Normal
0
false
false
false
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}
I met my friend in the grocery shop after church on Sunday – we were both doing a quick shop on our way home from our different church services. I was buying food for some lunch guests that I had invited home – an impromptu invite. She commented that she never did that, though she would like to and that she noticed that I did it all the time. Our conversation reminded me of how I got myself into that habit.
- I would menu plan to have people over. I would have one section on my menu plan where I would note a meal that I could serve should we invite guests (this then converted to my shopping list so I had the food on hand.)
- I would have meat in the freezer so if Pete invited someone for dinner (evening meal) then I could quickly defrost something. Sometimes I would have a frozen meal ready to defrost that would serve more than just our family.
- I would plan a nice Sunday lunch, something that could be prepared either Saturday (like a quiche or soup) or plan something that could be quickly thrown together (like a cheese platter and veggie sticks, or toasted sandwiches) and if we didn’t have folk over we would eat it for lunch and dinner ourselves.
There has always been an understanding, a trust between Peter and myself, that if the other invited someone home for a meal, then it would be okay. Peter knows that I’ll rise to the occasion and I know that he will if I issue an invite. Part of being able to do this, as the cook, is to be prepared – mentally and physically, knowing that you can handle the food side of the invitation.
Many a time I have been at the receiving end of these invites and very grateful I am as well.
It is something I really miss here in Thailand as you never invite people around for a meal as you always go out to eat.