As any of you who have been reading my posts regularly know by now, I could, in general, give a flying fig less about presentation of my food. I am a taste girt but holidays are just…different. For starters you aren’t eating alone, there is a whole group of judgmental harpies (or whatever you call your loved ones) judging your food and they don’t just judge on taste. So lets take a look at the service options that you can go for without feeling like you are being judged.

1). Family style: this entails setting the table then putting the food out in big bowls or on platters and letting people pass it around, taking as much of the food they want.

- Pros- This is really easy

- cons- Potential gluttony, want times for passed around foods.

2). The made up plates: this is like what you get in a restaurant. Your plate is already made up when it is brought to the table.

- Pros: No risk of guests missing out

- cons: this is a lot of effort

3). Hybrid: put down a key food and let people choose their sides

- Pros: Less frustrating, less time consuming

- Cons: You still have to plate 1 element. This can look odd on a plate, unless that one element is stunningly presented by itself.

4). None at all: Let someone take over the holiday and then you get to sit in judgment over their food presentation. As a second choice you could just go and sit down at a restaurant.

-Pros: Zero stress and no work, other then travel

-Cons: No control over the dining experience, you have to travel, and you have to have at least some faith in the person who is cooking not to poison you, intentionally or otherwise.

Now that you know your choices, choose wisely. If you have a house full of small kids you might want to plate their food and family style everyone else’s, just so you don’t end up with a 5 year old, who is armed with a large spoon and bowl of garlic smashed potatoes. That’s just a scenario with no good ending! PS- if you are a parent with a small child and the plating is not pre-done for your child, be a decent parent, and do the plating for your kids, this is just common courtesy, it is everyone else’s holiday too, and they deserve peace without flying peas.