| Hello, |
May, 2009 |
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Case in point: Ricardo (of Food Network’s Ricardo and Friends) came for dinner last week and I served him an (accidentally) over-baked lemon tart for dessert. Did he complain? No. He gobbled it right up (two pieces in fact) and insisted it wasn’t overdone at all!
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The other day an acquaintance told me that since moving to Toronto he and his wife have thrown 30 dinner parties and been invited back only four times. He also said that he has never been invited to a house where the dinner wasn’t catered. “Might as well just go to a restaurant,” he shrugged.
Are they hanging out in the wrong circles, or is dinner-party culture going to pot?
It used to be that restaurant dining was a rare treat, but these days, with everyone eating out so often, what’s special is being invited in and cooked for by the host. I’m not laying a guilt-trip on anyone who hires help for cooking dinner (although, I do feel it takes some of the fun out of things, and if it were me I’d still make sure the food was of the honest, home-cooked variety rather than some elaborate restaurant imitation). Anyway, far better is, of course, when we cook ourselves. It’s more personal and intimate; it’s a way of opening up to our guests, of telling them something about ourselves and about how we feel about them.
All this, of course, as inspiration for inviting people over to eat (especially people who’ve invited us before). I am not one to lie about the effort that goes into feeding people. It’s not that it’s difficult, but it does take a lot of time to shop, cook, and clean up - and it’s not cheap! But, that’s precisely why inviting back is essential: the pressure can’t always land on the same few people or the wheels of our social circle eventually stop turning. If insecurities about your cooking skills are what hold you back, relax. Making dinner for friends is not about impressing anyone. People come to see us, not to critique our sauce-making. If it’s any consolation, I have served plenty of disasters in my time (I have no pride), but apparently it doesn’t matter because people keep coming back!
Happy cooking! |
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