Do You Offer Food for Afternoon Visits | 30 Days of Hygge Challenge

I’m on day 19 of my 30 days of Hygge challenge and struggled with today’s task. If you aren’t sure what Hygge life is then you aren’t alone. I didn’t know either until recently and was intrigued enough to do a deep dive as part of my life goals for this year. Today’s task was to fill the pantry with ingredients or snacks to offer guests when they come for an afternoon visit. Do you offer food for afternoon visits?

When I was growing up, I was always told to offer food and something to drink to your visitors. It was rude not to offer something.

According to the Hygge experts, offering food is common in Hygge life for the Danish as well.

I often ask why something is absolutely necessary? Today I’m trying to find out why offering food is absolutely necessary for afternoon visits.

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Do You Offer Food for Afternoon Visits?

If you do offer food for afternoon visits, I’d like to know why you feel the need to. Truly, tell me.

Do you feel compelled to feed everyone in your life?

Does offering someone food complete your need to nurture those you love?

My great grandmother was like that. She needed to offer everyone a meal, even in the middle of the afternoon. If she knew we were coming she would have a pot roast, potatoes, veggies, and fresh buns ready for us to eat, even in the middle of the afternoon. Her excuse was my husband was too skinny and needed some meat on his bones. I used to think it was her way to tell him she loved him, even though he was married into the family.

Maybe it wasn’t though.

Was it just an etiquette tradition, passed down from generation to generation?

Who knows! I’ll love to ask her now, but sadly she is passed. So now I’m left with this confusing question.

I never thought much about it in my younger years, but I’m older now – much older. In recent years I’ve been trying to eat healthier and learning more about my eating habits. I now tend to question more “etiquette” rules when it comes to food.

Given that I want to eat healthier and avoid temptations, having snacks in the house is too tempting when I’m trying to break the chains of bad eating habits. I’ve discovered that my resolve to avoid that emotional eating habit is stronger without the snacks in the house.

Am I rude to not offer food for afternoon visits? I hope not. I have coffee, tea, and generally something else to drink. Sometimes I’ll have a snack available but not always. Would you still come for a visit? Is not offering food more important than spending time with that person? I hope not.

When I’m visiting a friend, I would never expect the person to offer food for afternoon visits. I’m there to visit them, not to have them stress about snacks. I also don’t need the extra temptation and pressure to accept the offer when I’m trying to make better food choices. I’d feel bad saying no thank you if they went to the trouble to make something just for the afternoon visit.

There. I’ve said it. Maybe I shouldn’t have. It’s quite possible you think I’m rude. I don’t know. I’m just being honest and it’s my hope that my friends and family would see this as a way for me to value my time with them, instead of making it about the snacks provided that day.

Come over for a visit. I’ll have coffee or tea that I can make quickly enough. I might even have a bottle of wine we could share. Food? Maybe, maybe not. That might just depend if my teenage daughter was in a baking mood. I’d love to see you, find out how you are doing and that is what matters to me. How about you?