And what will she be having?

I had an awkward experience yesterday that has given "I love you to death" a new meaning for me. I met a neighbor in our same building who invited me to her apartment. Hospitality is big here, and I haven't learned how to graciously decline what is offered. 

It is difficult to avoid being given what you truly do not want to consume here. As soon as I entered her home, the list of possibilities came: water, coffee, chai, juice,...? I tried this slice of truth with sugar on my hostess, "oh, don't trouble yourself, I must leave soon anyway because my baby needs her nap. I'm just happy to meet and visit with you for a short while," to no avail. "We'll, then, what will she be having?!" I told her that Emma only is breastfeeding and having puréed food right now. This spawned an onslaught of information from my hostess about how Emma should be able to eat the peanut-laden honey wafers, apple slices, Hershey's kisses and soda-juice she was offering because she gave her children these things at the same age, "and look how healthy they are?!" I glanced at the adorably fat Eleanor-the-chipette lookalikes in the hallway... Quite overweight for their age, but more importantly for this culture not looking hungry or too thin. In an attempt to make amends for offending her unknowingly, I took a slice of apple in compromise and allowed Emma to teeth it as we talked. 

Emma, at some point in the conversation, chomped through the slice and nearly gulped a large chunk of crude apple. Freaked out, I fished the chunk out of her mouth, saving her from the need to have the thrusting back move I had practiced in infant CPR. I scowled an, I told you she wasn't ready for this, in my heart while hugging Emma. My hostess cocked her head to the side and disapprovingly glared at me like you would look at a woman thrashing her child abusively in a supermarket and said, MADAM! You REALLY should be more careful with your daughter!!! 

Honestly, I lost sleep over this goofy apple incident last night. What if she had choked?! The nerve of that lady for rattling me so much to compromise with her so she could feel generous and then to insult me as a mother for what I knew could happen anyway. The fault really is mine, though. I shouldn't care about easily offended acquaintances, or at least I need to put Emma's safety above my dislike for them being a little perturbed at me. I'm still a bit ticked about this incident. I wish I had just begged off and left when she got pushy. What would y'all have done?