If you were a Guest

Tefila

Mon, Mar 28 2005, 6:13 pm

Hi, what do you feel is best if you were a guest by someones home?

Everything is served buffet style and hostess is there to entertain aswell. Or to serve individual platters but rarely see the hostess sit nevermind eat, talk etc.

This is my dilemma please tell me whats better!!

basmalkah

Mon, Mar 28 2005, 6:23 pm

Buffet style is best for a few reasons:
1) Guest could choose what to eat without feeling bad about not finishing portion
2) Hostels spends more time at the table
Good luck LOL

Sunshine

Mon, Mar 28 2005, 7:02 pm

I also have this dilema. But after seeing so much food go to the garbage I have decided that I will start derving buffet style. That way everyone takes what they want. The only draw back is that there are more serving dishes to clean. If I get many more guests then planned and think I won't have enough food(which almost never happens because I always over cook, to be on the safe side)I will serve individual portions. As a guest I would like serving platters because then you don't have to tell the host please don't give me xyz and be embarrassed

to do so bec she is looking at what you eat and will feel bad that you don't have enough to eat. If you don't tell her not to give you then xyz then it will go to waste. I hate to go to s/o house and have them look at my plate and how much I am eatting.

roza

Mon, Mar 28 2005, 8:14 pm

I put everything on the table, then I make sure everything gets passed around (traffic control). after a while pass the food for a second round, in case if someone wants more, but is afraid to ask.
I remind those who are shy or first time - to help themselves.

once, one of my regular guests said to me: "do I look like starving? " LOL

Rochel Leah

Tue, Mar 29 2005, 5:32 am

lol, Roza..if you have kids that are old enough nad willing to help they could every once in a while go around the table with a platter offering food.. saving you the embarressment of asking for the food to be passed to you..

Pearl

Tue, Mar 29 2005, 5:52 am

Quote:

roza wrote:

but if I were the guest- I prefer waiters LOL

LOL!

go buffet style, freilich - much more relaxing for you I think. whenever we have lots of guests (for bday for example) we go buffet, works perfectly. for yomtov it's sit down....
if I would be a guest, and have my children with me, I prefer buffet. if I am by myself - then I'd go with above quote from roza Wink

roza

Tue, Mar 29 2005, 11:31 am

Rochel Leah wrote:

thanks for the idea! will use it this shabbos. Very Happy

queenie

Sun, May 08 2005, 6:01 pm

I also like putting the different dishes of food on the table and I usually serve the men and kids. But, I ask the ladies if they would like me to serve them and often they tell me that they will help themselves. If I can see that they are shy or new to my house I will serve them too. You have to judge each situation accordingly.

but, if I really have a lot of guests, I will make up plates (not platters) and serve each person individually just because it's faster and there's less waiting for the food to go out on the table.

Lambqueen

Sat, May 28 2005, 7:28 pm

I personally feel it's more heimish to have platters on the table and / or have someone bringing the food to each person.

Buffet style is certainly nicer for a lot of reasons, but I view that as more of a brunch type thing than a yuntiv or shabbos meal preference (though I don't know if you specified the type of meal you were serving). Just my $.02!

curly

Mon, Jul 18 2005, 7:14 pm

I personally perfer buffet style. I've been a guest where they put the food already in your individual plate. That way I felt that the whole plate had to be eaten. On the other hand I have been a guest where it was buffet style and I enjoyed it better. Another thing is that it is just a tad bit easier for when you are on a diet. I was able to control my portions.

leahj

Thu, Aug 04 2005, 6:52 pm

I have platters on the table, but they are the glass or ceramic kind that can go in the oven and then have a plastic cover so you can put right in fridge (No clean up).

I recently went to a friends for Shabbas. She put the foil tins in her kitchen (for main course only) on the counter and had everyone go help themselves, as many times as they needed. This seemed to work great.

She also is SUPER organized and puts her salads on trays in the fridge so she can just pull the tray out and serve.

de_goldy

Thu, Aug 04 2005, 7:31 pm

Quote:

She also is SUPER organized and puts her salads on trays in the fridge so she can just pull the tray out and serve.

What's so organised about that?

Tefila

Thu, Aug 04 2005, 7:56 pm

Uh w/h salads I do that too and I'm far from being the most organized person 4 sure Confused

It just makes sense to do it that way thats all

leahj

Fri, Aug 05 2005, 5:27 am

I consider her SUPER organised for many reasons....
but with respect to putting everything on the trays, I never thought to do it - partly because I am just lucky enough to get everything made and into the fridge! So I consider her organised enought to do that on top of getting everything else done.

cindy324

Mon, Dec 11 2006, 3:03 pm

Definitely buffet style. That's how iI always serve, and only give plates once all the food is on the table, so that people don't load up their plate and NOT have room for whatever comes out last Twisted Evil