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Melba's Jammin'

In article . net>,
Margaret Suran > wrote:

> wrote:
> > Sharon wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Case in point 2: After the "event coordinator" for a social club I
> >>belong to suddenly quit,
> >
> >
> > Do you wonder why? :0
> >
> >
> >> At any rate, am I the only person who feels embarrassed when my guests
> >>are shorted food or equipment because of logistic errors?
> >
> >
> > It can be a stinker when things don't go as planned, but maybe you need
> > to loosen up the must-have-control feeling?
>
>
> What would you do under these circumstances? You invited three other
> couples for dinner and Bridge. You prepared a nice dinner for eight,
> chopped liver with black radish slices, consommé with Fridatten,
> roasted duck with bread dumplings and red cabbage, beer or wine or
> water with lemon slices, dessert, cheese, fruit, you know, the whole deal.
>
> The table was set with the little chopped liver plates waiting on each
> place mat, soon to be consumed by the hungry guests. The four
> ducklings were out of the oven, cut into halves and resting on
> individual dinner plates, while the dumplings and red cabbage were
> still on the stove.
>
> Six of us were in the living room, waiting for the last couple. The
> doorman called from downstairs, announcing "guests"
>
> I went to open the door and nearly fainted. Instead of the couple I
> expected, four people were coming into my apartment.
>
> "My cousins are in town", said the invited woman "and we thought it
> would be nice if they came with us". I was holding on to the doorknob
> for dear life, not wanting to collapse on the floor.
>
> The woman continued, "I knew you would not mind".
>
> Well, I did mind. The table was set for eight. There was barely
> enough room for that many. There was no extra chopped liver, I had
> made it from the duck livers and there was just enough for eight
> portions. I had only the eight pieces of duckling, each just enough
> for one person, not enough for more. If everything had not been on
> plates, I might have been able to manage, but there was nothing I
> could do or say.
>
> We crammed two more chairs and settings around and on the table.
> Erich and I gave our dinners to the uninvited guests.
>
> There was enough soup. There was enough dessert. While the rest
> played Bridge after dinner, Erich and I cleaned up, washed dishes and
> scrounged for more food for ourselves.
>
> There was no apology from the invited couple. No "thank you" from the
> uninvited couple. We never invited either couple again, but I feel to
> this day, that there should have been something I could have done.
>
> How would you have handled this?

As you did.
I would have liked, however, to offer the extras hard chairs on the
balcony to amuse themselves with the sunset while the rest of us enjoyed
our meal. Fantasy.

A good example of chutzpha, nu?
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller
http://jamlady.eboard.com