Generally, when we entertain we serve fresh food to our guests, preferably food we have made ourselves with help from our family cookbook. Serving leftovers to guests isn’t part of our normal thinking, even though our ancestors didn’t think twice about serving leftovers to guests.

But what if friends drop by unexpectedly and you have an abundance of food in the house that you really would like to consume because you are leaving town for a few days?  What if they arrive late at night, and no store is open for buying groceries? Would serving leftovers to guests be a problem for you (or your guests)?

What would you do? Tell your friends you have some wonderful leftovers to serve them, or just start taking dishes from the fridge assuming they will find something they like? 

A few factors may come into play before deciding about serving leftovers to guests:

1. How well do you know your guests?
Serving leftovers to guests depends on how well you know your friends. If they are food yuppies, they probably will want to go out to eat despite the fact that you have sufficient nutrients on hand. If they are casual eaters, your excess food may be a welcome change to eating out or having you cook for them.

2. How old are the leftovers?
Serving leftovers to guests may also depend upon the age of the leftovers. One day old; two days old. When one dish becomes a dreaded sight at the dinner table, you can be sure it has overstayed its welcome and should be put down the garbage disposal or frozen in small portions for those days you don’t want to cook.

3. What are the circumstances?
Serving leftovers to guests may depend upon whether the visit is planned or a surprise. If it is a last minute visit, guests will understand that you didn’t have time to prepare anything from your family cookbook. However, if they provide several days notice, they might be offended if you don’t make an effort to welcome them with food from your family cookbook.

Serving leftovers to guests may also be appropriate in the following circumstances:
- Pre-arranged date to share leftover food.
- Disaster strikes.
- They bring their leftovers unannounced.
- You can’t afford to go out to eat.
- You want to test recipes for your family cookbook.
- A big holiday has occurred and everyone expects leftovers.

Yes, serving leftovers to guests means you are comfortable enough to not stand on ceremony.  Serving leftovers to guests is a good way to economize and not be wasteful, and we can all benefit from a little savings on the pocketbook.

Happy cookbooking,

Matilda

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