• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Entertaining, your home or others

Cigar said:
When I invite guest over ... they don't need to bring anything but themselves ... they are my Guest.

l have the Food, Drinks and Entertainment.

... and when it's time go ... GTFO and take your Spouse with you. :lol:
Click to expand...

I don't agree with you on much but you hit the bulls-eye on this one. Especially when its time for guests to leave. :yt :lol:
 
OlNate said:
I like hosting parties better than attending. Ya, the cleanup sucks, but at least when the party is over, you're already at home. Getting home after a party is the worst.
Click to expand...

The keys to cleanup are paper and plastic. Also, cover serving plates with foil and layer them with lettuce to make it look nice. Cleanup is little more than filling a trash bag and rinsing off a few things.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
See I think the problem is more that our social glue is weaker in fact, that while tech may or may not be part of this the fact is at the end of the day we are less willing to put out for others generally, we are more selfish now and in our own world and not willing to go outside of our wants of the moment due to "expectations".

I also point out that my social circles mostly revolve around 40 and up, people who are not glued to their phone at parties. I suspect that addiction to phones is a problem with younger crowds.
Click to expand...

I'm 79. More than 40 and up. While the issue is undoubtedly more prevalent in U 40's, it's not confined to that group.

Like you, I like to cook. I'm good at it and like showing it off. I do little of that any more.
 
bmr528 said:
I guess it just depends on the party

We have a yearly Family/Friends BBQ cook off, BBQ Ribs entries are determined bay a lottery pick.. We have 5 entries, everyone else is invited to bring a salad or a side dish..

I stock 2 antique washing machines with booze & sodas/water. We have a nice big back yard for the event, yard lights strung across the yard for gentle lighting.

We have live music, A family friend plays his violin and puts on a show.. I know,, A violin sounds boring,, Here is a small sample of his talent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p4zmGAASiU

We seem to have a bigger crowd every year, people come to eat, drink, listen to music and socialize.. Have never had a bad party yet...

djl
Click to expand...

That's awesome.

So are you going to claim that those of us who have a guest quality problem likely have a party quality problem?

If that's the truth I can take it.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
What?

Could you put some meat on them bones please?
Click to expand...

Not much more to add...haha... I like getting hammered at my own parties. I make sure everything is pretty much idiot proof ahead of time, so I can make sure everyone has a good time, including me. Playlist pre-programmed, food pre-prepped, booze strategically located so as to be easily grabable, if the night is going to be more complicated than just a bender I set alarms on my phone... I'm a pretty highly functioning drunk, so as long as I don't forget, I can still pull it off...hehe My wife tells me I'm never more organized than when hosting a party, but that's just a way I, as the host, can party as hard as my guests without making them feel like the night got out of control...in a bad way. ;)

Going to other people's places, on the other hand, means that either my wife or I get to have fun, since one of us has to be the DD... Block parties are an exception, of course, but even there I enjoy giving folks a good time, so my preference is to host.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
And how do you find the guest quality these days sir?

And how long have you been at this?

tyvm

:2wave:
Click to expand...

The parties I host tend to be friends and clients. I don't invite the ones I figure will be a problem and I don't throw "keggers".
 
Lutherf said:
The keys to cleanup are paper and plastic. Also, cover serving plates with foil and layer them with lettuce to make it look nice. Cleanup is little more than filling a trash bag and rinsing off a few things.
Click to expand...

That kind of lack of willingness to do the work of throwing a party can and has gotten to me. It depends upon the host, and the type of party it is whether this bothers me.

Cheats that lessen the work with no decline in quality I am all in for however, experienced party throwers tend to know a few.
 
Lutherf said:
Hire a server. Give some neighborhood kid $100 for running cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. They're happy with the money and you can socialize.

I don't do sit down dinners unless it's a small group. I've found that if you have more than a handful someone is bound to have special diet needs or doesn't like something you're serving. Frankly, that's one of the reasons a lot of parties suck. Some people just have no clue how to be a gracious guest.
Click to expand...

I will give people the short run down on being a good guest.

Inquire with the host if there is anything you can bring.
Be on time.
Say please and thank you.
If you don't have anything good to say STFU.
If you don't like something being served be discrete and just not eat it, discretely and STFU.
When its time to go, be gracious to the host and LEAVE after saying your thankyou's. If there was something bad about the party ect. STFU.
If you cant do these simple things, politely decline the invitation.
 
Lutherf said:
The parties I host tend to be friends and clients. I don't invite the ones I figure will be a problem and I don't throw "keggers".
Click to expand...

Not quite what I was after you know...

I am not asking who they are, I am asking about their overall quality, and if you have seen a change over the years.
 
bmr528 said:
I guess it just depends on the party

We have a yearly Family/Friends BBQ cook off, BBQ Ribs entries are determined bay a lottery pick.. We have 5 entries, everyone else is invited to bring a salad or a side dish..

I stock 2 antique washing machines with booze & sodas/water. We have a nice big back yard for the event, yard lights strung across the yard for gentle lighting.

We have live music, A family friend plays his violin and puts on a show.. I know,, A violin sounds boring,, Here is a small sample of his talent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p4zmGAASiU

We seem to have a bigger crowd every year, people come to eat, drink, listen to music and socialize.. Have never had a bad party yet...

djl
Click to expand...

We do the same thing in my family. Now that we are up in Montana much more our parties/get togethers seem to get bigger. Good thing one of family is a professional caterer and keeps things in order.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
That kind of lack of willingness to do the work of throwing a party can and has gotten to me. It depends upon the host, and the type of party it is whether this bothers me.

Cheats that lessen the work with no decline in quality I am all in for however, experienced party throwers tend to know a few.
Click to expand...


Its a lot easier to know a professional caterer. They remember what needs doing, and how to do it efficiently, and well.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
Not quite what I was after you know...

I am not asking who they are, I am asking about their overall quality, and if you have seen a change over the years.
Click to expand...

Well, the biggest change is that parties end a lot earlier now that everyone is getting older:lamo

The group I pull from tends to be pretty good. Most will bring a token bottle of wine or some small dish and everyone tends to socialize pretty well. Most of them are professionals and have done the party routine for decades so we don't run into a lot of "stupid". There's also enough room to spread out so if politics or something comes up that group can have their discussion away from other groups. I also plan the parties around a specific event so there is built in common ground. The guests will all be there for the game or the music or whatever. That also helps with getting everyone out when it's over. Once the game ends or the music stops everyone kind of knows it's time to leave.
 
PirateMk1 said:
Its a lot easier to know a professional caterer. They remember what needs doing, and how to do it efficiently, and well.
Click to expand...

Good ones yes, there are a lot of bad ones out there.

Good ones who are willing to charge a fair price are very valuable.
 
Lutherf said:
Well, the biggest change is that parties end a lot earlier now that everyone is getting older:lamo

The group I pull from tends to be pretty good. Most will bring a token bottle of wine or some small dish and everyone tends to socialize pretty well. Most of them are professionals and have done the party routine for decades so we don't run into a lot of "stupid". There's also enough room to spread out so if politics or something comes up that group can have their discussion away from other groups. I also plan the parties around a specific event so there is built in common ground. The guests will all be there for the game or the music or whatever. That also helps with getting everyone out when it's over. Once the game ends or the music stops everyone kind of knows it's time to leave.
Click to expand...

Thanks....The different spaces thing I actually do, I designed this house with that in mind. If the party calls for it I will set up the different spaces (Both Indoor and Outdoor) with a different vibe, which tends to get like hearted people together in the same space.

But that kind of dedication to the party is unheard of anymore, I think I am at least two generations out of date on that.
 
Not to forget

People live further and further away. To go from one end of my city to the other could take 1 hr even at night with light traffic. It is only a city of 1 million. Also the chance of getting a DUI is probably putting a lot of people off on going to or hosting house parties. The host can be sued if one of the guests is too intoxicated and did not attempt to control the person. But overall who wants to get a massive ticket, license suspension and the insurance hit
 
Hawkeye10 said:
Good ones yes, there are a lot of bad ones out there.

Good ones who are willing to charge a fair price are very valuable.
Click to expand...

The one I know is family and she is very particular and an excellent chef/ cook. She works for food and alcohol. That and she can recruit lots of voluntary labor to assist her in her culinary endeavors. Its works well.
 
Lord Tammerlain said:
Not to forget

People live further and further away. To go from one end of my city to the other could take 1 hr even at night with light traffic. It is only a city of 1 million. Also the chance of getting a DUI is probably putting a lot of people off on going to or hosting house parties. The host can be sued if one of the guests is too intoxicated and did not attempt to control the person. But overall who wants to get a massive ticket, license suspension and the insurance hit
Click to expand...

And who wants to be the host of a party that sets a guest back $7,000+ because of booze you provided. Pretty much a buzz-kill like throwing a bonfire and having a person kill themselves by running into it (Burning Man).
 
PirateMk1 said:
The one I know is family and she is very particular and an excellent chef/ cook. She works for food and alcohol. That and she can recruit lots of voluntary labor to assist her in her culinary endeavors. Its works well.
Click to expand...

worship.gif
 
Hawkeye10 said:
And who wants to be the host of a party that sets a guest back $7,000+ because of booze you provided. Pretty much a buzz-kill like throwing a bonfire and having a person kill themselves by running into it (Burning Man).
Click to expand...

We rarely have booze at our big gatherings. Only for smaller or purely formal functions.
 
I don't think I've been to a "party" in probably 30 years. If people come over, it's just informal. Friends hanging out with friends and doing something. There's nothing organized. Why bother?
 
Hawkeye10 said:
It seems from where I stand that we are in a death spiral, where guests are less likely to come, if they do they are less likely to make an effort, so there there are fewer parties and get togethers to go to and the hosts increasingly dont make an effort. I throw parties, really good parties, and over the decades finding good guests has gotten harder not easier. I cant remember that last time I talked to a party thrower who was thrilled with the results, everyone seems to end somewhere on the disappointed scale over the long haul...yes some parties are still smashing successes but they are far outnumbered by the duds, and this is speaking of those who know how to throw a get together, those who put some effort and thought into it. More often it seems folks cant be bothered.

Guests:
Commit to coming or graciously decline
Come ontime or near
Bring something or at least ask
Come in good cheer
Compliment/thank the host
Reciprocate

Hosts:
Offer invites timely
Offer a clean home
Facilitate the mingling of the guests if they dont know each other
Offer food a drink people will enjoy, not super cheap, and maybe try to cook something
Try to invite people who will get along or at least have something in common
Thank your guests for coming

Apparently I am expecting too much @2017



Thoughts?
Click to expand...


I haven't done anything like that in a decade, but I used to quite regularly.

Always informal, always outdoors (I don't have enough room inside for a lot of guests), cookout/barbecue of the informal variety.

Often with some kind of associated outdoor activity prior to dinner, sometimes with a campout overnight for those interested (I have a small farm, plenty of room, power runs outside and down to some outbuildings so people could bring campers if they wanted and some did).


Most were good times, but interest declined after several active years and I haven't done one for almost a decade.
 
Goshin said:
I haven't done anything like that in a decade, but I used to quite regularly.

Always informal, always outdoors (I don't have enough room inside for a lot of guests), cookout/barbecue of the informal variety.

Often with some kind of associated outdoor activity prior to dinner, sometimes with a campout overnight for those interested (I have a small farm, plenty of room, power runs outside and down to some outbuildings so people could bring campers if they wanted and some did).


Most were good times, but interest declined after several active years and I haven't done one for almost a decade.
Click to expand...

Now see that's where I should have started:

Is in home entertaining of groups dying?
Click to expand...
 
I got too much crap to fix in my home. We have some friends over from time to time to swim and BBQ, but haven't done any actual parties..
 
Hawkeye10 said:
That's awesome.

So are you going to claim that those of us who have a guest quality problem likely have a party quality problem?

If that's the truth I can take it.
Click to expand...

Not at all,, It sounds like your parties are more of an indoors affair... as odd as it may seem there is a big difference in in door and out door parties.. The number of people for one.. Indoor parties may tend to be a little more formal than outdoors, ( at least at a BBQ anyway).. The type of food served may be different.. ( I would not want 50 people eating BBQ ribs in my house ).

I really don't remember the last time we had a party where everyone was indoors... I don't know if I could even pull off a good indoor party.. I would imagine that a indoor party is harder to do,, Less people means fewer conversational topic's,, Much more intimate than outdoors,

Of course I am no party guru.. I can only speak of past experiences,, Plus I am an ole country boy, I like a good hoedown,,

djl
 
We rarely have a bunch over at once anymore, but we have multiple sets of friends with whom we alternate having over at our house / going to theirs.


Good food / good booze, we're set. I do my best to avoid contact with fussy people...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom