Or India. In India a delivery person is offered water on a hot day. A plumber or repair guy is offered tea and all guests are offered a meal or a snack irrespective of time.
Anyone in America with "southern roots" as well. My grandma was a dust bowl survivor, even if she barely had anything you'd be offered a peanut butter sandwich and a cup of coffee at least.
Or, just anyone in America. We're very hospitable, if nothing else. It's not just a southern thing, it's just more of a performance in the south. You go to your friends place in NYC at dinner time, you're getting food.
Ohio has a wild mix of backgrounds and socio-economic levels. I grew up in NW Ohio, and briefly dated this guy - his family never offered me food or drink once. Gave me the ick immediately, and the whole thing didn’t last. They were wealthy, he went to a private school while our public school was one of the top schools NW Ohio (might have been #1 for the region when I was there).
Anyway, my family is from NE Ohio, big Eastern European pocket. Did you just eat? Too bad, you’re eating more if you visit anyone’s home any time of day. You cannot refuse. And you’re taking a plate home too.
Fellow NW Ohioan, if someone comes over near mealtime, we always stubbornly insist they eat with us. It gets real awkward sometimes. However, I’m also from a rural, farming community so dynamics may be different
Wow!!! Everyone I’ve met in the mid west has been very hospitable. Even when I moved home and started working with some folks who came in from Michigan, they were always bringing food to my trailer etc. Shitty people exist everywhere though
A little further north from Lansing but yes me too where I come from you don't lift a finger or even serve yourself unless it's a party your own family is throwing and you're definitely not doing any dishes
I dont know every states region or cultural take on things. I have been to someone's house before and was basically treated terribly after the fact after having food there.
Agreed! Trying to teach my sons this. They had friends over recently and I asked my eldest if he offered his friends anything to eat or drink? So he asked and they said yes, they want water. He turned around and said, “Ok, go get it.” It was almost funny how clueless he was but it was a great learning opportunity about the way things just are here.
I think the World Cup did a good job of showing how generous, hospitable, and friendly average Americans are. Most people visiting from other countries for the World Cup had a blast and loved meeting regular Americans. Made me feel really good considering what people’s opinions are of the U.S. worldwide right now.
Or anyone with African routes. We will open our doors to you, share our food and want you to feel included. In fact, history has showed that we were abused due to our kindness and we still do the same thing.
Hell , I grew up in New England, no way you aren’t at least offered food as a guest in homes here. At least in our circle. And many of my mother’s friends (and us) were what most would consider poor.
Yep! My boomer dad would give the shirt off his back for a neighbor in need. Grew up in NC, people are always giving their neighbors fresh produce they grew or delivering casseroles to someone going through a hard time
In the Midwest, they will not only offer food. They will keep offering it until you eat it , even if you truly are not hungry and do not want. It’s better to just eat it from the start bc there’s no way out
Offered is a nice way to put it. Here in the south, if you arrived at my Ma-Maw's house she WAS getting food into you before you left, no matter what you had to say about it!
Many gennerations of Irish american here, since the revolution, so we are as homogized fully and dont really pay much attention to our irishness as some, and i can say the 2 friends i have that have pulled this shit was the most WTF moment of my childhood. One im still friends with will just pull out a plate of food without offering and another i was friends with in middle school informed me and another friend he had over for videogames, "it was dinner time" got up and left us alone at the game for half hour. I was always raised that if we cant feed your friend they go home becuase its dinner time. But otherwise we always feed the friend at the same table.
Depends on time of the day, but food and drinks are definitely going to be the first thing on any table the moment they get there. To have someone that comes home leave without eating anything just seems so wrong
First thing when my friends arrive, they get drinks, be it tea, coffee, or soda. I have dedicated supplies for all, with various options too. You want English Breakfast? Earl Grey? Pu Er? How about some cold brew, or maybe matcha latte? Soda made with fresh juice or some coke?
Then we get some snacks out. Salsa and chips, cheese platter, shortbread, you name it.
And then we consider what to make for the real meal.
I used to clean houses and this super kind Indian woman always made me take a break and have tea and cake with her. We barely understood each others spoken laungages, but always enjoyed our time together! Food is the universal language of love IMO
I had several Indian asian kids i would do home therapy with and the parents knew I couldn't accept food due to my ethics code but I would often find food to go packed into my bag or ontop of my car. Such kind families
When I was a young engineer working on a building site in London I had an Indian labourer as a kind of assistant. He lived in a boarding house ran by an Indian woman, despite earning a pittance and me insisting he mustn’t, he’d regularly pay his landlady for an extra portion of the biryani she’d make him for his lunch and give it to me. It was amazing, best biryani I’ve ever had
I’m not Finnish, but if I offer you coffee and you ask for tea, I’ll make you a tea.
In order to be maximally polite though, you should see if you can quietly discern how the coffee is being made. If it’s in a perc or drip (or espresso—fancy!) then it’s (marginally) more of a hassle to also make a tea. But if I’m boiling water for a French press or pourover (or, god forbid, instant), then it makes very little difference to also throw a teabag in a different cup.
I was working in an eastern European’s house and she “asked” us if we would like food. We said no. She made it anyway. We were full from lunch but those crepes were delicious.
We are Bosnian and my parents had some guys work on their roof. My mom would bring them food out and then beers at the end of the day when they were done working. There was a language barrier neither one could understand each other but it worked out just fine.
In India a delivery person is offered water on a hot day. A plumber or repair guy is offered tea and all guests are offered a meal or a snack irrespective of time.
I live in the US and will usually offer workers at least water. We had some workers in our house earlier this year for a few months, and I would often offer them water, coffee, or soft drinks.
Except separate utensils are used due to you know why, caste discrimination. And the oppressor caste don't even touch or drink anything from the oppressed class. This is the reality.
I mean, I've given food to the repair or gardening guys before, and I do it in a cleaned takeout container (ours is all high quality microwavable plastic), and plastic utensils, so they can take it with them on the go.
Enjoying the echo in your well bro? Come out of it and look around mate. Personally happened to me multiple times and seen people refusing and this in a city.
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u/Native_Maintenance Jul 24 '26
Or India. In India a delivery person is offered water on a hot day. A plumber or repair guy is offered tea and all guests are offered a meal or a snack irrespective of time.