369484 Fri Feb 09 14:09:24 -0800 2007 12 29 Not About Food 0 2277186 Years ago, my aunt was in New Orleans and noticed several locals wearing a small pouch on their belt which turned out to be hot sauce. This seemed like a great idea to me and I figured that it might be good to also bring my own metal cutlery to certain parties in case they are handing out plastic cutlery. My wife thinks I'm a crackpot, but whenever I've brought real cutlery to a plastic-only event, other people seem to think it's a great idea. Can I get some Chowhounds to weigh in on this? Fri Feb 09 14:09:24 -0800 2007 59608 El Puerco 1 2277194 I think bringing your own cutlery would be very insulting to your host. Fri Feb 09 14:11:52 -0800 2007 2277186 24575 lebelage 2 2277434 ditto. Fri Feb 09 15:25:50 -0800 2007 2277194 30273 hotoynoodle 2 2278354 I had a superbowl party last sunday (duh) and used paper plates for the spread. A friend of mine chose to take a plate from my cupboard, rather than use the paper plates. I'm sure it was because she does not approve of paper plates. Sort of the same thing. Fri Feb 09 21:45:44 -0800 2007 2277194 18970 Val55 2 2279347 Absolutely insulting. Sat Feb 10 11:04:40 -0800 2007 2277194 18993 squeaks 1 2278360 they may say (and really believe) its a great idea ... but I bet they don't do it you have guts and i love you for it! Bless you wife too Fri Feb 09 21:49:48 -0800 2007 2277186 61553 vicsailgarden 1 2278540 For a while every time I get shaved ice from this place in Flushing, NY, I find their plastic spoon cut my lips somehow, which put a damper on the whole shaved ice experience. After a couple of times like that (they must have had a bad batch of spoons) I started to bring a tiny white ceramic spoon with me. I don't think I would use it at someone's house, though. Sat Feb 10 00:25:56 -0800 2007 2277186 10422 HLing 1 2279040 I have a pocket-sized pepper mill that accompanies me pretty much everywhere I go. Life's too short to use pre-ground pepper. It does raise some eyebrows at truckstops, however. Sat Feb 10 09:03:18 -0800 2007 2277186 10143 MC Slim JB 2 2279681 I'm sorry, but life's too short to be worrying about using pre-ground pepper. Sat Feb 10 13:13:58 -0800 2007 2279040 22851 obob96 3 2280724 Well, yes, you could also argue that life's too short to expend more effort than it takes to microwave a frozen dinner, and or eat at The Cheesecake Factory. Who can be bothered with looking for more? In fact, why waste any time on a bulletin board where people talk about the pursuit of extraordinary food and drink? Sat Feb 10 21:07:37 -0800 2007 2279681 10143 MC Slim JB 1 2279277 I agree that it could be insulting to a host, but I wouldn't bring cutlery to someone's house (although I've wished I had at times). I should have specified that I have only brought cutlery to large events hosted by my employer or events that I pay to attend or to eat. In these cases, plastic cutlery is the most realistic option and insulting a host was not really an issue. I can relate to a poorly formed plastic spoon scraping my lip after each bite of ice cream. It takes away from the experience. The place where I wished I'd brought hot sauce recently was my softball banquet at a hall. Again, no specific host to insult. Kudos to MC Slim JB for the pepper mill idea. I can imagine my wife rolling her eyes at that one. Sat Feb 10 10:40:18 -0800 2007 2277186 59608 El Puerco 2 2280561 The softball banquet is a different matter altogether. You aren't insulting a host. For years, my husband and I were on the "rubber chicken curcuit," going to charity and political dinners all the time, at least once a week, usually more. That gets really old and the food is the same, especially when they are often at the same venues with the same menus. He carries those tiny bottles of Tabasco in his tuxedo pocket and I have them for my evening bag. Saves many an evening. We often share with envious dinner partners who catch us sneaking. But nobody at any of those tables is responsible for cooking the food or even ordering it. They are just as trapped as we are. So nobody is offended. There's some events where that's still improper though. Can't do it at an Embassy Dinner. Just gotta suck it up. Sat Feb 10 19:39:02 -0800 2007 2279277 32444 MakingSense 3 2281389 In the unlikely event that I ever have to host a Chowhound convention and am limited to a space with mediocre food (like that would ever happen) I can just imagine having a basket of mini Tabascos at the door. "I know some of you brought your own, but you're all going to need it..." Sun Feb 11 08:30:20 -0800 2007 2280561 11577 Pei