The quietest guest may be the first to notice the cook has not sat down.

Noticing and talking draw on the same attention, and people doing less of one often have more of the other. Whoever says little has been watching the room, which is why they see the plate that never got filled or the host still standing after everybody else settled. Quiet is not absence. It is frequently where the observing is happening.

At the next gathering, find who has not sat down and do something about it rather than remarking on it. If you are the quiet one, you are allowed to act on what you notice instead of only noticing it.