If you watch a lot of TikTok, you might be familiar with the “Antipasto salad” incident and what transpired on July 4th. The controversial video made its rounds after a woman had the worst experience possibly ever at a party and left in tears. Now, a Midwestern mom in Minnesota is showing how differently things would have gone for the “Antipasto Salad Lady” if the party had, instead, been in the Midwest.
Confused, Nicole left the party in tears and left her “$40 salad” behind for others to enjoy. She ended the video with, “This is why you don’t make friends in your 30s.” Though some people found the video hilarious, many showed up with words of support and encouragement. One influencer, (@thatmidwesternmom on TikTok), saw the video and had a heartwarming answer. She shared her views of how party would have gone incredibly different for Nicole if she showed up to the party in the Midwest.
That Midwestern Mom greets “Nicole” at the door with a big smile on her face, telling her to “come on in.” She tells her nobody rings the doorbell anymore because people just come right inside. Midwestern individuals are all too familiar with hospitality and putting on a real party that includes all. She then takes Nicole’s antipasto salad from her and proclaims, “Oh for yum!” then introduces her to everyone.
When they get outside, she continues to tell Nicole, “Oh yeah, in Minnesota we just love our salads” and places her antipasto salad next to several other salads on a table. She then opens it up and says, “Oh my lanta, this salad is gorgeous!” and asks in shock, “You made the mozzarella yourself? Hand pollinated the tomato plants to grow your own tomatoes from your garden?!”
She then proceeds to introduce Nicole to everybody and tells them about her antipasto salad, explaining how she hand-pollinates the tomatoes and makes her own mozzarella from scratch. Along the way, Nicole receives an invitation to the local Garden Club and an invitation to a local community event where she can teach others to make their own mozzarella. On and on and on she went!
The original Antipasto Lady video, posted by Nicole (@folkmedicineremedies on TikTok), was Nicole tearfully sharing her humiliating experience at a party. She was invited by the mother of her son’s best friend and showed up on the Fourth with an antipasto salad that she described as “big” and “gorgeous.” She was new to the area and didn’t know many of the people attending the party. When Nicole walked into the party, she was treated with hostility by the owner of the house, Jake. Apparently, as she learned from a woman attending the party, “It’s really rude to walk into somebody’s house and not introduce yourself. He’s absolutely flipping out outside about some stranger.”
Commenters loved this alternate universe of how things could have gone for Nicole if she had just been in a different part of the U.S. One person shared, “Some people know how to build community and some people make antipasto ladies cry.” Another hilariously quipped, “She left with 883 friends, 3 jobs and 64 volunteer opportunities.”
One person said in response to the video, “This is the only way it should ever be. I’m still shocked at how she was treated.” Imagine being so miserable with your own life you let a lady leave your party in tears, just because she wasn’t a local. If I throw a party and somebody shows up, we don’t have to make a big to-do introducing everyone. It’s clear Jake was in the wrong for this one. And I’m glad to see Midwesterners have proper hosting skills all figured out for the Nicoles of the world.
