“My friend always cooks meatloaf. I have nothing against her but it’s just that my kids don’t like it! What should I do?” a frustrated dinner group member emailed us. Everyone is unique. And so are the members of your dinner group. Some may have multi-racial members or members coming from different states. And since everyone has different personalities and preferences, you should expect that something that works well with the family of one might not be the same for another. That doesn’t mean that your dinner group is not a success; its reality. It just means that you have differences in taste. Here are some tips to help you face this problem effectively.
1. Be up front in the planning meeting. Remember that ignoring a problem won’t make it go away. If someone says they want to do meatloaf, and you know your family won’t eat it, speak up. “I tried meatloaf before, and none of my kids would eat it. Do you have anything else you’d like to do?” It’s better to be upfront about something so that the cook doesn’t waste their time making something no one is going to eat.
2. Let people know how things went the month before. Pointing out your favorite dishes from other members will let them know which recipes to do again.
3. Make suggestions. “My husband doesn’t like that, but he really loved the chicken dish you did last month. Can you do that again or do you have something similar?” In addition, you should also be open to suggestions.
4. Strive for improvement and innovation. As the group progresses make some changes if necessary and do not stick to the conventional way if you have a better, cheaper or more delicious alternative that you think your dinner group’s family would enjoy.
5. Make a calendar. If you don’t have a planned calendar, it would be better if you made one just like the calendar in this site. If you already have one, stick to it to avoid repetition of the same meal every week.
