I was asked to bring a salad, an appetizer and a dessert for Christmas Eve.

[unsinkable]

We are driving an hour and a half away. I am fine with bringing 3 things.

 

What I am not fine with is the fourth (and fifth) things.

 

Dressings for the salad.

 

Plural...the specific words were, "salad with dressings."

 

It bugs me for some reason. They eat salad. They should have dressings in their fridge. Right?

 

I think I am going to strap some b@lls on and say I won't be bringing any dressings.

 

ETA: After reading the repsonses, I realized bringing the dressings isn't such a big deal. I am going to bring them with the salad. Thanks, all!

Edited December 21, 2010 by unsinkable
I am going to bring the dressings

[milovany]

We are driving an hour and a half away. I am fine with bringing 3 things.

 

What I am not fine with is the fourth (and fifth) things.

 

Dressings for the salad.

 

Plural...the specific words were, "salad with dressings."

 

It bugs me for some reason. They eat salad. They should have dressings in their fridge. Right?

 

I think I am going to strap some b@lls on and say I won't be bringing any dressings.

 

I'm sorry, but to me, if you make a salad, that includes the dressing for the salad so yes, I do think you should bring some (that you then get to take home with you, too).

[Pink Fairy]

I'm all for strapping on balls, I really am, but sadly I have to agree that if you bring the salad you should bring the dressing too. I do think it's unusual to bring 3 things to a potluck, though, but since you don't mind I suppose it's okay. :grouphug: Hope you have a great time!

[Carol in Cal.]

So here is how I make salad:

 

First I put the dressing in the bottom of the bowl.

Sometimes I MAKE the dressing the bottom of the bowl. That works great if you use a whisk.

Then I put the greens and stuff on top.

They are generally fluffy enough not to get soggy.

 

Just before serving, I toss.

 

No one gets to flood the salad themselves, and there is only one dressing.

 

That's the way I would go on this one.

 

I do not do salad dressing bars if I'm bringing a salad to a 'company meal' situation. That is just too casual.

[joannqn]

I'd mix up some Caesar salad and bring the dressing to add to it when I got there.

[unsinkable]

I'm sorry, but to me, if you make a salad, that includes the dressing for the salad so yes, I do think you should bring some (that you then get to take home with you, too).

 

I'm all for strapping on balls, I really am, but sadly I have to agree that if you bring the salad you should bring the dressing too. I do think it's unusual to bring 3 things to a potluck, though, but since you don't mind I suppose it's okay. :grouphug: Hope you have a great time!

 

But if I was assigned the salad and dressings without even being asked if it was OK?

 

Can't I say no to part of the assignment? :tongue_smilie:

[Puma Mom]

In that situation, I'd probably just bring the dressing we like.

[Carol in Cal.]

But if I was assigned the salad and dressings without even being asked if it was OK?

 

Can't I say no to part of the assignment? :tongue_smilie:

 

Personally, I think it is rude to assign anything to a guest. I was controlling myself so as not to say so, but now that you have put it on the table, it's rude. Flat out. Having said that, if you bring salad, you have to bring dressing. If you want to bow out of the salad on the premise that it won't keep well on the trip, you could try that. But people who assign 'hostess items', three of them no less, are not easy to argue with. You would probably have to get pretty strong with your assigner and actually refuse to bring this to get away with it. Bringing a salad without dressing is just passive aggressive. I don't blame you for the impulse, but sheesh.

[Pink Fairy]

Yes, you can absolutely say no! I misunderstood and thought you were fine with everything including the salad, just not dressing. It's hard to say too much without knowing the circumstances, but it seems weird that you are expected to bring three seperate things (plus dressing :D) to a potluck. Is that the norm?

[unsinkable]

"Huh!" unsinkable said wonderingly.

 

I truly thought that it was over-the top to ask for dressings in addition to the salad. (I think that it is something that most people have at home...so why bother dragging it 90 miles down the Thruway?)

 

But now that I see that most of you would expect to bring dressings with salad, I might not be strapping on the b@lls.

 

:lol:

Edited December 21, 2010 by unsinkable

[saja1029]

I think the point was "dressings".......plural....more than one....??? That's kind of hard - what kind do you bring??

 

One is good:)

[Mrs Mungo]

I would be fine with bringing salad and dressing to an event/family dinner/potluck. I would make dressing and bring it with me, like Carol suggested. I would not bring dressingS, that's over the top.

[unsinkable]

Yes, you can absolutely say no! I misunderstood and thought you were fine with everything including the salad, just not dressing. It's hard to say too much without knowing the circumstances, but it seems weird that you are expected to bring three seperate things (plus dressing :D) to a potluck. Is that the norm?

 

No. You had it correct. It was just the dressing I objected to. :D

 

It isn't REALLY a potluck at this relatives' house. They like things JUST SO. They couldn't leave a meal like Christmas Eve up to chance.

 

This all happened so fast -- the invitation and assignment -- last night without my input. (I was sick.) My DH was on the phone so I didn't even have a chance to ask what I could bring.

[Ellie]

In that situation, I'd probably just bring the dressing we like.

Yes, but *one* dressing, not multiple.

[kewb]

Bring a pasta salad. It has the dressing mixed in.

[Jumping In Puddles]

So here is how I make salad:

 

First I put the dressing in the bottom of the bowl.

Sometimes I MAKE the dressing the bottom of the bowl. That works great if you use a whisk.

Then I put the greens and stuff on top.

They are generally fluffy enough not to get soggy.

 

Just before serving, I toss.

 

No one gets to flood the salad themselves, and there is only one dressing.

 

That's the way I would go on this one.

 

I do not do salad dressing bars if I'm bringing a salad to a 'company meal' situation. That is just too casual.

 

:iagree: This is exactly what I do.

[Pink Fairy]

[quote name=unsinkable;2273468

But now that I see that most of you would expect to bring dressings with salad' date=' I might not be strapping on the b@lls.

 

:lol:

 

What a shame. You know we were all hoping you would post pics! :lol:

[swimmermom3]

"Huh!" unsinkable said wonderingly.

 

I truly thought that it was over-the top to ask for dressings in addition to the salad. (I think that it is something that most people have at home...so why bother dragging it 90 miles down the Thruway?)

 

But now that I see that most of you would expect to bring dressings with salad, I might not be strapping on the b@lls.

 

:lol:

 

Sorry, I too would bring one dressing for my salad and I agree with Carol that someone who makes a request for "dressings" may be a little hard to argue with. That doesn't mean you can't be dense and bring only one dressing. On the other hand,I suppose you could fall down on your knees and be grateful that you don't have my sister's MIL. Not only does she assign my sister to bring three things but she generously provides recipes and specific name brands along with the request.:D

[Parrothead]

I don't get the "dressings" - plural. If I'm bringing a salad I'm bringing a specific dressing for a particular salad. If someone wants to drown my Greek salad with ranch dressing they are going to have to provide their own ranch.

[ktgrok]

put whatever dressing you like ON the salad. A christmasy one is to heat up some cranberries in a pot with some vinegar and apple juice or orange juice. Heat until the cranberries pop. Add it to some olive oil, add some salt and pepper, and call it a cranberry vinegrette.

[phathui5]

Dressing and salad travel together, but if you're taking 90, you could just come to our house instead.

[Pretty in Pink]

It sounds like they want a generic green salad with the basic veggies - carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers - and a few small bottles of dressing for guests to select from.

 

When I provide salad at a potluck I always provide dressing. It never occurred to me not to.

 

FWIW, we do not always have salad dressing in our refrigerator. I buy one bottle of Caesar per week or so. If we want Italian or ranch I make it from scratch. If you showed up at my house with just a salad chances are that I may not have any dressing ready to go on it. I'd whip some up in that case, but it sort of defeats the purpose of a potluck if the host has to do that, kwim?

 

Sorry you are feeling a bit put off by this request. :grouphug:

[swimmermom3]

Bring a pasta salad. It has the dressing mixed in.

 

There are numerous salad recipes that work best with only one dressing. Here is one that we often do for Christmas because it looks beautiful on a holiday table:

 

8 oz spinach, torn into bite -size pieces

4 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled

1 red apple, sliced (Pink Lady, Braeburn, Gala)

1/3 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing

3 Tbsps frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

 

Toss spinach, bacon and apple. Mix mayo and orange juice concentrate; serve with salad.

 

Tell them that you are a follow-the-recipe kind of girl and that Betty Crocker didn't say to bring more.:D

[elegantlion]

Bring a pasta salad. It has the dressing mixed in.

 

Yes, that would kind of defy the assignment, but still be within the realm of the rules. :lol::lol:

[gardening momma]

It sounds like they want a generic green salad with the basic veggies - carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers - and a few small bottles of dressing for guests to select from.

 

When I provide salad at a potluck I always provide dressing. It never occurred to me not to.

I agree. I think that if you bring the salad, you should bring the dressing(s). It's really not that hard to do. At my house, chances are that if you brought salad without dressing, expecting me to provide it, I might only have expired dressings in the fridge. :)

[LizzyBee]

We are driving an hour and a half away. I am fine with bringing 3 things.

 

What I am not fine with is the fourth (and fifth) things.

 

Dressings for the salad.

 

Plural...the specific words were, "salad with dressings."

 

It bugs me for some reason. They eat salad. They should have dressings in their fridge. Right?

 

I think I am going to strap some b@lls on and say I won't be bringing any dressings.

 

We eat salads, and quite often, we have 3-4 different dressings in our fridge, each with just a little left in the bottom. :tongue_smilie:

 

If I take a tossed salad somewhere, I usually take at least two dressings so that people have a choice.

[Mrs Mungo]

As someone that is desperately allergic to MSG, I beg folks not to put the dressing on! If the bring-er has, I have to skip it. "Oh, I checked, it's fine!" Yeah, and it's Hidden Valley Ranch that has more MSG than any other ingredient!

 

Good point. Still, I'd make one dressing (I often make my own) and bring it with me (I have 3 or 4 carafes with lids for this purpose). I wouldn't bring multiple dressings.

[Sahamamama]

"Huh!" unsinkable said wonderingly.

 

I truly thought that it was over-the top to ask for dressings in addition to the salad. (I think that it is something that most people have at home...so why bother dragging it 90 miles down the Thruway?)

 

But now that I see that most of you would expect to bring dressings with salad, I might not be strapping on the b@lls.

 

:lol:

 

I actually agree with you. But I also agree with Carol in California. If I'm getting it right, she said she thinks it's rude to assign things to guests, as in, "Come over for dinner, and bring X, Y, and Z (with dressings)." :001_huh:

 

Depending on the circumstances, that might bug me.

 

For a potluck, though, it's a bit different. People are expected to bring something to a potluck, right? And I think it's okay when the hostess asks, "Would you be willing to bring __________?" And then you get assigned that item when you agree to bring it.

 

But I don't think I'd ask someone traveling that distance to bring more than one thing. Maybe two, if it's a family member... or someone who makes amazing brownies. :D

 

I like the "put the dressing on at home" idea. Or just bring one type of dressing, then douse the salad with it before serving. But, I do agree with you -- don't they have dressing at their home? Couldn't they just pull it out of the fridge? Of course, we THINK we have salad dressings (plural), until we need them, then we find that my husband (it IS him) has put them all back in the fridge EMPTY.

 

If someone asked me to bring SHRIMP, I could understand her adding "with cocktail sauce." Right?

 

Or, if someone asked me to bring a cracker tray or a veggie tray, I could understand adding "with dips."

 

I suppose your hostess might be thinking that "salad with dressings" is along the same lines? :confused:

Edited December 21, 2010 by Sahamamama

[OnTheBrink]

I don't get the "dressings" - plural. If I'm bringing a salad I'm bringing a specific dressing for a particular salad. If someone wants to drown my Greek salad with ranch dressing they are going to have to provide their own ranch.

 

Yep. :iagree:

[kalanamak]

Bring an Mandarin orange and marshmellow salad and a bottle of blue cheese :)

[gardening momma]

For a potluck, though, it's a bit different. People are expected to bring something to a potluck, right? And I think it's okay when the hostess asks, "Would you be willing to bring __________?" And then you get assigned that item when you agree to bring it.

And if dh was the one who spoke on the phone (IIRC, this was the case), then he probably said, OK to everything that was requested. (and if he was my dh, then he'd forget to ask essential questions, like how many does this need to feed, does anyone have allergies, etc...)

[Laurie4b]

Sorry, I too would bring one dressing for my salad and I agree with Carol that someone who makes a request for "dressings" may be a little hard to argue with. That doesn't mean you can't be dense and bring only one dressing. On the other hand,I suppose you could fall down on your knees and be grateful that you don't have my sister's MIL. Not only does she assign my sister to bring three things but she generously provides recipes and specific name brands along with the request.:D

 

 

Good grief!

[DianeW88]

I have always assumed that when one brings the salad, one brings the dressing as well.

[ChristusG]

If I were asked to bring salad, I'd think I needed to bring the dressing too. I'd grab two different kids from the store (probably ranch and italian) and bring those.

[LizzyBee]

Personally, I think it is rude to assign anything to a guest. I was controlling myself so as not to say so, but now that you have put it on the table, it's rude. Flat out. Having said that, if you bring salad, you have to bring dressing. If you want to bow out of the salad on the premise that it won't keep well on the trip, you could try that. But people who assign 'hostess items', three of them no less, are not easy to argue with. You would probably have to get pretty strong with your assigner and actually refuse to bring this to get away with it. Bringing a salad without dressing is just passive aggressive. I don't blame you for the impulse, but sheesh.

 

OTOH, I think if a family member or friend is generous enough to host a meal or party for an entire family or group of friends, they shouldn't have to buy all the food, do all the cooking, and wash all the dishes on top of cleaning their house, etc. I would feel incredibly rude if I didn't take something. Depending on the circumstances, it's not uncommon for me to take 3-4 items. If we're traveling and spending the night, I'll take all the ingredients for my items and cook at the host's home.

Edited December 21, 2010 by LizzyBee

[gardening momma]

Depending on the circumstances, it's not uncommon for me to take 3-4 items.

I agree. It would depend on how long I'm staying, how long other people are staying (would left-overs come in handy?), and how big of a meal it is supposed to be (a feast, or just a meal to get everyone fed?).

[Carol in Cal.]

OTOH, I think if a family member or friend is generous enough to host a meal or party for an entire family or group of friends, they shouldn't have to buy all the food, do all the cooking, and wash all the dishes on top of cleaning their house, etc. I would feel incredibly rude if I didn't take something. Depending on the circumstances, it's not uncommon for me to take 3-4 items. If we're traveling and spending the night, I'll take all the ingredients for my items and cook at the host's home.

 

I agree, I would bring stuff too, but it's still rude to assign it.

[Mejane]

On the other hand,I suppose you could fall down on your knees and be grateful that you don't have my sister's MIL. Not only does she assign my sister to bring three things but she generously provides recipes and specific name brands along with the request.:D

 

 

If she's that picky, she should make it herself. :glare:

 

Agree with those who say to bring one dressing (homemade or bottled) - of your choosing.

[unsinkable]

Dressing and salad travel together, but if you're taking 90, you could just come to our house instead.

 

That sounds like fun! :D

[unsinkable]

There are numerous salad recipes that work best with only one dressing. Here is one that we often do for Christmas because it looks beautiful on a holiday table:

 

8 oz spinach, torn into bite -size pieces

4 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled

1 red apple, sliced (Pink Lady, Braeburn, Gala)

1/3 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing

3 Tbsps frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

 

Toss spinach, bacon and apple. Mix mayo and orange juice concentrate; serve with salad.

 

Tell them that you are a follow-the-recipe kind of girl and that Betty Crocker didn't say to bring more.:D

 

This sounds awesome!

[Tammyla]

:iagree: The salad would include dressing, but there would be no dressings.

 

I would be fine with bringing salad and dressing to an event/family dinner/potluck. I would make dressing and bring it with me, like Carol suggested. I would not bring dressingS, that's over the top.

[unsinkable]

Thanks, everyone for chiming in.

 

I guess I will bring dressing --- I don't know if I'll do more than one. :tongue_smilie:

 

Your responses helped me see that it wasn't so unreasonable.

 

:grouphug:

[Danestress]

In America, it's pretty common to share meals between attendees for these special occasions. My French boyfriend thought it was incredibly rude and insulting to bring food to a meal someone else is hosting and swore it was never done where he was from - that the host provides all the food and to bring a dish implies that somehow the host is not up to the task.

 

But in my family, if we are having Christmas dinner, we tend to share the cooking, and the host absolutely assigns who brings what - not in a bossy way, but in a "could you do a dessert and an appetizer?" way. My mother usually hosts, and I think that is the hard part - getting the house clean, the table together, the china out, etc. Anymore, we basically tell her that if she will be the hostess, my sisters, MIL and I will do ALL the food. Whoever takes on the big ticket item (ie roasting the turkey, providing the Christmas entree) typically asks others to fill in the sides. I don't think any of us mind, and none of us want turkey with three kinds of potatoes and no vegetable, so assigning works best.

 

Honestly, I would be thrilled to have someone assign me food and provide the recipe including mandatory brands. I hate making decisions!

[Homeschooling6]

It's CHRISTmas, I would take a few bottles of dressing. One can always purchase the store brand.

[scrappyhappymama]

I'd assume she was thinking you'd bring a garden salad, and then dressingS (two or three of the most common) would be appropriate to cover the various tastes of the guests.

 

But, if you choose to make a specialty salad, then bringing the one dressing that goes with it would be reasonable I'd think.

[vonfirmath]

I'd assume she was thinking you'd bring a garden salad, and then dressingS (two or three of the most common) would be appropriate to cover the various tastes of the guests.

 

But, if you choose to make a specialty salad, then bringing the one dressing that goes with it would be reasonable I'd think.

 

This,.

if its a generic salad, then multiple dressings to meet various tastes makes sense. But a Caesar salad needs a Caesar dressing and so forth.

[LidiyaDawn]

I'd assume she was thinking you'd bring a garden salad, and then dressingS (two or three of the most common) would be appropriate to cover the various tastes of the guests.

 

But, if you choose to make a specialty salad, then bringing the one dressing that goes with it would be reasonable I'd think.

 

Yeah that would be my assumption as well.

 

Even if I made a "specialty" salad, I would still bring the dressing on the side.. some people don't like much, some people like to drench it. Then there's allergies, etc. Or people like my dd14 who loves the romaine/bacon bits/parm cheese/etc of a caesar salad, but hate caesar dressing and uses ranch! :p

[Impish]

I'd be more upset about being asked to bring everything but the main dish.

 

Then again, the first Christmas Wolf and I were together, I brought *shudder* lasagne (their request, not my choice) cheddar garlic buns, salad, and 4 or 5 different kinds of cookies to his sister's, that lived almost 2 hrs away.

 

I then got in carp from her for not making apple pie :001_huh:

 

We've never ever traveled for Christmas again. Nor have we had lasagne.

[klmama]

There are numerous salad recipes that work best with only one dressing. Here is one that we often do for Christmas because it looks beautiful on a holiday table:

 

8 oz spinach, torn into bite -size pieces

4 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled

1 red apple, sliced (Pink Lady, Braeburn, Gala)

1/3 c. mayonnaise or salad dressing

3 Tbsps frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

 

Toss spinach, bacon and apple. Mix mayo and orange juice concentrate; serve with salad.

 

Tell them that you are a follow-the-recipe kind of girl and that Betty Crocker didn't say to bring more.:D

 

 

Thank you for sharing this! I was assigned to bring a salad, too, and I think this one will be it! :001_smile:

[gardening momma]

But a Caesar salad needs a Caesar dressing and so forth.

 

Or people like my dd14 who loves the romaine/bacon bits/parm cheese/etc of a caesar salad, but hate caesar dressing and uses ranch! :p

Yeah, I lean that way too. I'm not too fond of Caesar dressing, so if it doesn't already have dressing on it, I'd pick one other than Caesar. If it did have Caesar dressing already on it, I might skip the salad or take a much smaller amount than I normally would.