TheReader Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 ...there is still hope I'll get my dish back (fingers crossed), but I took s'mores to our neighborhood NYE party....on my good Fiestaware Cake Plate (very large round platter)....then had to leave early. I should have just taken the plate home then & there, but people were still eating the s'mores, so I asked Neighbor A to take it to her house when they wrapped up, if we weren't back by then. The party ended early due to weather, but Neighbor B & Neighbor C were still hanging out in Neighbor C's garage, so they took the dish with them to finish off the s'mores. (I don't actually really know Neighbor C too well.....) Neighbor A made sure they understood it was my dish, and I needed it back; that I'd asked her to look after it, etc. They assured her they'd get it back to me. Finally tracked down who actually has it, and where it is.....now waiting on them to get home so I can hopefully retrieve it. I won't use my good dishes for these things anymore, though, just in case....(or at least, not if we aren't staying the whole time....) Here's hoping Neighbor C is happy to return it when I go ask.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Do what I do next time. Take a sharpie and write down your full name on the bottom of the dish. When the neighbor/relative washes the dish, they will see your full name and know that it has to be returned. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Be persistant! Someone has your plate and it's okay to want it back! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 I only risk my nice plates in situations where I am certain to get it back. I also lable the bottom of my plates with masking tape and a Sharpie. I have lost out on numerous serving spoons this way, however. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 Now I’m invested. Did you get it back? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 5 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said: Now I’m invested. Did you get it back? I am just about to peek outside and see if any cars are there at her place. I'll keep you posted.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 I stopped taking new dishes anywhere unless I will help with the cleaning up! I put things on paper plates or disposable plastic containers. I know it doesn't look as nice, but I don't want to lose any more dishes. When I take food to sick people/new babies, I always take disposable containers (plastic, AL pans, baggies) so they don't have to worry about getting any dishes back to me. And I always try try to point out that I don't need the stuff back so they don't have to worry about it either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 New neighbors moved in behind us: a woman & a college-aged daughter. I thought, "Two women. I can use one of my aluminum pie plates. I know where they live." I made sure to point out where I lived & asked that they drop off the pie pan when they were done. Fast forward three years. These neighbors earned the nickname, "The Vampires" because you never saw them out in the daytime. The mom would even mow the lawn after dark (when the grass was high enough to turn into hay, almost). When the For Sale sign went up in the yard, my ds#1 kept an eye out for them to be home (in the dark, of course) and took it upon himself to ask for my pan back. It was rusty and scratched up, but I have it back. Several months ago, a new baby was born to a family who we know through church who are also very close friends with two of my mom friends. I took them a meal using disposable pans, but transported the breadsticks in my oversized plastic bowl that is great for that (and for popcorn). I told the mom I just needed my green bowl back and told her she could pass it along to my mom friends who she sees weekly. No sign of it & I haven't seen the mom in person since. One of my friends has promised to ask her about the bowl . . . So, I hope you got your tray back! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 (edited) No way my Fiestaware, or even my Corningware, leaves my house. Similar to Bamboo -- if it is something that needs to stay hot, then it goes in a disposable foil pan and gets sealed up with aluminum foil. Once it's on the table, no one knows or cares who brought it or what it's being served out of. And meals taken to families with a new baby or with an illness always go in all disposable to keep it simple for that family -- no clean up, and no need to return anything. For a party or potluck, if it is a food that doesn't need to stay warm, Dollar Store has decent looking re-useable plastic serving ware (clear plastic with a cut-glass type of design), so I invest $1 and leave the leftovers on the serving ware with the hostess, so now she has something she can use when she goes to a potluck or a party... And sometimes I get one back when I host. And around it goes! (:D Edited January 5, 2019 by Lori D. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixpix5 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I had two bad experiences where my DH took one of our fiestaware platters and a smaller le creuset Dutch to our church and I never saw them again 😥 I even told him I didn't want him to do it since I was convinced I wouldn't get them back but he thought I was being paranoid. Now I keep a stock of dollar tree platters and bowls for him to go crazy with 😝 I still feel gutted when I think about it. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbcdeDooDah Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 58 minutes ago, nixpix5 said: I had two bad experiences where my DH took one of our fiestaware platters and a smaller le creuset Dutch to our church and I never saw them again 😥 I even told him I didn't want him to do it since I was convinced I wouldn't get them back but he thought I was being paranoid. Now I keep a stock of dollar tree platters and bowls for him to go crazy with 😝 I still feel gutted when I think about it. You let him back into the house? 😲 3 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 3 hours ago, nixpix5 said: I had two bad experiences where my DH took one of our fiestaware platters and a smaller le creuset Dutch to our church and I never saw them again 😥 I even told him I didn't want him to do it since I was convinced I wouldn't get them back but he thought I was being paranoid. Now I keep a stock of dollar tree platters and bowls for him to go crazy with 😝 I still feel gutted when I think about it. How does someone "accidentally" take home fw or lc?!? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I used to have pot luck events to go to at least every other week. Homeschool groups, Boy Scouts, and church events. I would do this: Go to the thrift store and buy any serving platters/plates/serving spoons, etc.....and use those. If I lost those or they were taken, I didn't care. I could get serving spoons for .25-$1 and platters and plates for less than $2. I still do it some, but I only have pot lucks every month or so now with the church group. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 Love all the replies; thank you! Absolutely when I am sending food to a person's house (new baby, etc.) I use disposables. We had food sent to us when our youngest was born/I was on bedrest first....and we were new to the church, and then when he was born he was in NICU for 7 weeks, and I had no idea what dish went to what person. So, yes, always disposable for that. I thought Neighbor A would grab the plate (in fact, her DH said he'd put it up right then when I was leaving....).....never dreamed Neighbors B & C would come and round up all the food they wanted from the group gathering for their own mini-"just us" get together (they took all of the meat, sides, tried to take all the plastic cups, buns, chips, etc.....to use at a gathering they were having the next day.....once things started packing up; my plate of s'mores was one such thing they grabbed......) Anyway, Neighbor C who has it was never home yesterday, so I'll keep trying. The minute I see cars there/garage open again, I'll go over and get it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 6 hours ago, Margaret in CO said: I won't even take a serving spoon to potlucks! I've lost too many. I save the plastic tubs from the nasty ice cream that we serve the Scouts at Courts of Honor and I use those. The new mom or whoever can throw them in recycle when she's done. I have a really nice 9*13 aluminum pan from the church. I took a lasagna for a meal and they FROZE it! I was never going to get that pan back, so I took one from the stack at church, left from the OTHER poor folks they had done that to. I am taking that one (and another) to a Scout thing tomorrow, but I will be the one serving, so I will get them back. I'm amazed ABCDD, that you're still married. Fiestaware AND a LC???? Soul sister! I won't either. I think it was nixpix's DH who's a lucky man, not ABCDD's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Oh, you know.... go to Walmart and get some cheap plastic serving platters and/or bowls. I learned years ago that I am never going to get my stuff back if I take it some place, or bring a meal to a friend. Sometimes you do, and that’s great, but now.... whenever food leaves my home it is always housed in a dish I can afford to lose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 1 hour ago, DawnM said: I used to have pot luck events to go to at least every other week. Homeschool groups, Boy Scouts, and church events. I would do this: Go to the thrift store and buy any serving platters/plates/serving spoons, etc.....and use those. If I lost those or they were taken, I didn't care. I could get serving spoons for .25-$1 and platters and plates for less than $2. I still do it some, but I only have pot lucks every month or so now with the church group. I started doing this for my cookie platters at Christmas. Our local thrift store has just piles of plates, so I go there and pick out some pretty ones and put the cookies in it and wrap in cellophane. It’s very nice and looks a lot fancier than paper or plastic and I got the plate for fifty cents. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nixpix5 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 6 hours ago, happi duck said: How does someone "accidentally" take home fw or lc?!? Every Sunday our church does a full dinner for our poor and homeless community. We get huge turn outs and it has happened on many occasions that someone attending will take some leftovers with them. It is all served buffet style out on big tables. I had seen people walk off with things before which prompted my worry. LC is so darn expensive that one really bothered me. It was a smaller 3 qrt but still...😥 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
math teacher Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I had a stainless steel soup pot go missing from the church kitchen. It's beyond frustrating!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 aargh! So, Neighbor C is not answering her door. :sigh: Car is home, and her (pretty young; under 5...) child came to the door, peeked out the glass, stared at me & shook his head, but no grown-up ever showed up to answer the door. I've sent her a FB message (hoping I have the right neighbor; I don't know her last name, and as her DH is a LEO, they aren't in our local county address look-up thingy), posted in our neighborhood group and tagged her in it asking sweetly that I'd like my plate back & am happy to pick up, if she'll at least answer the door....and messaged Neighbor B who is the one who left the dish with Neighbor C in the first place, asking him to please text them & ask them to answer the door so I can get my plate &/or return my plate to me. Never.ever.again. The irony....? I actually received one of those "this dish doesn't need to be returned, it's to be shared and sent around, blah blah, no owner, isn't this cute" plates full of cookies this year. Stuck it on top of some stuff on top of the fridge and forgot it existed.....until yesterday when DH took down the dehydrator and there on top, the "pass around" plate. Which would have been PERFECT to take the s'mores on, and I would.not.have.cared. that they kept it. :sigh: I really thought a party taking place in the street outside my house (we're on a cul-de-sac....) the plate would be safe. Good grief. I won't give up, but dangit, I am so annoyed right now. (with myself, mostly...) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 YAY!!!! The FB posts worked, and my cake plate is HOME!!! Neighbor is annoyed with me, but as I've really never spoken to her/her to me in the 4.5 yrs we've lived here.....not too concerned. Said she doesn't answer the door to unannounced guests, especially so early (9:45) on a weekend morning.....apparently, even when said neighbors stand there saying "Hi, just came by to pick up my plate...." (looking directly into the camera, and gesturing plate shapes....) Oh well, plate is HOME and I am HAPPY! 26 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
importswim Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 3 hours ago, TheReader said: never dreamed Neighbors B & C would come and round up all the food they wanted from the group gathering for their own mini-"just us" get together (they took all of the meat, sides, tried to take all the plastic cups, buns, chips, etc.....to use at a gathering they were having the next day.....once things started packing up; my plate of s'mores was one such thing they grabbed......) Something similar happens in my friend group too and it really bothers me. We get together for a meal once a week and if there are leftovers some will take extra for their lunch the next day. If I bring the main dish (we alternate) it makes me upset because money is tight and that extra could have gone to my own family's lunch the next day. Sigh. I know, it's greedy of me and only a couple of people do it. I haven't had the gall to speak up to them about it. This would have bothered me! Glad your plate is back where it belongs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 Just now, importswim said: Something similar happens in my friend group too and it really bothers me. We get together for a meal once a week and if there are leftovers some will take extra for their lunch the next day. If I bring the main dish (we alternate) it makes me upset because money is tight and that extra could have gone to my own family's lunch the next day. Sigh. I know, it's greedy of me and only a couple of people do it. I haven't had the gall to speak up to them about it. This would have bothered me! Glad your plate is back where it belongs! It's frustrating, for sure! And it can be so tricky to know when to speak up, or not, and then how to do so....I hope the folks at your gathering start being more considerate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 7 hours ago, happi duck said: How does someone "accidentally" take home fw or lc?!? Well, in this case, Neighbor B purposefully took as much as he & his new girlfriend could carry, so they could feed whatever guests they had coming the next day/wherever they were going the next day. Neighbor A overheard him flat-out say this. He took everything on whatever dish it was on (and tried to take all the paper goods we'd all pitched in, extra buns, chips, everything; Neighbor A rescued some of it but not all). Neighbor C, when I picked up the dish, claimed not to know it was mine; she thought it belonged to Neighbor B (who is the one who took it to her house). I know that Neighbor A, and Neighbor B, both knew it was mine (and everyone who actually came out and attended our party did as well, but Neighbor C never actually came out of her garage to our party, just let Neighbor B carry food over all night....). Neighbor B claims he told Neighbor C it was my dish, and I am inclined to believe him. He also said he'd text them when I asked for it back, and I don't know why he wouldn't have. I did end up getting the dish back (yay!) but lesson learned, no more good dishes leaving the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 So she saw you at the door, saying I'm here to pick up my plate, vaguely recognized you, knew she had the plate... and she STILL wouldn't let you in because... what? You weren't on her calendar? You might have been a scary criminal? Lord, you don't need someone like that in your life anyway. Glad your plate is home. Fiestaware is important. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 4 minutes ago, Farrar said: So she saw you at the door, saying I'm here to pick up my plate, vaguely recognized you, knew she had the plate... and she STILL wouldn't let you in because... what? You weren't on her calendar? You might have been a scary criminal? Lord, you don't need someone like that in your life anyway. Glad your plate is home. Fiestaware is important. Maybe she was still in bed and didn’t want to rush to the door in her pjs? Whatever the case, she should have returned the plate without having had to be asked for it, so if she felt a little inconvenienced, it’s her own fault! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted January 5, 2019 Author Share Posted January 5, 2019 10 minutes ago, Farrar said: So she saw you at the door, saying I'm here to pick up my plate, vaguely recognized you, knew she had the plate... and she STILL wouldn't let you in because... what? You weren't on her calendar? You might have been a scary criminal? Lord, you don't need someone like that in your life anyway. Glad your plate is home. Fiestaware is important. Something like that....yep. She claimed she thought the plate belonged to Neighbor B, who is the one that took it to her house. As she never actually *attended* the party for which the s'mores were intended (despite it being outside her driveway, and her moving her fireworks farther from her drive, closer to our gathering/houses), this is entirely possible she did not realize plate & I belonged together. But, umm, yes, I can't imagine scary neighbor standing there talking to her kid through the door window and talking to the camera and gesturing (in case no audio) were scary things to not at least come to the door and talk thru the glass to find out what this strange woman wants (especially as she surely also saw the video of me coming up two or three times last night as well, checking if anyone was home....) 3 minutes ago, Catwoman said: Maybe she was still in bed and didn’t want to rush to the door in her pjs? Whatever the case, she should have returned the plate without having had to be asked for it, so if she felt a little inconvenienced, it’s her own fault! This is possible, since she claimed it was "too early." And she thought the plate belonged to the other neighbor, so....but still. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 Thanks for updating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 My neighbor took a meal to another neighbor who was sick with the flu. The sick neighbor died 🙁 Everyone was sad but the gifting neighbor really wanted her dish back. It was one of her favorites and when she loaned it she just knew she’d get it back. She talked about that dish for months and how she was going to get it back. Relatives finally came by the house and she went in and retrieved it but it was awkward and the relatives didn’t really want to give the dish back. I was so glad when neighbor got her dish back so we could all stop fretting about it. Seemed unseemly to be fretting about a dish when someone died. But I understand how it is with favorite dishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I take food to others in things I never expect to see again or want back. The only exception is my next door neighbor and a dear friend from church. I do have a couple of people who like to return my cookie trays that I use for Christmas treats😊 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emba Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I’m glad you could get your dish back! I love my Fiestaware. i will take my good dishes to church dinners. Half of the fiestaware was gifts from church members when we got married. And I don’t take spoons/serving utensils because there’s a big drawer full of them in the fellowship hall, so no need. but anything else, except dinner with close friends, I’ll take disposable aluminum pans, or pans from the thrift store or dollar store. and I’ve had a friend who was going through cancer treatment return one of those aluminum pans, washed. Which defeated the whole purpose. I told her “You were supposed to throw it away!” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 The only one that I don't worry about getting the dish back from is my mom. She will send back anything thing give her food in unless I say "toss it when you are done" (aluminum pans). My MIL gets it, guaranteed I won't see it again. SIL will get it back to me IF one of her grown kids don't take off with it 1st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 If using plastic serving utensils you can write your name on the handle with a sharpie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 On 1/5/2019 at 2:01 PM, teachermom2834 said: My neighbor took a meal to another neighbor who was sick with the flu. The sick neighbor died 🙁 Seemed unseemly to be fretting about a dish when someone died. Because it is unseemly, omg, lol. As the internet says: Somebody died, Beverly. You don't go asking the grieving relatives to return your dish. If the person you bring a casserole to dies, it's a sign that God wants somebody else to have that dish. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I haven't had your scenario, but I learned years ago that my life is better if I assume something I use or lend out to someone will not get returned ever. It doesn't matter if the person is a close friend or a mild acquaintance, I accept that when it leaves my hands, I will not get it back. It makes me somewhat selective about what goes out, but it doesn't stop me from lending/using things. I just already accept that is has gone to another home. If it comes back to me, great! If not, it's something I was already mentally prepared for (in that it might find a new home). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I do the clearance sale thing and buy some cheap platters at the end of the year to use for stuff like this. If I use a $7 platter and it goes missing after four or five uses it doesn’t cost any more than using those giant disposable party platters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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