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We don't even have to guess if you've ever been served food at someone's home – we know you did, we all have. At the end of the day, food and its importance in social interactions is something that unites most of the cultures around the world.
At the same time, it can not only build those social bridges, but destroy them too. Especially, when the served food misses the mark – just like it did in the stories from today's list.
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#1
Shrimp jello. Don’t wanna talk abt it. I almost cried.
Mel in Georgia 2 weeks ago
I loved a lot of things about the 70s, but putting random things in gelatin wasn't one of them!
RELATED:
#2
Birthday party when I was like 8. The dad had made a bunch of pizzas, we were all excited when he started listing them off - tuna with pineapple, tuna with pepperoni, tuna with olives, everything tuna
#3
My german friend invited me for dinner and served me overcooked spaghetti with ketchup and corn… (im italian)
When you go to someone’s house, it isn’t uncommon for you to be served food by them. In fact, food is typically served not only for sustenance, but it also plays a major part in social dynamics, a guest's experience, and even in creating lasting memories. So, essentially, it’s a pretty important thing a host does when a guest comes over, even if it doesn’t seem like it.
Food can create a welcoming atmosphere for a guest and show the host’s politeness. It can foster social interactions, as it can be a natural conversation starter and icebreaker. For instance, asking the host about how they prepared the meal, what’s in it, whether it has any sentimental or other value, and things like that.
#4
my ex friend say she made tuna pasta bake. it was baked with pasta, tuna, water and dreams. no seasoning in sight. I asked for vegetables and she opened a can of corn and gave me 3
#6
pasta and sauce, normal right? no, i had a bite, looked up at my friend she says "we like it still crunchy but like half cooked" i still dont think that pasta on my plate had even seen a drop of water
It can also set the tone for the whole event, like creating a fiesta vibe with Mexican cuisine, making a sophisticated evening with fancy cocktails, or inspiring a nostalgic mood with meals from your childhood or home country.
Well, we think you get the gist – the food during any event, even if it's the most basic friend hangout, usually plays a bigger role than just mere nourishment.
#7
Exchange in America. They made batch of food the day I arrived we ate the same thing warmed up for A MONTH until I had to leave because I couldnt take all of it anymore (there was more)
Cathy Jo Baker 2 weeks ago
Just want you to know ,OP, that this is NOT normal, even in America
#8
My friends mum put pesto, chicken, lamb, beef, fish and tripe into one pot and served it to me with an egg.
#9
my grandma made me try her “broccoli casserole” and it was watery mayo with uncooked broccoli and soggy bacon bits i was trying so hard to be nice but i was gagging like a cat that’s about to throw up
After all, besides all of the mentioned significances, it's no secret that food carries a lot of cultural importance. It's considered a part of intangible cultural heritage. From traditional recipes to cooking techniques to dining etiquette – it all can reflect the values and beliefs of different cultural communities.
Interestingly, The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list even includes quite a lot of food-related customs. For example, the culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking; the Korean practice of making and sharing kimchi (known as Kimjang), or Arabic coffee being as a symbol of generosity in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE.
#10
girlie was defrosting the chicken and wiped the bl00d off the counter with her dish towel that she later used for drying the dishes 😀
#11
a cake with layers of ham inside.
#12
They served me with a glass of pina colada and it tasted very weird. I look inside the metal straw and it was full of mold 🙂
And so, since food carries such a big importance in many areas of our lives, it is rather easy to mess things up and prevent it from fulfilling its many purposes.
Here’s where this meme comes to mind: “You can’t eat at everybody’s house.” It was a phrase that went viral on various social media platforms, with people sharing their takes or jokes about why it’s “dangerous” to eat at other people’s homes.
Whether it’s because they simply don’t know how to prepare food, or they do it in questionable manners, with questionable products.
#13
Sausage casserole but pretty much boiled the sausages and once it had a bone in the sausage. Scarred me for life.
#14
raw eggs that she called “very runny” scrambled eggs. the eggs were on the pan for 10 seconds and the pan was warm, not hot.
Mel in Georgia 2 weeks ago
Have a friend who likes his scrambled eggs so dry they're granulated. 🤢
#15
spaghetti but instead of sauce it was strawberry ice cream. backstory=mum ate it when pregnant and decided she liked it, so it became their norm. I can't stress enough how much I don't recommend it
Or it’s because you never really know their cleanliness levels – they might be overly frugal, like this dude, and cross any hygiene common sense levels. They also might interfere with food preparation, which isn’t that cute when you think about the fact that either of them tends to be rather unclean beings.
Well, basically, you can find a plethora of reasons why eating at someone’s place might not be the best idea out there. Just take a look at today’s list – it will give a head start on that.
Have you ever been served something borderline traumatizing at someone’s home? Please, share your stories.
#16
I dated a guy who made me a pasta bake with ready salted crisps…
Sally Moen 2 weeks ago
I don't get it. They sprinkled the baked pasta dish with potato chips? And?
#17
my sister went for dinner at her Pakistani friends house and came back slightly disappointed cos they made Chicken Nuggets & chips instead of a Curry 😅 ✨
Janissary35680 2 weeks ago
Reminds me of the "Goodness Gracious Me" comedy show's "Going for an English" sketch.
#18
Don't know the name but it was bananas rolled in mayo and then rolled in chopped peanuts and I think she baked them briefly? 😱
Mel in Georgia 2 weeks ago
My dad loved peanut butter, mayo and banana sandwiches. He gave me a bite and it really wasn't bad!
#19
Lettuce soup. A bowl of green slime. When I was on a French exchange trip in the 80s
#20
COLD pea and ham soup. I don’t even like peas. #peatsd
#21
stayed over at a friends house when I was 10 and his mum made us pasta..with milk. not sauce, the sauce was milk. I now have an irrational hatred of pasta❤️
#22
i was drinking water and after few seconds i said "why is there crunch?" i opened it as i see a millions of ants ALIVE..i repeat..ALIVEE😭
Kelly H. Wilder 2 weeks ago
I was a terribly odd child. I distinctly recall spending my recess times in pre-k/kindergarten standing by the tree and picking the ants off it so I could eat them. They were slightly sweet, slightly acidic, and had a satisfying "pop".
#23
Nettle soup 😭 🥣
Barbara Wilcock 2 weeks ago
Once cooked nettles have no sting. Taste a bit like spinch. With the price of food today, we need to look more the plants around us.
#24
Served us noodles, looked closely and there were worms. And by worms I mean FULL OF WORMS. White small wiggly worms.
#25
so it is a cultural thing so i’m not gonna be disrespectful, i used to live near a russian community and they had me straight up eating COW BRAIN JELLO…..it’s exactly what you can imagine(the jello was a greyish green color)
Ace 2 weeks ago
Possibly not actually jello, but lots of European cultures have dishes made with brain and other parts of the head, boiled up which makes its own jelly. I've tried it in Alsace, where it's called Kalbskopf (calf head). Not quite as disgusting to eat as it sounds. But very nearly as disgusting as it sounds.
#26
She made fish fingers but cooked them in oil so much and they were rock solid frozen in middle but drenched in oil on outside I had to take a drink every little bite
#27
A guy invited me around to his for dinner, he made tortellini and covered it in ketchup… proceeded to eat all of it himself and not offer me any…
#28
So I always eat what I am offered and grateful for every meal but once when I was around 10, I was invited over for dinner at a friends house and it was banana stuffed raw fish. 🙂
#29
at a friend's and her mum always made fish pie, it was beyond vile, and she used cornflakes for the breading, and I had to eat it or I won't get pudding, and as a 10yro, ofcourse I want pudding?
#30
Went to a friend's house and her mother served up uncooked chicken nuggets. That's how they ate them 😩
#32
she said it was stew, it was cold water with undercooked pieces of chicken and beef, hard potatoes and carrots. the water was ice cold and clear, no seasoning. literally toilet water
#33
she called "garlic bread" a normal buttered piece of toast with seasoning garlic granules on top
#34
Rice but they put raisins in it LIKE WHAT WHO DOES FHAT WHAT I NEVER SEEN THAG BEFORE 😭😭😭😭
Ace 2 weeks ago
Quite a few middle-eastern/persian/indian rice dishes may contains nuts and/or raisins, generally called pilaf, pilau or a local variation on the name. Delicious.
KatSaidThat 2 weeks ago
I was introduced to this in London (Saffa family were far from culinary). I ate so much of it for a while that I have not touched it in years.
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Mel 2 weeks ago
My grandmother used to make this sweet baked rice dish with apples and raisins when I was a kid. I used to love the smell in the kitchen afterwards. But considering the post, it's also possible they saw umeboshi in rice (pickled plums, usually very salty and sour) and tried to recreate it with available ingredients, spin on creativity and misplaced hope? 😅
Mel in Georgia 2 weeks ago
Actually, I like cooked grains with raisins or dried cranberries in it. Will be making a dish like that tonight!
Huddo's sister 1 week ago
Cranberries are one of the few dried fruits I can have (stupid IBS) and I love them. My favourite salad is chickpeas, quinoa, pepitas and cranberries with balsamic vinegar.
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Michael Largey 2 weeks ago
My mom made a delicious casserole that had noodles and raisins in it.
#36
She made Nutella on toast for breakfast, but she put butter on before the Nutella, and didn’t even put it on a plate
What do you think ?
Lousha 2 weeks ago
My worst "culinary experience" was actually not even food. When I was very little, we visited some relatives in a rural area, and I went over to a neighbour who was also a distant relative, where lots of other small kids gathered. We were outside and the mom brought out a tray full of plastic cups, with a plastic straw in each. I grabbed mine, and from its smell I thought it was ginger ale. I found it strange that the end of the straw was cut in four places, and the little slits folded out, but didn't give much thought to it. I took a big mouthful. It was horrible, but I was a polite child, so with a lot of effort I managed to swallow it, then I coughed for a good while. It was water with dishwashing liquid, so we could blow bubbles. I was a city kid, never seen homemade bubble making stuff, only the store kind with a little wand that had a hole.
KatSaidThat 2 weeks ago
If it makes me retch, I will be polite but honest and just say it's triggering my "sensitive" IBS.
Mel in Georgia 2 weeks ago
My husband once tried balut out of courtesy to his Filipino hosts. Many regrets were had. I don't care how impolite it would be but there is no effing way I would put a fermented fertilized goose egg in my mouth.
Kelly H. Wilder 2 weeks ago
Mel, I know you said explicitly what it is, but that pic needs a trigger warning. This is one time where my aphantasia was a blessing and I should have trusted it rather that yield to my curiosity. I don't mean to yick anyone's yum, but I do not understand how people eat what is in that picture.
Load More Replies... Tracey Stammers 1 week ago
I cannot tolerate lamb. Taste, smell or texture. New boyfriends cooked lamb chops (He knew but kept itself to himself!). I bravely managed to eat it, but was then mortified to vomit horrendously straight afterwards. Last time I went anywhere lamb - Over 40 years ago and my stomach has not forgotten,
Nikki Sevven 2 weeks ago
🎵Did you ever go over a friend's house to eat, and the food just ain't no good? I mean, the macaroni's soggy, the peas are mush, and the chicken tastes like wood.
Papa 2 weeks ago
My sister, our cousin, and I went to visit our mother many years ago, and she was excited to offer us some peach ice cream that she had made. She fixed up a big bowl for each of us. It was awful. My sister and cousin got their choked down while we were sitting around talking, but I just took a nibble every once in a while. Finally Mom heard her phone ring in the bedroom and went to answer it. I immediately jumped up with my almost full bowl of ice cream, ran to the bathroom, and flushed it. That was around 40 years ago and I don't think my sister and cousin have ever forgiven me.
Lousha 2 weeks ago
My worst "culinary experience" was actually not even food. When I was very little, we visited some relatives in a rural area, and I went over to a neighbour who was also a distant relative, where lots of other small kids gathered. We were outside and the mom brought out a tray full of plastic cups, with a plastic straw in each. I grabbed mine, and from its smell I thought it was ginger ale. I found it strange that the end of the straw was cut in four places, and the little slits folded out, but didn't give much thought to it. I took a big mouthful. It was horrible, but I was a polite child, so with a lot of effort I managed to swallow it, then I coughed for a good while. It was water with dishwashing liquid, so we could blow bubbles. I was a city kid, never seen homemade bubble making stuff, only the store kind with a little wand that had a hole.
KatSaidThat 2 weeks ago
If it makes me retch, I will be polite but honest and just say it's triggering my "sensitive" IBS.
Mel in Georgia 2 weeks ago
My husband once tried balut out of courtesy to his Filipino hosts. Many regrets were had. I don't care how impolite it would be but there is no effing way I would put a fermented fertilized goose egg in my mouth.
Kelly H. Wilder 2 weeks ago
Mel, I know you said explicitly what it is, but that pic needs a trigger warning. This is one time where my aphantasia was a blessing and I should have trusted it rather that yield to my curiosity. I don't mean to yick anyone's yum, but I do not understand how people eat what is in that picture.
Load More Replies... Tracey Stammers 1 week ago
I cannot tolerate lamb. Taste, smell or texture. New boyfriends cooked lamb chops (He knew but kept itself to himself!). I bravely managed to eat it, but was then mortified to vomit horrendously straight afterwards. Last time I went anywhere lamb - Over 40 years ago and my stomach has not forgotten,
Nikki Sevven 2 weeks ago
🎵Did you ever go over a friend's house to eat, and the food just ain't no good? I mean, the macaroni's soggy, the peas are mush, and the chicken tastes like wood.
Papa 2 weeks ago
My sister, our cousin, and I went to visit our mother many years ago, and she was excited to offer us some peach ice cream that she had made. She fixed up a big bowl for each of us. It was awful. My sister and cousin got their choked down while we were sitting around talking, but I just took a nibble every once in a while. Finally Mom heard her phone ring in the bedroom and went to answer it. I immediately jumped up with my almost full bowl of ice cream, ran to the bathroom, and flushed it. That was around 40 years ago and I don't think my sister and cousin have ever forgiven me.
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