Read this one!
"That which chiefly causes the failure of a dinner-party, is the running short- not of meat, nor yet of drink, but of conversation.”
This is a quote attributed to Lewis Carroll from Sylvie and Bruno Concluded. I came across it on page 103 of the November 2006 issue of REAL SIMPLE magazine in an article written by Genevieve Roth. Immediately upon reading this quote I was struck by a newfound context to my culinary adventure. We who love food, eating and entertaining still occasionally fall flat when it comes to dinner parties. The best meals we’ve ever had are a combination of food, drink and great conversation. But the conversation, more so than the other two components, is what makes or breaks the meal.
The article categorizes the 8 different types of people you might have at a dinner party and who to sit with who. Trying to put people into a box described in 1 paragraph is futile at the best of times, but if you need a guideline it's better than nothing. They also answer a few questions about assigning seats, place cards, kids tables, etc. It’s a good article so feel free to read it the next time you’re at the dentist or the hairdresser.
The important message was the one I got from the article was in Carroll’s quote; the right type of curry powder, Devonshire cream, or $50 Chardonnay won’t make or break your dinner party.
Some of my tips:
- Make something that won’t require you to be in your kitchen all night instead of with your guests.
- Leave your dishes in the sink while you enjoy a drink after dinner, they can still be cleaned the next morning.
- Don’t have a crowd so big that you can’t spend some time with everyone because as much as people appreciate the free food, they come to dinner to be with a friend.
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