Deciding which crowd-pleasing dish to bring to a dinner party can be stressful, especially if the host has specific requests, as one Redditor just found out.
In a recent post, a Reddit user shared their experience attending a dinner party gone wrong at a vegan friend’s house. Before the gathering, the host sent a message saying, “It would be awesome if you all could bring plant-based dishes so everyone can try everything.” The Redditor wrote, “I didn’t think it was a RULE, I saw it more like a suggestion.”
They explained, “I am from Chile and my friends love our food, so I decided to bring empanadas de pino (non-vegan) and sopaipillas con pebre, which are vegan. I made sure to put a visible tag that showed the vegan and non-vegan food.”
According to the post, the host didn’t try any of the food the Redditor brought, even the vegan option, and later texted saying that they were “really disrespectful for bringing animal products into her home.” The Redditor apologized, but wrote that they “didn’t think it was that big of a deal” and had “brought a food that she could also eat.” They added that “we’ve already eaten non-vegan food there plenty of times, so I would’ve never guessed it would be such a problem.”
The post has elicited over 5,500 comments, with responses seemingly split between people saying it was bad guest etiquette and others agreeing with the Redditor that it wasn’t a big deal.
“I definitely get why the host was upset. But I also get why [original poster] thought it would be fine based on the wording of the comment. They brought their vegan contribution and then a bonus dish,” wrote one commenter. Another agreed, saying that the friends just got their wires crossed. “She believed she made a direct request. You believed she made a suggestion, which you accommodated nicely. This is a misunderstanding.”
Others felt more strongly about the meal misstep: “You decided to bring food to your friend’s party that you knew your friend couldn’t eat and to ignore what she said about everyone getting to try everything. If you want to be invited back – ever – I suggest you apologize properly…”
Another person commented, “I think it’s common knowledge that vegans don’t want animal products in their home. You somehow took her polite wording as not being a clear stipulation. Why would you even risk a situation like this in a vegan home? It’s just not smart.”
“Maybe she sent the reminder because she’s tired of you guys bringing food she can’t eat into her house,” wondered another Reddit user.
