Playing host

Posted on by Seema

When I come to know that someone is coming home, I go into a zombie mode! Every single time. Abbas gets so very irritated with me because in spite of his attempts (read pleas) to calm me down, my hyperactivity increases a notch higher. As soon as we have an intimation that someone is coming home, my mind works like a super computer! The kind of thoughts:

  • Should I have plain rice or flavoured rice? I have to first decide the side dish and depending on that I can finalize the rice
  • But I might wanna serve fulkas for those who don’t prefer to have rice
  • In that case, my side dish should be such that it goes with rice as well as fulkas.
  • Do all of them eat non-veg?
  • What if one of them is vegetarian? I have to serve veg dishes as well.
  • What shall I make for desserts? Reminds me I have to get extra packets of milk and keep handy. Have I run out of dry fruits? Need to get them as well. I’ll have to prepare the dessert first thing so that it has enough time to come to room temperature and chill in the refrigerator.
  • I’ll have to check if the liquid handwash has to be filled in the bathrooms.
  • The fridge needs some tidying up. So does Mantam’s bookshelf. Anyone who comes in will first spot their shelf.
  • I’ll have to get some fruit juices and / or cold drinks.
  • Need to set more quantity of curd, just in case I need for some marination or raita.
  • Must change the covers of the spare bed in case someone wants to rest. 
  • What will Mantam and I wear?
  • Have I under-planned the menu? Will the quantity that I have planned to cook be sufficient? Will they like the food less spicy? May be I should include another dish if they don’t like XYZ.

And the train of thoughts continue till they come and leave! Abbas tries to make me understand that it’s perfectly alright to not have a spic and span house, coz they too live in a home and not in a palace. He tells it’s alright to serve plain rice, dal and some side dish also and it is not necessary that I show off my culinary skills to everyone who visits us. But then, Dil hai ki maanta hai!

Author:

10 thoughts on “Playing host”

  4. Dil hai ki maanta “nehi”, you mean? đŸ™‚

    Totally understand your plight running around like worlds end in those few hours before someone arrives. For me, it’s more about the neatness of the house than the food menu.( that’s because I am not too passionate in the kitchen, but do have a few signature dishes that never go wrong, so stick to them , hehe).

    Every inch of the house, including bathrooms and windowsills should be neat and tidy. The husband purposely moves a chair in wrong angle to watch me correct it and make fun đŸ˜›

    Read this somewhere -” I get more cleaning done in the 30 minutes before arrival of the guests, than the 30 days before that”

    Haha.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Haha, I too pay attention to the neatness but now to the extent of windowsills and placement of chairs đŸ˜€

      Earlier I used to experiment with a new menu each time I had guests. That was I could feed my food blog with 5-6 new posts. But these days, I too stick to some never-go-wrong recipes. Reduces some amount of tension of ‘what-if’ and the anxiety till the dish receives approval from all.

      “I get more cleaning done in the 30 minutes before arrival of the guests, than the 30 days before that” – So true re. And it feels so good to see the house so tidy before the guests arrive na? At least on that pretext, lot of things get done which would have otherwise been procrastinated.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment