DEAR MISS MANNERS: My friends and I frequently have dinners where we take turns cooking. One of the members of our circle will cherry-pick and take the "best" parts of a shared dish.
The other night, I made a casserole, and she took just the baked cheesy top layer and left the bottom portion. If someone makes a beef or shrimp stir-fry, she will invariably pick out just the beef or shrimp and leave the veggies. This may sometimes leave others with less complete portions or servings for their own plates.
Is there a polite way I can bring this up? We're all very close friends, but she can be sensitive to criticism, and I don't want to say something that might hurt her feelings if I'm the one that's being overly sensitive.
GENTLE READER: Stop asking your guests to serve themselves. Arrange their plates in the kitchen -- or at a buffet table nearby if they want to make requests for light meat or dark. But this comes with a warning: No fair complaining in the kitchen about any food your guests leave untouched.