laolady's Profile

I love getting posts from Sarah Kate. I miss her. Having said that...
I'm not a fan of grilled asparagus. To me the grilling fights with the lovely flavor of the asparagus so it becomes a "why would you ruin a perfectly good bunch of asparagus by grilling them?" Bacon topping? Yup. I'm all over that one. Is there anything in life that isn't better with bacon?

A little jumping in on this so I hope that people will read my comments as I definitely have opinions on this one!

We mostly love entertaining at home. I am a reasonably good cook and usually find that I can cook a better meal at home than what we get at a restaurant and it doesn't come with the shocking bill at the end. Having said that, what we have noticed in trying to entertain lately is that EVERYONE we know seems to have special eating needs, ie., this one doesn't eat veal or lamb, that one doesn't eat red meat, the other one is a vegetarian but *will* eat fish if he has to, another is a vegan... AND month by month it seems that more and more guests are giving up alcohol - what's up with that? It's not that you have to drink to have a good time, but wine does make a dinner a little more festive. Anyway, by the time I have created a menu that I think will be tasty, interesting AND satisfy everyone's special needs, I'm exhausted and the fun has gone. Don't even get me started on "I don't like spicey foods..." When I was growing up, my parents entertained A LOT. We lived in many places both in the US and abroad, and there was ONE rule that was not to be broken-ever: YOU WILL EAT, WITH A SMILE, ANYTHING YOU ARE SERVED BY THE HOSTESS. That rule applied to the dinner table at home too. So, imagine my surprise and dismay when I returned to the US just to find a bunch of whiny, picky, selfish eaters at my dinner table. I have, over time, learned to be more selective about who I invite to dinner but sometimes business and etiquette dictates who will be at my table.

The point is, it is not surprising that people opt to make a reservation at a restaurant rather than go through all the effort of preparing a dinner party just to have half of the guests announce that they don't/won't/can't eat what you have prepared (keeping in mind that the cooking is only part of the entertaining package - there is clean up, set up, bar stocking and figuring out logistics in a much smaller space than God ever meant for humans to live in). I agree that entertaining should be fun and should be an experience that one looks forward to and enjoys but I guess I have prepared just a few too many dinners that went uneaten by half of the guests. Uh, if you have a special diet, you need to let the hostess know BEFORE you show up.
Also, I can tell you that I entertain MUCH more than my friends do. We cook but they invite us to join them at a restaurant and the tab is split. I think some people can't afford the tab of entertaining a bunch of people. So, again, a reservation turns into an affordable way to get together (at least more affordable than the cost of a party for 8 or 10 at your home).

So, while I totally subscribe to the idea of entertaining being fun and a great opportunity to catch up with friends, I think my recent experiences illustrate why people are more inclined to meet up at a restaurant.

I hope that some others will jump in and share their experiences with this and how they have managed to deal with the issues presented. I know it doesn't sound like it, but I really do enjoy entertaining. Lately, it's just become less rewarding.

I HAVE HAD IT WITH CRAIGSLIST!!! I don't get it. I place adds to sell things and (always) at least 7 people respond to the add. People make appointments to come to look and don't show. They ask STUPID questions that are answered in the add. My experience is that even when I specify "local pick up only" someone will try to get us to deliver it. I can't believe that the only people that use craigslist are all rude and inconsiderate. I cannot understand how it became the success that it is. Obviously in other parts of the country/world, people are much more considerate. I have decided that in the future, I won't even try to sell my things. I will either take it to the city dump or just leave it on the sidewalk and let people walk off with it. Too bad as I have LOTS of great stuff that I am getting rid of as I begin the process of downsizing after moving from a house in the burbs to an apartment in the city. I don't have the patience to deal with jerks anymore. I will never use craigslist again but more power to those who have craigslist success stories.