Guest complaining about menu - ironic update #44

[chibichan]

IMO , asking if there's any cheese for the burgers is not really being picky .

Asking if there's any Rhone-Alpes Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage cheese for the burgers is picky .

Pod to the other posters who suggest that she was asking simply because she thought maybe she just couldn't find it .

 Of course , tone changes everything . I would give her the benefit of the doubt this time . If she has the nerve to complain again to you , the host , I would simply ask her why on earth she continued to accept invitations to events that obviously left her feeling so dissatisfied .

Or "I know you can't make everyone happy , but looking around , I think I've score about 99% . That's a win in my book . "

[VorFemme]

If it was "her" doing the asking - the *tone* from previous "requests" would be resonating in my head and it would be impossible to hear if she really had attitude THIS time or not.

Because if she didn't have attitude in her tone of voice this time, it would be the first time since she got out of college (yeah, I know someone like that - even if they aren't the same person - she's my aunt and the "baby of the family").  I may be overstating the case slightly - she may have only gotten like that in her thirties.......but she's been like that since 1980 or so and it's not easy to remember how she was back in the 1970s or earlier......

[jaxsue]

Actually you prompted me to go on Wikipedia and look at te condiments and I had no idea mint sauce and horseradish sauce were mainly a traditional British accompaniment! Very traditional and very universal in ENGLAND with roasts. I thought it would be worldwide! See, you learn something new everyday!

My mom served mint sauce with most roasts. We were in the USA, but my parents are English Canadian (important detail) and a lot of the stuff we had was very British. Imagine my surprise when I found out that not every American family did that!

[Daquiri40]

My father had a saying, "everyone had fun - but one".  There is always one person who is a pain in the neck, who complains, who has to find fault.  Chalk it up to the one and try (and sometimes it is hard to do) to laugh about it.

I organize a picnic every summer and a late "Christmas" party in January for a group of friends.  One always complains about the meat selection at the picnic and another always complains about the choice of restaurant.  It is sometimes hard to laugh them off, but I try.

[NotTheNarcissist]

My father had a saying, "everyone had fun - but one".  There is always one person who is a pain in the neck, who complains, who has to find fault.  Chalk it up to the one and try (and sometimes it is hard to do) to laugh about it.

I organize a picnic every summer and a late "Christmas" party in January for a group of friends.  One always complains about the meat selection at the picnic and another always complains about the choice of restaurant.  It is sometimes hard to laugh them off, but I try.

Thank you for sharing. I love that!

I agree w/PP about tone. Tone changes everything.

[Miss Misha]

My father had a saying, "everyone had fun - but one".  There is always one person who is a pain in the neck, who complains, who has to find fault.  Chalk it up to the one and try (and sometimes it is hard to do) to laugh about it.

I organize a picnic every summer and a late "Christmas" party in January for a group of friends.  One always complains about the meat selection at the picnic and another always complains about the choice of restaurant.  It is sometimes hard to laugh them off, but I try.

Thank you for sharing. I love that!

I agree w/PP about tone. Tone changes everything.

I always heard it as "Every party has a p.o.o.p.e.r."

Back on track, I tend to agree with OP's who would give the picky eater friend the benefit of the doubt.  The thing that made me think that Picky Eater was just asking was in the update, Nutella mentions running around for two hours getting the table and food ready.  Perhaps Picky Eater was doing a sort of "just wondering if it got overlooked".  However, I think Nutella's response was perfect.  No need to get out your personal stash of cheese, fancy or otherwise, for this reason.

That being said, if someone asked me for a condiment at my home or party, I would provide it if I had it.  No skin off my knuckles and IMHO, it's part of being a good host rather than questioning the menu.  IRL, I had this happen a few weeks ago.  Friend and I were having sandwiches for lunch.  As a rule, I am choosy about which condiments I like (someone upthread mentioned no meat and mayo were their food preferences and I thought, hmmm, did I already post in this thread?    ), so I didn't put anything on the bread, but did put out various jars and bottles of condiments.  Friend asked for yellow mustard (fellow Americans, think "ball park" mustard).  I told her I don't have that in my fridge nor pantry but she was welcome to choose from what I did have.   Another time, someone asked for mayo with their fries and I went to the fridge and got it out for them.  As long as I didn't have to eat the mayo, no prob.