Dinner according to Emily Post

Olivia gave me the Emily Post on Entertaining: Answers to the most often asked questions about entertaining at home and in business because I often talk about what Emily would and wouldn't approve of. In the book she outlines 6 rules for a successful dinner party. I am going to share them with you here with some adaptations that make them relevant to college life!

1) "The guests should be congenial - a table full of people with nothing in common can make for strained silences or awkward conversation." This ends up being pretty good advice; if you plan on introducing strangers over your dinner table you should consider whether or not they will get along.
2) " A menu that is well planned and suited to your guests' tastes is another factor." Call me old fashioned, but I do like to ensure that my guests are served a balanced meal. This means that if we are doing it potluck style, I will ask one person to bring a veggie, another a starch side-dish, and a third a dessert to make sure the whole food pyramid is represented. Usually though, unless I am under extreme stress, I really like to plan the meal as a unit and just have people help with the cooking once they arrive.
3) "An attractive table creates a welcoming ambiance - with everything in perfect condition: linens pressed, silver polished, glassware sparkling." This is so not how we live, but I do like to have a table that is at least cleared off and set before the meal. Pressed linens, no way! But definitely a tablecloth or place mats. Polished, sparkling, who do you think we are? I can, however guarantee that each guest will at least get clean plates and silverware and if they ask nicely, even a clean water glass.
4) "A fourth requisite is that food is well prepared." I can't argue with Emily on that one!
5)"Fifth, and very important, are a gracious hostess and/or host who are welcoming and at the same time enjoy their guests." While a hostess's role is not considered so important these days, I do think it is important for guests to feel comfortable in your home - do make the extra effort.
6) "The last factor is that any servants be competent and pleasant." So this one is way outdated, but there is something to consider in it. Since there are no servants, someone is going to have to clean up after a meal, and if you let your guests slip away without helping, thats going to be you! Dinner parties cease to be fun, especially in our busy lives, if they leave a disaster behind so keep it simple, and have all the guests chip in to return things to a state of cleanliness.
For more from Ms. Post, please consider the following video!