch each others eyes. Nothing is said about the choice of main course other than 'I hope you like macaroni cheese' so I start to wonder if my expectations were too high? And then we get pudding which is a scoop of Neapolitan ice cream out of the tub.

As we leave, host pinches my bottom in full view of everyone and says 'that was fun' and hostess laughs her head off and says 'pinch punch first day of the month' - even though it isn't. And that's it.

DH says they are a bit quirky and to stop going on about it but I think they are mentalists. I'm right aren't I?

[SlightlyJaded]

at the thought of having to invite potential swingers to supper! Was thinking to invite them with another couple we are good friends with (who we can brief beforehand :)) but now thinking Bonkers Couple might see this as an invitation for big swinging session!

Perhaps I shall serve Chicken Nuggets followed by individual yoghurts...

[Rockbird]

LOL @ FWS getting her knickers in a knot :o

mamatomany I bloody wish!

[piprabbit]

The laughing would worry me...

[juicy12]

That's a bit harsh on the OP, FallingWithStyle, IMHO. Even if you're a rubbish cook, you'd go to more effort out of respect for your guests - at least a M&S dine in for a tenner type thing! And I'm going with the swinging vote

[SlightlyJaded]

Falling I am not hung up on their wealth, the reason I mentioned it was to bypass the responses saying 'maybe that's all they could afford'... I couldn't give a monkeys about eating tinned soup and macaroni cheese - both lovely. But it was odd under the circumstances, that's all. Quite how you have deduced that me and DH are twats from that I don't really know

[piprabbit]

Have you ever seen the kids TV programme 'My parents are aliens'?

[OrmRenewed]

I'd dislike the bottom-pinching but nothing else.

Not everyone can cook, or even really give a toss about food. It's not obligatory

[melikalikimaka]

How rude to not make the effort to cook for you. Swingers, maybe, but I would avoid from now on. Do what others suggest, invite them round, plenty of wine, but order Indian take away. That way, you have got revenge for their measley food and entertainment.

The very least, she could have gone to M&S and got two meal deals and passed it off as her own.
Your DD will hopefully move on to other friends!

[cestlavie]

Maybe they were having a 70s themed evening and forgot to mention it in advance?

Would explain the food and swinging hints... she wasn't wearing a kaftan was she?

[Bloodymary]

I am going for swingers as well.
As for slightly hysterical giggling over nothing, sounds to me like she had been smoking 'herbs'!

[FrogInAJacuzzi]

Maybe they did their shopping at Tesco?

this page

[FallingWithStyle]

Yes, I shouldn't have insinuated you and dh were twats. I apologise.

I just dont get it though, but seem to be in a minority on this thread.

Serving tinned soup and macaroni cheese (that hasn't been baked!!) is somehow a show of disrespect?

They invited you for supper - clearly they are extendeding the hand of friendship. To pick that apart because the food wasnt better is bizarre and very, very bad form imo.

[annh]

Orm, if you don't give a toss about food, why would you invite people to dinner? Ask them round for a drink instead or suggest getting a take-away.

[OrmRenewed]

Because they wanted to invite their friends to dinner but as they don't care too much for food they just used something easy as it doesn't matter to them.

I agree it's odd but I do know people like this. Usually older people who have been used to having 'staff' to look after them and have never quite got used to doing without them. Dad and DB once went to help my great-aunt by putting up a garden shed. She offered them lunch. When they came in she has a single tin of Baxters soup between three of them with half a slice of wholemeal bread each

[FallingWithStyle]

Wah??

But when you invite someone round for dinner its not about the dinner

Honestly, I find that a really odd way of looking at it.

Ah well, different priorities.

[partyorganiser]

I think they're a bit wierd - sorry

[colditz]

They probably went to a boarding school and therefore, this was how they think people eat. Nursery food.

[DirtyMartini]

at nuggets followed by individual yogurts

What age group are we talking here, are they a bit older? It's just hard to imagine the bottom-pinching being ok with the wife otherwise

[SlightlyJaded]

falling again, the food was just odd under the circumstances - those being: invitation to dinner party, glamorous couple, formal dining room with fully laid out silverware and linen napkins, obvious wealth, everyone quite 'dressed up' then coupled with strange conversations, unexplained hysteria. Bottom pinching etc. Odd, not 'not good enough' - there's a huge difference.

[FallingWithStyle]

Sorry - I must have missed that it was a Dinner Party invitation - I thought it was supper.

Also missed the silverware etc - you mentioned it was a quite formal table but I assumed thats just standard due to poshness of the house rather than indicative of that meal being formal.

Also I realise that you dressed up expecting something glitzy - didn't realise they had.

I really read it as you (based on your assumptions about their lifestyle/wealth) built it up in your minds as something other than what it was - an informal meet up as pals with a bite to eat.

[minipie]

Am I the only one who thinks the hosts served that food as a joke and were laughing at their own oh-so-clever private joke?

maybe I'm just cynical.

But they are definitely definitely odd, no doubt about that.

[FallingWithStyle]

The rest of it - the strange conversations, the inappropriate laughing - I would just assume was awkwardness. You sound like you were awkward, they probably felt awkward too.

Probably just one of those situations where you can be pally at the school gates but an evening at their home ahowed that you are just very different people. No harm done, I just think its a bit mean to say they're weird when they clearly thought enough of you to invite you to their home.

Quite apart from all that though - the bum pinching was very, very odd and reason enough not to return the invitation.

[Malificence]

Be careful, next time she'll have her husband crawling round the floor naked with a collar and lead on, then he'll be humping your leg under the table, mark my words.

They sound like loons.