Hosting a Party at Someone Else's House

[JAZ]

I've done this sort of thing a few times. For example, a very good friend of mine used to cook Easter dinner every year. One year he had just moved into a tiny studio apartment and had left almost all kitchenware behind with his ex. So we had the dinner at my apartment instead. I knew all the guests, though, so it wasn't as if I was serving total strangers.

At my friends' parties, I tend to end up in the kitchen "helping" (read "doing most of the cooking") but I often prefer that to hanging around with nothing to do.

[Jaymes]

I do it once a year. I live in a condo. I also belong to a duplicate bridge group that meets once a month. It's an all-day affair, beginning with continental breakfast, and then lunch. And then about 4 - wine and cheese and pass out the cash to the winners and everyone goes home.

I don't have enough space in my condo to host three tables of bridge.

So when it's my turn I always do all the work, and have it at someone else's house.

[MySiuMai]

A friend came to me last year and said "Gary (her husband) wants only one thing for his 40th birthday: He'd like to host a party at your beach house." I agreed to the plan and arrived late in the afternoon on the designated day.

There's NOTHING like walking into a kitchen filled with wonderful smells--from roasting prime rib, to garlic, to fresh crab and salmon, tons of fab appetizers--all at the ready.....and you HAVEN'T HAD TO DO A THING!

I sat down with a plate, got a beer from the keg, and met 40 wonderful strangers who left my house spic and span and provided a weekend of fun.

If you know and trust the folks, I can recommend it!

Bottom line: If you build a groovy kitchen, your friends will come.

MySiuMai (offering her first e.gullet forum post)

[Suzanne F]

MySiuMai: Welcome! Keep those posts coming.

We've done it once -- provided the space for a couple of friends' wedding reception. Another of their friends was the daughter of a caterer, so it was an easy and interesting time for all. Also, it gave us a deadline for finishing the work on our loft, which we had moved into a year before.

This was over 20 years ago, and I still have a few of the glasses and ashtrays that the caterer left.

[Arey]

I've only been to a party hosted by people using another person's house once. It was a dinner party at a friend's house, hosted by the friends sister, and the sister's boyfriend. After the dinner, the sister and her boyfriend tried to sell us the cookware.

[Kim WB]

It seems strange to me, at least as a formal, invitation kind of party.. I've never even heard of it,to be honest. At the beach we might hook up wiht the neighbors late in the day..so the guests at my house might come along with me to my neighbors house, and I'll bring some food, wine, whatever. So I guess, in an informal way, I am a host in a house not my own. But certainly not a "Please be my guest for dinner on Monday, the 30th. RSVP to MRS. xyz. Dinner served 8pm sharp at Mrs. abc's house" kind of thing...I guess it makes sense in a place where space is a premium, or in Jaymes' case when its your turn to reciprocate...or in a close family or friend situation...but what would I know, I hang out with babystroller pushers. And enjoyed Snow Falling on Cedars.