Do you mention the food in a dinner invitation?

For example, would you say. "We'd would like to have you over for a spaghetti/steak/chicken dinner" or do you just say "We'd like to have you over for dinner"?

I usually just let me guests know if it will be a "simple supper" if I am serving what you listed... I usually don't tell them what I'm serving.

They always get it.

Years ago it seemed fashionable to mention the food being served in the invitation and I think it helps people with food restrictions and it also helps w/ too many people putting their 2 cents in on the menu. They know upfront it's steak/tacos (whatever) and they're less likely to challenge it.

It's like you set the ground rules. This is what we're eating damnit!!!

The latter. I can't be arsed about telling them beforehand what they're gonna eat. But I make it a point to find out about their special dietary requirement, if any. Which is why I never invite anything with -an or -ian trailing behind their arses.

That's the problem SP.....the minute you start w/ the whole "dietary requirement" thing it never ends.....this one doesn't do dairy, that one doesn't eat shellfish, the other one has a peanut allergy.

It's much easier to say 'I'm making Thai peanut beef stir-fry Saturday, would you like to join me?"

Are you saying you send written invitations to have people around for dinner? Email I suppose is ok.

No I wouldn't tell them what I am serving, because chances are I don't even know until the day before. But I would ask if there is anything they won't eat.

No, I'd just say "Hey Zoe, I want to have you over for a chicken dinner Friday night, can you make it?"

I'd say, 'No thanks, Manch. I'm a vegetarian. But if you can give me a side of veggies I'm there!'.

It depends. For a 'real' dinner party, no. For something very simple, yes. I don't think you can serve pizza to people you've invited for dinner, unless you've made the pizza yourself perhaps, but "Wanna come over for pizza before we go to the movies?" should be OK.

Ha! Well, I always have enough "neutral" food on hand so no one goes hungry. Salad, rice, potatoes, bread etc. and the dessert course is always meatless. I try to make the appetizer meatless too. Flatbread pizzas etc.

I just usually ask them over, then figure out what I feel like making for then later on...

Ha ha, #4! People with food issues! I usually liek it really spicy, so I can leave the peppers on the side in most dishes for the really wimpy. I've had to deal with some cheese-haters in the past, but I didn't say anything when I served the quiche and they gobbled it up!

I'd just invite them over for dinner, and ask whether there's anything thye can't/won't eat.

I don't normally decide what I'm going to serve until a few hours before. And even then I might change it if something dorsn't work out for example.

I would just invite people over, but thinking about the exceptions seem to be when I invite people for a curry or a roast, then I say do you want to come over for a curry/roast. Maybe because the style of eating for those meals isn't like a fancy dinner... when I do curries is very informal, loads of people and big pots on the table and a roast is usually a load of hungover people on a Sunday stuffing their faces and drinking lots of red wine for hair of the dog.

I never ask people about allergies etc, they need to let me know if its that important/serious for them.

I usually invite just saying "for dinner", and I see the food being served as a part of surprise. But, then, almost without exceptions, my guests are people that I know well.
Although, a couple of times, it happened that a friend sitting at the table, suddenly uttered "no thank you, I won't be eating". (Me: "I beg your pardon!?").
That happened with two newly converted vegetarians. One of them is now a born again omnivore.

I usually mention at least the main course we'll be having.

I'd just ask them if there are special dietary requirements at all.

I always clearly state the arrival time for pre-dinner drinks. Latecomers have to choose from a list of bizarre and humiliating public forfeits. I list the nibbles and the aperitifs. A seating plan is de rigeur both for our retro-chic conversation pit and at the dining table. A few days ahead of time I email out a powerpoint presentation introducing the guests to the menu and preparation methods, specifying the exact source of produce together with its carbon footprint and the airmiles involved. I find a set of cue cards helps the prandial conversation along. I also video the occasion in case of any social gaffes, embarrassing revelations or split infinitives.

istanbull, istanbull. How can you do that?

No dress code? No pre-dinner questionnaire to help decide the seating plan and the menu? Where's the GPS coordinates or your front door? The floor plan so they know how to find the toilet? What about when it's time to go home? Do you sound a gong or just have a live orchestra play "Good Night Ladies"?

like Tilly, if I mention the food it is because I do something special like "I am making an Indian feast".

I know that my parents have been invited for "spaghetti parties" in the past.

would sound bizarre to me otherwise.

Hmm...gong...good idea. It was 3:30am when I finally succeeded in kicking my friends out last night...

I just don't invite vegetarians, tee-totalers or picky eaters. Food alergies I accommodate. And that way everyone has a good time.

Istanbull takes the cake! LOL!

Istanbull. You'd get along great w/ my God Mother. She's planning this years holiday gathering. Here's an excerpt (No, I'm not making this up)

It's that time of year again - the Holidays. My "crew" is hosting the festivities this year. As we've done for the past several years, we've rented the Club for the day (Saturday, 12/22/2007). We've chosen the theme - "A Night at the Movies" - for the Adult Swap. Let your imagination run wild...

With a theme of "A Night at the Movies", we thought it would make it difficult to come up with a food menu in keeping with the theme - popcorn, candy & soda!!???? Didn't think that would go over well, Therefore, this year, rather than bother everyone to cook, we've decided to have Chen Yang Li put together a buffet for us. In lieu of bothering you to grocery shop, cook, etc., we are asking that each person over 15 years of age make a contribution of $10 towards this buffet. I'm not even sure you can eat at McDonald's for that price!

Buffet Menu:

chicken fingers / teriyaki beef / teriyaki chicken
chicken fried rice / vegetable fried rice / white rice
beef & pea pods / cashew chicken / shrimp w/mixed vegetables
beef lo mien / chicken chow mien
sautéed green beans

I think (and hope) that there is something there for everyone who has a special dietary requirement.

The one flaw with doing this is that we now have no desserts and no "munchies". So, if there is anyone out there who would also like to help in this regard, please let me know. I've listed below a few of the items I thought would take care of this void. Please feel free to let us know if you'd like to help.

brownies / cheese & crackers / chips & dip / nacho chips & salsa / cookies / nuts / M&M's / etc.

Rather than attach my Word document with gift-giving guidelines, I've copied the text into this e-mail to hopefully make it easier to access the info.

As always, if anyone has questions, get in touch with anyone in my crew. Can't wait to see everybody....

Holiday Gathering


HOST ROTATION

CURRENT HOST ROTATION:



2007 – Denise, Cheri & Erica @ The Club

Sat., 12/22/2007

Theme: Night at the Movies


PROPOSED FUTURE HOST ROTATIONS:


2008 -- ?????? ??????? et al co-hosting @ ? The Club or other location?

2009 -- ?????? et al co-hosting @ ? The Club or other location?

2010 -- ??????

HOST DUTIES

Hosts need to:

Pick a date.
Plan a theme for food & swap gift.
Contact Rosemary by October 1st if you want her to rent the The Club. Send her a check for $200 – $100 rental fee; $100 security deposit.
E-mail everyone the “official” Holiday Gathering Host Info/Gift Giving Info document.
Plan a menu. Make sure to include kid-friendly main dishes. Contact everyone and let them sign up for food items that are on your list.
Send out invitations by mid-November – note theme and food item signed up for.
Plan on arriving early on day of party to clean and set up.
Plan on staying late to clean (so you can get your security deposit back).

Hosts provide:

Soft drinks, bottled water, & juice boxes (for kids).
Some beer, wine, and liquor (mostly it’s BYOB, but you should have some on hand).
Bags of ice.
Disposable plates, napkins, cups, & plasticware as well as table coverings.
Plastic wrap and tin foil for food covering.
Cleaning supplies such as paper towels for kitchen & bathrooms, toilet paper ??, windex, dish liquid, lysol spray/wipes for bathroom (sometimes it doesn't come very clean).
Trash bags.
Kids’ craft items and other kids’ entertainment.
Enough of the same pattern wrapping paper so that the gifts for the kids in Category 5 can be wrapped on-site with the same wrapping paper to look like they come from Santa/The North Pole.


GIFT GIVING CATEGORIES


Category 1. ADULT YANKEE SWAP: [1 gift per participating adult]



Theme Gifts for 2007: “A Night at the Movies”


Criteria: Adults - 18 years of age or older

Price Range: $25 - $30 per gift



Participants: Usually only those adults who attend the annual Holiday Gathering, but those

living out of state can also participate – the more the merrier.

Category 2. NIECE/NEPHEW

As aunts & uncles, we should individually make the decision of whether to get gifts for all, some, or none of these nieces and nephews -- each of us must make our own decision.


Criteria: Under 18 years of age

Price Range: $25 - $30


Category 3. CHILDREN under 13 (only those attending the party):

The idea is that the parents of any child 13 or under should bring a gift for their own child(ren) – a simple gift that can be played with at the party and one that it won’t matter if it gets broken or lost.

Gifts should come unwrapped. We will wrap all these gifts with the SAME wrapping paper on the day of the party.

Criteria: 13 years of age or younger

Price Range: None

Guideline: A small gift to be played with at the party

Mignon, you can also invite tee-totallers if you just get some fruit juice and make non-alcoholic cocktails!

<blockquote>Quote
<hr>No dress code? No pre-dinner questionnaire to help decide the seating plan and the menu? Where's the GPS coordinates or your front door? The floor plan so they know how to find the toilet? What about when it's time to go home? Do you sound a gong or just have a live orchestra play "Good Night Ladies"? <hr></blockquote>

Well, of course 'Trax! I just didn't want people thinking I was some kind of control freak....

As it happens I am the proud owner of three gongs. One is a bronze temple gong the size of a dustbin lid, the next
is a WWI shell-art thingy the other is the classic brass dinner gong. Small visitors love to be asked to sound the latter gong to call the faithful to table.

Manch your Godmother sounds like one helluva woman... Yikes!

People invited to my place for dinner know that they will generally be served something unusual, and most of them seem to hope that large prawns will somehow be involved in the ingredients. I do not cater to special dietary needs, but I have been known to have a major vegetarian option available sometimes.

Kerouac, you are very lucky. We have a lot of family who come to visit every year, for weeks at a time. Vegetarians, wheat intolerant, non-pork eaters, no fish, no chocolate, no rice, no blue cheese, no chillllllis, no bones, no peppers, no mushrooms, and on and on.

ManchVegas#24
Out of curiosity - how many people are supposed to attend? It looks like a whole lot is being organised for a big crowd.

It's about 30 people. It's so different than my entertaining style. If I have a crowd I basically wake up, take a shower and unlock my doors. That's it, everything else will sort itself out.

Baz, fill your fridge and tell them to cook for themselves.

I like Nutrax's family more than ever, now.

When is the tree falling over, exactly?

Ha! if I were in Baz' situation, I would make ONE lovely meal ... and then provide breakfast and bed... and expect to be invited at least once out. but then I am a grumpy git.

Right about now....