When entertaining, do you, as a host, make the evening as enjoyable as possible for your guests?

Or do your guests feel the need to ask you lots of questions and give you lots of compliments because you have taken the time and trouble to cook for them?

There are no rules I guess, but personally, when I used to entertain (not been up to it for a while) the evening is all about them and not me.

We were invited to two dinner parties recently, rare, just so happened that way.

At one dinner, the main subject was politics. I don't mind that but it got rather boring after a while. The hosts did all of the talking, the guests really had no choice but to make the right noises in the right places.

I noticed that the other guests said exactly what the hosts wanted to hear. After all, they had been given a lovely meal by them. All a bit fake if you ask me.

I have learnt (to some extent) to keep my mouth shut if I do not agree. I will never be the one that says just what people want to hear. Even if they have just served me a delicious meal.

At the other dinner, we all complimented the host, as you do, but it turned out he just wanted to talk about his problems. Is that why he invited us?

I was depressed and didn't want to go out. But people say, don't they, "Make yourself go, you will feel better for it".

I burst into tears and went home.

Neither dinner party took my mind off things. Great food but the conversations were grim!

It has not restored my faith in people, as I believe they often have an ulterior motive.

They invite you to dinner so they can talk about themselves!!

Personally, I cannot talk much within a group of people, so I am grateful not to have questions fired at me.

But light entertainment and a bit of fun, would not go amiss.

Should dinner parties or even general get togethers, be about the hosts, or the guests?

Molly

A Moodscope member.