Guest's unfinished food-do you ask?

[shootingstar]

Greenbeanw, are you sure it's because you're vegetarian for the non-invites? Of course, these maybe people who love their barbecued meats, etc.

Here in Vancouver at home, we barely have enough space to include 2 other people for dinner. OUr home space is small. So potluck here: no. But when I lived in Toronto and with several family members in rotation, there would be/still a potluck meal every few months. It's the only way to feed a very large family with young kids running around and without overstressing the hosts on food prep. It's also most fun since it allows people to break up casually in groups and move around to chat, since we cannot all sit down at 1 table. Too many of us.

If I included all cousins, spouses and their children in Metro Toronto..that is over 60 people.

So here I am in Vancouver...lone ranger. Sharing of food prepared by multiple parties and being pleasantly surprised most of the time by what other family members prepare (or buy ) because usually we don't know in much detail what the entire menu will be, is just normal for me in terms of big family meal celebrations. Usually the host gives vague instructions/gathers vague info. what people will bring...otherwise a person would go insane stuck in food minutaie pre-planning.

I genuinely do come from a family with fairly flexible palates...alot of it learned from each of our childhoods.