Because I firmly believe that my mother and I cannot possibly be the only two people in the world who are the way we are, I am going to make a Vast Generalization about appetizer serving.
There are two kinds of people: The people who put out the entire bag of chips, and the people who put out half of the bag and then refill as necessary.
The people who put out the whole wedge of cheese, and the people who cut a wedge of Brie in half, and put out half and put the other half in the fridge.
The people who put out the whole jar of salsa, and the people who scoop half the jar of salsa into a smaller dish and put the rest in the fridge, adding more salsa from the fridge as the dish gets low.
And on and on.
The reason I am a Refill Person is twofold:
1.) I am germ-averse, and so I don’t like the idea of saving something that other people have been nibbling on. If it’s chips, I don’t want to re-bag a bunch of chips that people’s hands have been in contact with. If it’s dip, I don’t want to put away and then eat something that other people have been dipping (and possibly double-dipping) into.
2.) I don’t want to waste food. If I put the whole container of hummus out on the table and people nibble at it for a couple of hours, I am not going to want to put the rest of it back in the fridge for future consumption. First of all, see item 1 in this list. Secondly, it’s been out in the air, gathering bacteria and getting warm. Yuck. Extra yuck if it’s a mayonnaise/cream based dip. Or guacamole. Or cheese. If I put out only part of what I have to offer, I can always add more without the risk of having to throw away a large portion.
I acknowledge that there’s a disadvantage to being a Refill Person, which is that you need to be constantly vigilant that the chip bowl isn’t getting too empty. And you have to be keenly aware of the Eating Enthusiasm level of your guests – if it’s waning, you either let the bowl empty out, or you only put in a handful of new chips. If it’s still high, you can fill the bowl up to the tippety top again.
Okay, there’s a second disadvantage. In addition to the vigilance, you might end up spending a decent amount of time going back and forth to the kitchen/fridge to refill, which detracts not only from conversation with your guests (potentially a plus, I suppose, depending on the type of people you are entertaining) but (more importantly) from your own snacking.
I’m with you; when possible, I only put half out and then keep refilling. It’s kind-of a pain, but also could be considered part of the fun of hosting. (I think so anyway.) Tending to things, making sure everything’s just right. I love that part.
This never occurred to me- dividing people into 2 categories like this. When I first started reading I thought you were going to divide people into appetizer obsessed and those that basically offer the main, large meal. My husband’s entire family are HUGE into appetizers. Who has space to eat after the stuff your face with appetizers? My family: we prepare a big meal with many sides, etc. I digress. Um, I do tend to put out half the chips but our families are so big, that sometimes I ebmnd up putting the other half in a different location. Like a kid’s area.
I’ve never even considered this…am trying to think which category we fall into? I think we may throw a wrench into your equation. While we do divide and refill there are also many appetizers (The Husband is Italian…which basically means you put out SO many appetizers that dinner is practically unnecessary; but of course is still mandatory).
I am definitely a whole bag of chips/salsa/etc person. Definitely. I am also germ averse. But, having three very picky children, I have become somewhat immune to wasting food. I do my best, but it just happens. Also, man, I am tired (see, 3 kids). If I can just exist and talk to grown ups in my own house without worrying about salsa levels, I will take that option. More power to the non-wasters though. I salute you.
WHO PUTS THE WHOLE JAR OF SALSA OUT THAT IS DISGUSTING. Anyway, I guess I am a person who also refills because GOD! Why would you DO that? If there is anything left over, dip-wise, I would NEVER put it back into a container for later use, but I have seen people do that. *shudders forever*
I put it all out. There usually aren’t any leftovers to speak of but I just throw away whatever remains. Many years of studying human party eating habits has taught me that as the level in the dish gets low of whatever (say, crackers) then people slow down and when there is one cracker left, nobody takes it! So at the end of the party there’s one cracker, two chips, one half cheese slice, a celery stick, and maybe a teaspoon of salsa to dispose of.
We entertain so seldom I’m not even sure which kind of person I am.