how do you eat dinner?

[ritaxis]

I've been reading old cookbooks again. Only these are the cookbooks that weren't particularly old when I came into contact with them the first time. They have become really old in the time that I have become middle-aged.

Anyway. Let's say you're planning a nice dinner with some friends. You're not going to imitate some nice dinner that you've read about, you're going to make the nicest dinner you can recognize as a familiar nice dinner. Familiarity is key. Your very own nice dinner, the way you would do it. Maybe the way it has always been done in your family, or maybe the way you have come to do it as an adult. What shape does it have?

-Do you lay out all the food for people to choose from and then find a congenial place to sit?
-Do you have a big table, and the food there when people sit down?
-Do you bring food in when people have sat down?
-Do you serve from the head of the table?
-Do you pass the food around?
-Does all the food come in at the same time?
-Does the food come in courses?
-If you do courses, what kind of food comes first? second? et cetera?

I have a reason for asking this, but I will not reveal it until/unless I get at least four responses. You don't have to answer every question. One of these questions is the one that set off this inquiry, but I won't say which it is.

On a related front -- that pastel de tres leches con rompompe y moras? (I used raspberries instead of strawberries because mora is almost roma turned backwards) -- it has a really weird method, where you beat whole eggs and sugar over hot water and you get them tripled in volume! who'd a thunk it? -- and then you beat in a little flour and some melted butter, which separates out during the baking, giving you a greenish rubbery greasy layer at the bottom which you peel off and discard, and a heavenly fluffy eggy part at the top which you dubiously soak in the rompope syrup you finally made out of Irish cream liqueur because there doesn't actually seem to be a bottled rompope liqueur in the real world (in the real world, rompope is a thing you make, like eggnogg), and then it comes out okay. Next time I'll leave the butter out and see what I get.

There's a reason I don't make dessert very often, and it's not because I don't have a sweet tooth.

Comments

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

OK, I have no idea how typical this is for the UK at large. As a family, we're not really into entertaining, but as the way I'd do it seems to be rather different from the replies you've already received, I thought I'd comment:

-Do you lay out all the food for people to choose from and then find a congenial place to sit?

If it was a cold buffet, then yes, this is what I'd do. This would be typical way of handling a hypothetical Christmas evening family gathering on a day when everyone's already had a big lunch. Or for occasions like after a funeral service. Or at a party where light snacks are being served.

-Do you have a big table, and the food there when people sit down?

Eek, no! It would get cold. (Insert grumble here about eating breakfast at WisCon from cold plates.)

-Do you bring food in when people have sat down?

Yes. Ideally I would have a separate kitchen and dining room. I can sort of achieve that by seating people in the conservatory, so lets pretend that's what I'm doing. So I would call people in and let them seat themselves, then bring in the food.

-Do you serve from the head of the table?

No. I would plate up the meat/vegetarian equivalent in the kitchen. Each person would receive their portion and the vegetables and accompanying sauces etc. would be brought to the table in dishes for people to help themselves.

-Do you pass the food around?

Not quite sure what you mean. We would ask people to pass the items we couldn't reach, but there would be no organised way of passing stuff from one to another.

-Does all the food come in at the same time?

Not if it's a full dinner. Each course is brought in when required.

-Does the food come in courses?

Yes. The starter would be served first. When that's been eaten and cleared, the main course would be served, then when that's been cleared, the dessert.

-If you do courses, what kind of food comes first? second? et cetera?

I would do courses for this hypothetical family gathering. The starter (a soup, tiny salady thing, melon or fruit juice) would be served and eaten first, then the main course (meat/meat equivalent and veggies), then the desert (or pudding), which would be pie or pudding or fruit salad or whatever. Possibly cheese and biscuits as a final course to finish.

That, of course, assumes a traditional British type of "meat and two veg" meal. If eating Indian or Chinese food, then the people would be seated and each given a plate, then all the different dishes would be placed on the table for everyone to help themselves.

And now I'm curious as to your reason for asking. *g*