Hosting a Party at Someone Else's House

[Fat Guy]

Is this becoming a more common occurrence in society? It seems to me that the last several parties I've been invited to have been at one person's house but the actual host of the party has been someone else: a person who does the inviting, the cooking, etc., but does not have the physical space to host the event. Have you all seen this kind of collaboration often, and is it on the rise or just something I haven't noticed?

[pixelchef]

What the hell kind of bizzaro world do you live in, man?

This concept is completely alien to me.

[Matthew Grant]

What the hell kind of bizzaro world do you live in, man? 

This concept is completely alien to me.

I wouldn't let anybody near my kitchen, let alone host their party in my house. Iif you ain't got the space, you can't have a party

[Fat Guy]

What the hell kind of bizzaro world do you live in, man? 

New York City?

[tighe]

My wife and I have hosted parties at friends' houses on a number of occasions when our house was torn up and we wanted to put on a party for them (baby shower, etc.).

Of course there have been other occaisions where friends of ours were supposedly hosting a party and still managed to manouever us into providing the majority of the food and doing most of the cooking. Just suckers I guess....

[pixelchef]

New York City?

Hahaha. I now understand.

[Adam Balic]

Yes, we seem to do this all the time. Either because our place at the time has been too small or because of renovations etc. It's great I do the cooked, get all the glory, some other sucker has to do the cleaning up. More recently, we have had a party for a friend at our home, she paid for the food, I did the cooking. It's a fun thing to do, especially if your friends feel uncomfortable with the idea of cooking.

[Simon Majumdar]

I have one friend with whom I have a deal

I buy the ingredients for an Indian meal, she pays

I cook all the food for the dinner party at her house during the day while she keeps me topped up with Riscal and then when all the food is ready, I bugger off and leave her and her friends to eat the food.

I am not allowed to stay anymore since I apparently made one of her friends cry for telling me that Snow falling on Cedars was the best book she had ever read.

I have to say the cooking and drinking time spent with her is a good deal more fun than the eating and cringing time spent with her babystroller pushing friends could ever be

S

[wawairis]

I hosted my 40th birthday party at my sister's house, since my apartment is too small. It was no big deal. Everyone had a good time!

[Adam Balic]

I have to say the cooking and drinking time spent with her is a good deal more fun than the eating and cringing time spent with her babystroller pushing friends could ever be

S

It is a very fine way to spend time with friends.

BTW: Snow falling on Cedars? She got I lightly I think.

[hjshorter]

I was on bed rest for months when pregnant with my son. My best friend hosted a baby shower for me at my house, because I wasn't allowed to go anywhere. It was a little wierd but it worked under the circumstances - it was catered, so I didn't have to sit while someone else cooked in my kitchen.

[Varmint]

I do it a couple of times a year at my in-laws' house. They have a house that was designed around the kitchen. In addition to the commercial range, they have 3 ovens (one is a tile-lined bread oven), 2 dishwashers, a commercial espresso machine, a good wine cellar, and lots of space. Plus, their dining room table can seat 18. To me, it makes great sense to have my larger parties there. When I do my big "cooking school" meal for my firm, we can have 20 people in the kitchen at a time, doing prep work. It's a lot of fun.

[Fat Guy]

I apparently made one of her friends cry for telling me that Snow falling on Cedars was the best book she had ever read.

Well, maybe not the best book, but definitely the best movie.

I like your variant on this: throwing a party without being there.

[Simon Majumdar]

I like your variant on this: throwing a party without being there.

It's the way all my friends seem to prefer strangely enough

[jersey13]

Is this becoming a more common occurrence in society? It seems to me that the last several parties I've been invited to have been at one person's house but the actual host of the party has been someone else: a person who does the inviting, the cooking, etc., but does not have the physical space to host the event. Have you all seen this kind of collaboration often, and is it on the rise or just something I haven't noticed?

It's out there, baby! I host parties at my sisters's place because she actually has a house large enought to accomodate an entire soccer team, and a large backyard equipped with a BBQ. In addition she has a husband who is a trained chef, willing to help and loves being left with a fridge full of leftovers!

When the party is over, I can go home to bed! Woohoo!

[Lady T]

Wow. Whoa. Interesting.

I've helped other people throw their parties at their homes, or at other people's homes. I have a friend to whom I semi-regularly give cooking lessons, by cooking supper at her apartment, also (she buys any necessary equipment beforehand, and I provide the produce; this is an extremely new home cook). I host small parties of friends at restaurants, on occasion. I've never felt the need -- or thought I had the right! -- to twist an acquaintance's arm to let me host my gathering at their home.

New concept for me; not one I think I'm going to try out any time soon, though.

[Marlene]

We have a couple that we generally have here for dinner every couple of weeks. While my kitchen was being re-done, we just moved to their house and I cooked there. (she doesn't cook). I cook at my mom's house all the time when she has her book club or Kinsmen friends over. She uses a walker, so she doesn't cook either. I also sometimes cook the family Christmas dinner at her place.

[Peter B Wolf]

..... More recently, we have had a party for a friend at our home, she paid for the food, I did the cooking. It's a fun thing to do, especially if your friends feel uncomfortable with the idea of cooking.

What's the name of this "Restaurant"?

[Adam Balic]

"Chez Sucker". You know it?

[Ellen Shapiro]

It's a great deal when you get to throw a party at a friend's house. I've done both--hosted a party for a friend (they brought in the food, I provided the space, the china, the drinks, etc.) at my place and hosted parties at other friend's homes. You have to be very good friends--or family--to be able to even consider asking that sort of thing of another person because it really is an imposition for the home host--even if the inviter is dealing with all of the food.

In my family we have always done a joint effort for Passover. My parents don't have a big home and our very close friends have a better set up for hosting dinners so my mother makes the chicken soup, one of the main entrees (Sephardic meat pie) and a dessert, the host makes a selection of other dishes and the two fathers make gefilte fish together. My immediate family and spouses or girlfriends are invited, the host family has their kids and spouses and then the host also invites other relatives, etc. So it's not an actual split of attendees but the host is still left with the clean-up etc. During the meal we all pitch in with serving and clearing but at the end of the night, the host is still left with a mess on her hands. We've known these people for 30 years though and they're like family--only better--because we got to choose them as friends and we've all chosen to spend the holiday together.

[Suzanne F]

Fat Guy and Ellen: does this mean we'll see photos of you in the Times Sunday Style section? That seems to be the m.o. for all the parties they write about (w/recipes!).

I like your variant on this: throwing a party without being there. 

It's the way all my friends seem to prefer strangely enough

That's my prefered way of hosting.

[fifi]

I am not sure why anyone thinks this is wierd. I have a group of friends (and one couple in particular) that like to cook together or go to each other's place and sometimes contribute to the effort. I am building the first of the group's houses that is built around the kitchen just for this purpose. We intend to have a good time. A group of the guys get together every 2 oe 3 months to plan a Sunday dinner at the Ronald McDonald house. We are planning on doing the trial runs at my place. I guess we look at cooking more as a group effort and fun thing than a host/guest thing.

[tommy]

i don't know about "host," but i certainly cook at most friends' parties, and at my parents' parties as well. i'm a terrible host, as i like to just wander around and walk in and out of conversations all night, without ever really committing. kinda like i do around here i suppose.

[pixelchef]

I seem to have that same problem of not being able to commit to a conver...

[s'kat]

The first time that I have ever witnessed this was last year, during my engagement. There were two parties thrown for me and my husband, by people who didn't live in the houses holding the parties. It was discombobulatory, considering I didn't know most of the people, and the multiple-housery made for vast amounts of confusion.

That said, I am more than a little jealous of some of the friends of the people of this board. Mmmm. Swappin' cookin' places.