Guests in the kitchen

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Madeleine

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We've had a few snarky guests lately who will stand right at the 'line' between the kitchen and the dining room and say, 'I know I'm not allowed in your kitchen, although I don't understand that at all...'
Finally, we have a comeback. We were discussing this over the weekend and DH came up with this to say directly to the guest: I'm with you completely on that! I don't get it either. We went out for dinner the other night and I walked into the kitchen while they were preparing everyone's dinner and they told me to get out. What was that all about? I can't be in the kitchen when they're making everyone's meals? Why not?
 
I always say its health and safety what if you were to have an accident? mind our kitchen is so small they certainly don't try and get in. Some stand in the door and ask questions which is annoying or try and bring me washing up which I don't want either.
 
Great response!
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I always say its health and safety what if you were to have an accident? mind our kitchen is so small they certainly don't try and get in. Some stand in the door and ask questions which is annoying or try and bring me washing up which I don't want either..
I don't understand it either. Why do they need to stand in the kitchen to ask a question? I can hear them quite well enough from the dining room even. Most want to wash their hands, wash out their mug, dump something in the trash or whatever.
It's the snarkiness that grates on us. They've seen the notice that lets guests know the Board of Health prohibits guests from being in the kitchen and they just have to bring that up. Why? What purpose does it serve to aggravate the people cooking and serving your food?
I've thought of another one: Oh, you saw the notice from the Board of Health? What I don't understand is why they say you can't come in this kitchen but you can go into a restaurant kitchen!
You know, if I didn't like all of the restaurant people in town and they didn't know us, I'd encourage those particular guests to go into the kitchens at the restaurants to watch what's going on, help themselves to whatever is in the fridge, wash their mug out or whatever.
BTW, this is not a really big problem. It's one of those 'last nerve, last straw' kinds of things when other stuff is going on.
 
Our friends have a sign that says "No guests permitted in the kitchen by XXXX Health Deptartment." I still say you need that screen to close it off :)
 
Our friends have a sign that says "No guests permitted in the kitchen by XXXX Health Deptartment." I still say you need that screen to close it off :).
We're in the kitchen when they start making the comments so even if we had a screen it would be put away at that point. And you know that even if there was a screen, there would have to be a sign.
My family had some great ideas for nighttime including laser alarm systems that would turn all the lights on, motion sensors that would set off an alarm (not a really loud one, but enough to scare someone), an alarm inside the fridge activated by opening the door. They really spent some time on it, measuring things out, deciding where the best location was, all of that.
Oddly enough, all of them stayed out of the kitchen except one of them. Knowing her personality, I totally get why she waltzed in when everyone else stayed out...the rules don't apply to her. She griped all weekend about how messy her family is, how no one ever picks up after themselves, yada yada and then everywhere she went there was something dropped on the floor, not wiped up, not put away.
We asked everyone to put inn stuff back in the inn and our stuff back in our house. We found her coffee mugs in the exact opposite location. She didn't think we should be telling family how to behave. But, when you've got 2 kitchens, 9 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and 17 people in the house (half of whom were children), you have to tell people what you want done or it is chaos. (Yes, before anyone asks, they all paid to stay!)
 
I like both answers.
My favorites are the ones who stand in the pathway and if they move, move right where I am headed.
 
I always say its health and safety what if you were to have an accident? mind our kitchen is so small they certainly don't try and get in. Some stand in the door and ask questions which is annoying or try and bring me washing up which I don't want either..
I don't understand it either. Why do they need to stand in the kitchen to ask a question? I can hear them quite well enough from the dining room even. Most want to wash their hands, wash out their mug, dump something in the trash or whatever.
It's the snarkiness that grates on us. They've seen the notice that lets guests know the Board of Health prohibits guests from being in the kitchen and they just have to bring that up. Why? What purpose does it serve to aggravate the people cooking and serving your food?
I've thought of another one: Oh, you saw the notice from the Board of Health? What I don't understand is why they say you can't come in this kitchen but you can go into a restaurant kitchen!
You know, if I didn't like all of the restaurant people in town and they didn't know us, I'd encourage those particular guests to go into the kitchens at the restaurants to watch what's going on, help themselves to whatever is in the fridge, wash their mug out or whatever.
BTW, this is not a really big problem. It's one of those 'last nerve, last straw' kinds of things when other stuff is going on.
.
You will never know why...give it up. They are just nosy and want to see what is going on. You are their entertainment. When guests ask if they can see our part of the house, including the kitchen I just smile and say "So sorry, we value our privacy and do not allow guests into our living space. I'm sure you understand." SMILING the entire time. It usually works...but not always. Good luck with the restaurant comeback. If they have the nerve to ask then they deserve it!
 
I always say its health and safety what if you were to have an accident? mind our kitchen is so small they certainly don't try and get in. Some stand in the door and ask questions which is annoying or try and bring me washing up which I don't want either..
I don't understand it either. Why do they need to stand in the kitchen to ask a question? I can hear them quite well enough from the dining room even. Most want to wash their hands, wash out their mug, dump something in the trash or whatever.
It's the snarkiness that grates on us. They've seen the notice that lets guests know the Board of Health prohibits guests from being in the kitchen and they just have to bring that up. Why? What purpose does it serve to aggravate the people cooking and serving your food?
I've thought of another one: Oh, you saw the notice from the Board of Health? What I don't understand is why they say you can't come in this kitchen but you can go into a restaurant kitchen!
You know, if I didn't like all of the restaurant people in town and they didn't know us, I'd encourage those particular guests to go into the kitchens at the restaurants to watch what's going on, help themselves to whatever is in the fridge, wash their mug out or whatever.
BTW, this is not a really big problem. It's one of those 'last nerve, last straw' kinds of things when other stuff is going on.
.
You will never know why...give it up. They are just nosy and want to see what is going on. You are their entertainment. When guests ask if they can see our part of the house, including the kitchen I just smile and say "So sorry, we value our privacy and do not allow guests into our living space. I'm sure you understand." SMILING the entire time. It usually works...but not always. Good luck with the restaurant comeback. If they have the nerve to ask then they deserve it!
.
We've been incredibly lucky with not having to worry about guests in our personal space. I can count on one hand the number of times I have had to chase a guest out. And we've never been asked to see our space. (When asked where we live we are very descriptive of the space we have, so that may head them off.)
Mostly the problems occur with kids who just want to see where we go.
 
we are sometimes asked if we live locally and they are actually surprised that we live on site. We have our breakfast room and kitchen in the basement and keep the door down to the basement locked during the day as I often use one of the tables to spread out with my paperwork & laptop plus all the other tables set up for breakfast I don't want people messing about and touching things once they are set up. There is a private sign on the door but we now lock it becuse had a group who popped down and borrowed cutlery ie not asking so then you had to play hunt the spoon to find out where it was missing from. So now no access. Plus I usually have my shoes off, papers everywhere, right mess so I don't want guests down here thanks. I put a comment on that article of the woman who wrote a book about running a B&B and she showed them where her living quarters were and was totally shocked that when they came back from a dinner out the guest was sat in their lounge watching the telly its that simple - don't want them in lock the door!
1-Private - translation - there must be something interesting in here lets have a look.
2- staff only - probably isnt interesting but will have a look anyway.
3-owners quarters - really interesting must get in their at the earliest opportunity.
 
Our friends have a sign that says "No guests permitted in the kitchen by XXXX Health Deptartment." I still say you need that screen to close it off :).
We're in the kitchen when they start making the comments so even if we had a screen it would be put away at that point. And you know that even if there was a screen, there would have to be a sign.
My family had some great ideas for nighttime including laser alarm systems that would turn all the lights on, motion sensors that would set off an alarm (not a really loud one, but enough to scare someone), an alarm inside the fridge activated by opening the door. They really spent some time on it, measuring things out, deciding where the best location was, all of that.
Oddly enough, all of them stayed out of the kitchen except one of them. Knowing her personality, I totally get why she waltzed in when everyone else stayed out...the rules don't apply to her. She griped all weekend about how messy her family is, how no one ever picks up after themselves, yada yada and then everywhere she went there was something dropped on the floor, not wiped up, not put away.
We asked everyone to put inn stuff back in the inn and our stuff back in our house. We found her coffee mugs in the exact opposite location. She didn't think we should be telling family how to behave. But, when you've got 2 kitchens, 9 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and 17 people in the house (half of whom were children), you have to tell people what you want done or it is chaos. (Yes, before anyone asks, they all paid to stay!)
.
Oddly enough, all of them stayed out of the kitchen except one of them.
That is it there is always going to be that one, the one that believes the rules don't apply to them, they never seem to understand that the rules were made BECAUSE of them.
cry_smile.gif

 
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