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Hosting a Dinner Party Solo By Alex Conde Dinner parties are a great way to gather with friends, meet new people, and have a great time, which means they are the perfect thing for a single person to hold. Unfortunately, they are also a lot of work, and are often too much for one person to handle. Should this make you give up? No. If you lack a partner to help you prepare, there are two great options for holding a dinner party all on your own. The first option is holding a potluck dinner. Everyone coming is requested to bring a dish. The host monitors who brings what, in order to ensure a full meal will be offered. This lowers the cost that anyone needs to bear, since each person provides one dish, instead of one person paying for the entire meal. The dish each person brings should already be prepared, limiting the host’s duties to reheating, Your second option is the more difficult one, but with difficulty comes reward. If you’re trying to impress, this option certainly will. In this option, you prepare everything yourself and fly solo. This might seem intimidating, but there’s a method to achieving this called the Three P’s: Planning, Preparation and Pacing. Planning: First thing to do is figure out what you’ll be doing. A good dinner party works in time for conversation as well as eating, so you’ll want to start with some finger foods before the main course. That gives people the chance to mingle. Then, you need to choose dishes that will require minimal upkeep while the party goes on. So, avoid labor-intensive foods, and go for ones that you can prepare beforehand. This leads to the next P, preparation. Preparation: In order for the dinner party to go while you’re running it alone, you need to do everything you possibly can beforehand. Cook dishes earlier and reheat them (be sure to pick your dishes so that this is possible), and arrange to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen. Obviously you will need to spend some time in the layout of food, but a dinner party can’t be considered a success if the host spends no time socializing. Also, as a tip from people who have made this mistake, don’t get too fancy the first time. Simple dishes mean less chances for mistakes. Pacing: This is what makes your preparation easier. Plan out your meals by courses. Maybe start with a soup and move on from there. Take your cues from a restaurant. They pace the meals out so that diners can have a social experience, as well as making time for the kitchen to prepare the food. So, start with the finger food, then move onto a full appetizer. Go from there to the actual main course, and be sure not to forget the dessert. By pacing the meal, you set aside a time to lay out the food, and a time to socialize with the guests before the next course needs to be laid out. So, look at your options and see what’s best for you. Dinner parties are a great way to socialize with friends and meet new people, so don’t deny yourself those pleasures. Ponder a potluck or think about the three P’s. Get cooking!
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