"hosting" news and stories

Party plate. Photo: Taylor Gifts.

How many times have you, while trying to balance a plate full of hors d'oeuvres, a cocktail and a fork, lost at least one of those items? Maybe even down the front of your freshly dry-cleaned shirt? Or perhaps your own rug was the victim of such an incident at the last party you hosted.

That may change with the advent of the plastic party plate. These 10-by-10-inch plates with snap-off (and snap back on!) utensils come in red, black and clear, and while some not-so-environmentally-minded hostesses might think of these plates as disposable, we certainly don't. Since they're apparently made of a fairly sturdy plastic (sturdy enough to hold food and drink), and go for $8 for a set of four, we can't imagine anyone not using them again and again.

Of course, this just begets another question: Why use a party plate with snap-off utensils when you can use an old-school lunch tray and put regular utensils and wine glasses in their designated compartments? To each her own!

[Via Taylor Gifts]

"Pick Your Nose" is probably not a headline you expected to see on Slashfood. Well. There's a first time for everything.

These are 12 ounce paper cups with various noses on them. Finally, you can pick your friends' noses. I know you've wanted to. A pack of 24 is $9.95, aka way cheaper than plastic surgery.*

As for clipping your friends' nose-hairs, we're still working on that.

*also somewhat less effective.

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My grandfather loved to entertain. He always kept a stocked liquor cabinet and had a stash of canapes in the freezer, in case people dropped by unexpectedly. He also always had several boxes of chocolates squirreled away that he would pull out and offer to guests after meals (even if dessert had been served). He felt that this was how to be a good host.

These guest chocolates were sacred and no one was allowed to touch them in the interim (my sister and I didn't not count as guests on our own, much to our chagrin). Sadly, this meant that in Grandpa Sid's later years, when he was no longer able to see or taste particularly well, these chocolates were often picked over and slightly aged. Family members knew that it was best to smile and say, "No, thanks," when he proffered the box in their direction. We would try to warn people before the Whitman's Sampler or box of See's was pointed at them, but it wasn't always possible.

This particular story come with a two-part question. Is there any food stuff that you keep around solely to feed guests? And, who had the elderly relative who was always trying to offer you a food stuff of questionable age and edibility?

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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