Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> maxine in ri wrote:
>
>> My husband's church has "small group dinners" where the host supplies
>> the main course and assigns the guests the appetizer, salads, sides,
>> and desserts.
>>
>> Dh and i were assigned salad and bread, so I made a Citrus salad with
>> candied walnuts and gougeres.
>>
>> We arrived precisely at 6:30 as requested, to find that we were the
>> second couple there. As I placed my food on the counter, the hostess
>> said "Oh, we don't need a salad. This other person brought a lovely
>> salad of beets and pomegranates, which is what she considered an
>> appetizer."
>>
>> She also brought (which I wasn't told) a basket of artisan bread, so
>> to be graceful, I put the salad in the coatroom and suggested the
>> gougeres would be nice for the appetizers.....
>>
>> She _also_ brought gyozo and sauce for the hors d'ouvres.
>>
>> If I had been the hostess, I probably would have told her, as the
>> guests who were assigned those courses arrived, that while her
>> offerings were lovely, it would be kind of her to let the other people
>> share theirs rather than have the other guests shoved aside for her
>> ego.
>>
>> What would _you_ have done?
>
> I'd have just served everything. So you have two salads: So what? Maybe
> there are those twisted deviants out there who don't LIKE beets. Or
> pomegranates.
>

Serving everything would have been the way to go. My wife hates beets.
She would have liked a choice. I know that I would have been miffed if
asked to bring something and that I was told to leave in the the coat
room and take it home with me. Better to upset the one person who could
not follow simple instructions than to insult the many others who had
done as requested. Personally, if it had happened to me, I don't think
there would be a second chance.