Here are some tips for navigating gross food with grace.

Thats also not fair to your host, says Meier.

you’re able to also bring the snack with you.

And if thats not going to be enough for you, double-check youve got something to eat at home.

But its still not cool to attend with your own personal plate of mac and cheese and nothing else.

Dont show up with your dish and take three quarters of it, Brown said.

check that theres enough that you’ve got the option to get a portion and share it.

Or, as Brown points out, you might make yourself a plate at home to have beforehand.

Typically speaking, a dinner will not just include one throw in of food.

If you dont like noodles, your host will not just serve noodles, Meier said.

you could eat everything else on your plate, but not take any noodles.

Turns out, this is a no no.

Its not good etiquette to lie, Meier said.

If your [host] says, What, you dont like the chicken?

I would just say, Everything is wonderful, I really enjoyed the rice and potato.

But positivity is key here.

Asking curious, happy questions is always a great thing to do, Brown said.

And if youre not too pleased with the answers youre getting, dont rain on everyone elses parade.

and take teeny tiny little bite, Brown said.

And even if you hated what you ate, you still need to compliment the chef.

You dont even have to say that you love it or its delicious, Brown said.

you might say that its so bright, or so lively.

Basically, never tell the person who was kind enough to feed you that you hate their food.

Youve kinda got to suck it up.

Never season your food if the chef is at the table.

If they see that, that could be very offensive, Meier said.

This holds true even if theres salt and pepper on the table.

I would still advise being cautious, because the cook always notices, Meier said.

I always recommend asking, Meier said.

I usually give a shot to incorporate one of everything, Meier said.

I always recommend having one vegetable dish, one meat, and one fish.

Just be cautious that there is something for everyone.

And if you know youre hosting some picky eaters, dont be offended if they dont clean their plate.

Your friends might be monsters, but they love you enough to show up.

So…its not cool to just eat bread and sriricha?

Never invite me to dinner.