And today for your dining pleasure...
By LCecelia
@LCecelia (1124)
United States
July 12, 2007 7:34pm CST
The following letter was in the Miss Manners column in the Fort Worth Star Telegram:
Dear Miss Manners: What do you do when a friend invites you to dinner and then serves a frozen dinner? I didn't say anything at the time. I ate the dinner and thanked her for inviting me.
Miss Manners' reply.
Gentle Reader: And now you feel remorseful because you failed to insult her? Presuming that your friend defrosted the meal before serving it to you, Miss Manners does not acknowledge that you have cause for complaint.
Isn't that prescious? I love Miss Manners' answer.
So gentle friends, how do you feel first about the guest and second Miss Manners' response to the guest?
Would you have said something to your friend that could potentially hurt her feelings?
2 people like this
5 responses
@hermitcrabheaven (645)
• United States
13 Jul 07
What a cute article. I'd like to say, who really cares what you're eating when you go to a friends house, as long as you're not allergic to it, and it's fresh.
I think the point of being invited to a friend's house is to spend time with the friend, not to worry what they are serving you for dinner. I had a friend in high school who used to ask me over for dinner a couple of times a week. Her mom served nothing but these weird casseroles, that weren't necessarily bad, but they were different. I didn't mind and I never said anything because I loved to be at their dinner table. I enjoyed how their family ate together and conversed together throughout the entire meal.
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
13 Jul 07
Yes. I thought it was a cute article. :-)
Your commentary reminded me of a friend I had during Junior High and High School. Coincidentally we moved 2 blocks from each other during High School so we spent a lot of time together, for some reason usually at her house. :-) Every time I was there her Mom always asked me to stay for a meal. The only meal I never stayed for was when they were having tongue for dinner. That is one food item that I could not get myself to eat!!
3 people like this
@sigma77 (5383)
• United States
13 Jul 07
Probably not. Perhaps the company was well worth eating a TV dinner. Actually, there are some frozen dinners I like. And then there are some not fit for a dog. I don't see any gain in insulting the host or making a big deal about having a frozen dinner. Think of the more than one billion people that would love to have dinner at all.
3 people like this
@Willowlady (10657)
• United States
13 Jul 07
I would have enjoyed my time with my friend and thought that perhaps that it was all the food she had in the house or that it was the only thing she could afford to share. No need to be offended or concerned for self. The time spent is what was important. If it was a good friend we would have been able to talk about finances and if I could offer to help I would have. Times can be hard for any of us and keeping the connection is most important at that time.
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
13 Jul 07
I'm glad you said what you did because as I was reading the thought occurred to me that even if you're a casual friend to someone chances are you have a little idea of that person's finances. Not that they may have told you but just from observation and clues from conversation.
@friend2friends (1636)
• United States
13 Jul 07
There's alot variables on this topic. Is the person on a fixed income ? Does the person have money and just being cheap. Is the dinner guest there just to get a free meal.
I think the host should of informed the guest prior on the invitation to come over and enjoy a dinner, but it would be a frozen dinner.
But, I wouldn't of brought up the reasoning of the frozen dinner being served. There is other ways of finding out the reasoning with out creating an issue.
1 person likes this
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
13 Jul 07
I agree that there could be many variables involved here, however it was not mentioned.
I've never asked a hostess what she would be serving for dinner except to bring something to compliment her menu. And I've never been asked by a guest what my menu would be except they wanted to bring something to compliment my menu.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
13 Jul 07
I am not as crash as that woman. I would have just enjoyed the dinner. Who knows, perhaps she had already prepared a home-cooked meal but it burned. Maybe that was all she had in the house, but I suspect it was the former. Anyway, I think Miss Manners' response was right on.
