"host" news and stories

Frank Bruni, a New York Times restaurant critic, just spent a week working as a waiter in a restaurant to see how the other half lives. Though he still experienced the difficulties and irritations of the job after only a few days, he was at an excellent restaurant and he got to leave after only a week. Maki Itoh, whose food blog is the oft-mentioned i was just really very hungry, has written her own account of what it is like to work in a restaurant. She worked as a host in one of New York's most popular sushi restaurants back in 1998 and covers more than a week's worth of celebrities, regulars and why the job isn't as easy as it looks.

And for a truly entertaining, ongoing account of waiting tables, be sure to check out Waiter Rant, the blog of an anonymous waiter, who tells tales of everything from tipping, both good and bad, to the people who sniff rubber wine corks. He is also nominated as the Best American Blog in the 2006 Bloggies.

My husband and I are enthusiastic party hosts, and when our house is in good shape (i.e., when we don't have an infant child in the house...), we often have people over for dinner or drinks more than once a week. We throw dinner parties and informal bashes because it's a great way to socialize without having to deal with babysitters or the specter of bringing our boys into public adult spaces. And, because we just love to host.

Bob Morris, writing for the New York Times, doesn't just throw parties for the warm-and-fuzzies; he hosts, in part, for the reciprocation. When it isn't forthcoming? He says, one year, he was "livid." He explores the quid pro quo, or not, party hosting culture in his article and discovers that most hosts don't expect invitations in return.

If you're a frequent host, what do you expect in return? Or if you're a habitual guest, do you ever feel guilty? Or do you just say "thank you" and bring a bottle of wine?

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