Eating out is a common pastime for friends looking to gather and catch up. However, there is a downside to going out for food. A large group of people at a restaurant usually involves a long wait, and the seating arrangement rarely allows for intimate conversation. Getting a table can test a person’s patience, and the end of the meal is rarely free from similar aggravation. Occasionally, there is the exasperated waiter who grumbles about splitting the check. For large groups, gratuity is automatically added onto the bill, even if the service was not good. For those who are brave and all pay on one bill, there is the tedious job of dividing the meal prices by hand. A receipt covered in scribbles of debit card numbers, numerous $1 bills and miscellaneous coins is never a pretty sight.
Avoid the negative aspects of eating out by throwing a dinner party at your own home. There are several different ways to host a dinner party: the simple potluck, the solo-cook or the theme party.
Potlucks are a good approach for those who are new to cooking or who have limited free time. University student Rachel Lee throws potlucks once or twice a term because their simplicity easily fits into her busy schedule.
To start your own potluck tradition, Lee suggests you contact five to six friends about two weeks before you want to host the dinner. This gives you enough time to organize who will bring what dish. As the hostess, Lee balances out the meal by providing the beverages and desserts.
“You get to learn new recipes – and you get leftovers!” Lee said on her favorite thing about throwing a potluck. “You get food for the rest of the week!”
If you have held potlucks before but need some new ideas check out “The Big Book of Potluck” by Maryana Vollstedt (Borders, $19.95). This book has 275 easy recipes for all courses of a meal.
Make the dinner party a little more challenging by having only one person cook for the evening. Nicole Sheikh, a University student, and her friends use this approach by rotating who will host the dinner. Sheikh says the host chooses what to cook and whether he or she wants help with the meal. Sheikh suggests making the meal a “team effort” for those who are less experienced cooks. She also says make sure to find out whether there will be vegetarians in the group. Providing a meal for a group of people may seem costly, but the rotation among friends causes everyone to contribute an equal amount over time.
While dinner parties are great fun, they can easily become repetitive. The spaghetti, salad and bread dinner can only be eaten so many times. Theme parties are a great alternative and an opportunity to diversify the meal.
Once a month, adjunct professor Melissa Hart throws multicultural theme parties with her friends. As with Sheikh’s dinner parties, Hart and her friends rotate hosts, but the role of the host is different. The host is in charge of choosing a country and passes out recipes from that country for the dinner guests to prepare. The multicultural theme also extends to include music and drink selections, provided by the host. This theme allows each dinner party to be impossible to duplicate. Hart said one dinner party had salsa dancing, and another night was filled with Indian music from the soundtrack of the movie “Bend It like Beckham.”
A recent event or experience can be used as inspiration for a theme party. University student Khoa “Goo” Quach was inspired to throw a Japanese food party after returning from a summer in Japan. With the help from a couple of friends, Quach prepared sushi, wanton noodle soup and curry for 25 guests.
Movies are also a great inspiration for a theme, and they provide entertainment. Cook Cuban food and have your friends come over to watch “Scarface.” Or if Italian is more your style, rent one of “The Godfather” movies. Watch “American Pie” and eat burgers, fries and apple pie with friends. And if you are in the mood for a romantic comedy, rent “Sweet Home Alabama” and serve fried chicken with biscuits and gravy.
If you need more ideas for theme parties, check the Food and Cooking section of your local bookstore, specifically in the Entertaining section. For those looking for step-by-step help for hosting inexpensive, large theme parties look for “Do It for Less! Parties” by Denise Vivaldo (Borders, $19.95). The book “InStyle Parties” from the editors of InStyle suggests ideas for seasonal, holiday and cultural dinner parties as well as specific theme parties, such as Super Bowl or board game night.
While throwing a dinner party might be overwhelming at first, remember that the whole point is to relax and have fun with friends. Adam Turcott, a frequent dinner party host and University student, advises to not over-plan and stress out.
“The easiest part of any party is telling people to come; the hardest part is actually getting them there,” he said.