I’m always excited by the thought of house parties. Though house parties in NYC are not the way they use to, every once in a while someone decides to look pass all the negatives(getting their things stolen, having a bunch of strangers in their home, cooking, cleaning etc…) and take a leap[ of faith and blesses their close knitted circle with one of those nearly extinct house parties.
And I’ve been to quite a few house parties, but with Haitian folks, it’s always the best, because three of my favorite things exist: Haitian people, Haitian music and Haitian food.
However, my one pet peeve about the way Haitians do house parties is the way in which they serve food. Why is it that Haitians wait until the wee hours of the morning before they finally serve the food.
At a recent event I attended, one guest said, well, once people eat they leave. If that is the case than we have way more issues to deal with then I thought.
A party is an opportunity to be social and have fun. It does not revolve around food. Food is part of the atmosphere that makes the event but it is not the main event.
For the life of me, I could not imagine eating at a party and then simply pack up and go. That is so inappropriate.
Most parties food is served first. Not last. It is important that if someone is having an evening party with food, meaning a party that starts at 8pm, the main food should not be served later than 10pm.
And prior to the serving time it would be nice to have some appetizers, even if only chips and dips for early arrivals.
Over the summer, I attended a BBQ. The start time for the BBQ was 8pm. I got there at 11pm. While I was leaving at 2am, that’s when they were calling me back to eat because they were just about to serve food.
Party hosts, if you serve food early than more likely than not, your guest will be greatful. They will have time to eat, dance, and burn off some of the calories they just ate.
And Party attendees, it is inappropriate to simply go to someone’s event for the sake of eating. If eating is your main reason for attending a social function, I strongly advise staying home.
Nadege Fleurimond is the owner & business manager of Fleurimond Catering, Inc., www.fgcatering.com, an off-premise catering firm serving the NY/NJ/CT/MA areas.