Neighbourhood "running dinner"

[NewToRenting]

We live overseas, in a multicultural community (with lots of Britishers hence asking on here!). One neighbour has decided to organise a "running dinner".

Google definition: A running dinner is a dinner where (almost) none of the participants know each other and every course is eaten at a different house of one of the participants. This participant is called the host of that round.

I'm an introvert but decided this would be a good chance to know some neighbours at least, so signed up.

The schedule for the evening looks like this:
5.30pm - Arrive for starter.
7.00pm - Arrive at main course - I have been asked to host this.
8.30pm - Arrive at dessert course.
10.00pm - After dinner drinks.

Ours is a (boring!) teetotall vegetarian household. I'm planning to serve chick pea curry, rice and raita. Does the menu sound ok? Should I be serving soft drinks/ salads/ side dishes as well? Does this look like enough food?

It's not a restaurant. If you are fussy about food or have allergies surely you would not bother with something like this where you have to like a wide range of food to enjoy it.

I think vegan/vegetarian and teetotal is fine for a main. If you do a running dinner then you ha e what the host cooked - no reason it can't be delicious and no one needs alcohol.

I’ve only ever heard that referred to (by white Zimbabweans and South Africans) as a ‘safari dinner’

EW / UGH.

I think chickpea curry sounds lovely, I would perhaps include a couple of sides, perhaps something like bhajis, samosas, flatbread, dhal?
I wouldn't worry too much about drinks as there are after dinner drinks but you will need to provide something for them to drink, perhaps a glass of wine or beer or water.

8 bottles for four people!?
So two bottles each in to be drunk in an hour and a half then they have to go to another house for desert and then another for after dinner drinks.
A coupe of glasses per person is plenty and many people wouldn't even drink that much!

That all sounds delicious!

I'm honestly less concerned with the vegetarian aspect and more concerned with the curry aspect. Out of my immediately family three people wouldn't be able to eat it, two because of stomach issues and one because they can't do spicy food.

I’d say about 8 bottles of wine OP

DH is that you?

I just thank God that that hasn’t caught on in my neighbourhood, sounds stressful!

I just know that if it was a meaty main, there would be calls for a veggie alternative. If I was hosting the main course, I'd do my best to cater to all diets, not just force my own tastes on people.

I could take your advise and tell them they just have to eat meat, that they can "cope with it for one night".

@Notreat

i thought it was six people for some reason. I was thinking you could get a selection - red, white, dry , not so dry etc. it doesn’t have to all be drunk on that one night but I’d rather have more than less so don’t run out

@GR8GAL

thats not the same at all. No one can have a moral and ethical opposition to eating a veggie meal.

This set up doesn't sound fair, you've got to pay out for mains and drinks? You are going to be paying out an awful lot more than everyone else unless there is a kitty where everyone's paid in and then split it per meal

Perhaps the person hosting the after meal drinks should provide for the whole evening? Or do it as Bring Your Own Bottle.

I also would never expect a veggie or vegan to cook foods they are uncomfortable eating.

OP focus on the food. Do NOT go all out and buy good wine/beer. You need the feigned hopelessness here. Serve amazing food with crappy cheap wine and next time they'll decouple the alcohol from the main!

I love curry but some people dislike anything spicy, so you might want to consider an alternative for them. Beer tends to go better with curry than wine.

Just get some decent wine, cocktails with a main isn't really it.

Add another curry and some breads plus some bhaji type sides.

We call it a mobile meal.

I’ve always known these events as safari suppers, they still have them in my village.
I hope it all goes very well OP, your food choices sound delicious!

This is a great idea. Pls remember that red should be room temperature and white needs to be very chilled

I keep reading the title as "Neighbourhood "ruining dinner""

I suppose it could if everyone got it badly wrong. 😆

You do know that vegetarian food is just normal food? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I wouldn't rely on a chickpea based main as so many people dislike pulses and beans (I love them but loads won't eat them at all). What about paneer and spinach curry instead? Or veggie lasagne and garlic bread.

Or say to the organiser "I'm happy to host main course but we are vegetarian so it would be vegetarian. Do you think everyone would be ok with that?" They'll probably shuffle the courses then.

Can’t people bring their own wine (which imo doesn’t really go with south Asian food).

Do read the updates. The orgaiser knows they're a veggie household, and OP has said she's doing a selection, including a paneer dish.

I could take your advise and tell them they just have to eat meat, that they can "cope with it for one night".

Don't be ridiculous, @GR8GAL you know perfectly well it's not a symmetrical situation.

I love chickpea curry. May I come?