34 replies to this topic

[Margaret Pilgrim]

.... I have many friends who never reciprocate and I am totally fine with that. For some people it's just too hard or they really don't like to cook. I think it's important to reassure those friends that you like doing it yourself and they should just keep on coming over and bring a nice bottle of wine. People who feel it is their duty to return an invitation are the most likely to be a mess over it.

Amen, sister!

[Katie Meadow]

Huh. I always plan on serving the meal at least a half hour after the guests arrive--usually more like 45 mins or an hour because I have late friends. I put out snacky stuff but I thought people like having a drink and a chat before the meal at a dinner party? I am a late eater by nature, but I specifically invite people to arrive a half hour before the normal person dinner hour. I think I would find it weird if I went to someone's house and they had me sit down at the table before I'd even had a cocktail and said hi to everyone. Maybe I'm being rude? I hope not...

Totally concur--I plan for guests to arrive 45 min to an hour before we sit down to dinner. My friends pretty much expect this when they dine chez moi. But it is important (and nice!) to make sure guests know this. I simply tell them, "We will probably eat around 7:30, so come around 6:30 for apps and drinks." It lets those who don't know me well know what to expect, and it allows those who run late kind of a grace period. If my fabulous cheese sticks are gone by the time they arrive, or if they are too late to score one of my husband's Manhattans, well, how sad for them. It's been a while since my relatives and friends had small kids, but cocktail hour was why the VCR was invented. And I do mean VCR.

[BarbaraY]

My late sister-in-law was notorious for not being able to get a meal together so that it was all ready at a aproximately the same time.
She cooked one thing at a time and not exactly in the order it should have been done.
It wasn't totally her fault though, her husband bought what he wanted to eat and brought it home to her to prepare. Best divorce that I know of.

[PSmith]

We stayed at a friend's house overnight once. Normally I can wack out a full English breakfast in a little under half an hour (eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, baked beans, fried bread, black pudding, mushrooms, toast and tea/coffee) - we waited two hours for the wife to get breakfast – so long that her husband called it “lunch”. Didn't help as she insisted on providing a running commentary on what she was doing.

[liuzhou]

My sister is a great cook. I've never eaten anything she cooked that didn't thrill me.

But if she invites you for dinner at 7 pm, roll up around 9 and be prepared to wait.