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?

Hi, OP -

Lager and IPA are the classic beers for Indian food, OP. Bud is ….okay. I like Asahi but it is Japanese and a bit different, not everyone will. I think that amongst your choices, the Stella (Belgian) and the Corona (Mexican) are the best bets.

You need a minimum of two beers per drinker, three would be nicer. Gently, you are providing lovely food and nonalcoholic beverages so that to skimp on the beer could look a bit moralistic. Not attractive. If it is a question of money, perhaps rebalance the budget to allow for a bit more beer. Alternatively, warn people that your budget only stretches to 2 beers/person but say they are welcome to bring more.

If you do this however I think it will be judged in the context of the other food and drink and your general lifestyle. People understand if you are really skint, but that’s different from skimping on booze because you yourselves don’t drink. We don’t know which category you belong to so please don’t think I have put you into one!

If I am a dinner guest, I would have one cup of tea or one glass of cola / juice/ lemonade with food. That was my (very uneducated and clearly incorrect) guideline for 2 drinks per person. Not trying to be moralistic or cheap!

I take your point and will buy more. Would Carlsberg be ok?

Asahi goes well with curry, don’t get carlsberg it’s awful!

Will everyone be drinking beer? I would be tempted to get a bottle of dry white or rose and 6 bottles of beer to offer a choice as some people don’t like beer. If everyone has agreed beer then I would get a pack of 10/12 whatever they come in as it will be cheaper.

Usually the custom would be to bring a bottle for the host, so you could have used that, but not sure what the custom is where you live?

Hi, again - I put Carlsberg in the same class but don’t drink it, so I can’t give a petsonal opinion.

I would drink one or two beers in (almost) 90 min with Indian food but I know many people who would prefer three. This is particularly true if you offer the first drink as people arrive, which is appreciated.

Why not offer a glass of lassi when people are arriving, fruity or salty, as it will help to set the Indian food mood.
Then you can offer beer and your other drinks as the meal starts.
I'd pick Stella for the beer, as it will go with the food. You might be able to get a cut price on packs of 6 or 8, so look around.

Hopefully, your guests will be accommodating, and ready to experience new things in the spirit of the experience, especially as it's all new to you too. It's unlikely that you would be able to provide the absolute favourite drink of everyone attending, they will have to be prepared to be open minded!

If you do this again, make sure you get the pudding slot!!

Lol agree, pudding would have been so much easier! The organisers said no gifts, so host gift bottles are out unfortunately.
I am getting the feeling that when we go for the other courses, we will realise that we have severely under or over catered.
Ah well, all part of a new experience!

Always better to over cater - if you're not sure, do more!

Reporting back! The evening was quite interesting, and we met quite a few neighbours we didn't know before.
Our guests for the mains were a French couple and a Belgian couple; they seemed super pleased with the mango lassi to start off with. They very poliely declined the wines we offered, and opted for mint lemonade with the food. I wasn't sure if I should insist on serving the wine, didn't want to be pushy. The food seemed to be appreciated.
Thanks once again for all the wonderful suggestions!

How nice to hear how it all went @NewToRenting !
It would have been an interesting main course for the French and the Belgians, as I don't think their cuisines feature much in the way of curries or vegetarian food. There are few Indian or vegetarian restaurants in the areas of France or Belgium that I know well.
I wonder what you had for the pudding course? I'm so pleased it all went well.

But what did they feed you at the other courses??

My guests were a bit worried that the food might be spicy, but were relieved after trying a few bites. They said they love Indian food but can't handle it if it's too hot.

Starters were risotto and 2 salads (baby spinach with figs, and tomato mozzarella). At the Dessert course, three puddings were set on large platters so we could help ourselves - a trifle type layered pudding in small glasses, tiny apple tarts (size of mince pies) and dark choc rice crispy treats. At each course we met 4 other people, and at drinks everyone (total 7 couples).

Unfortunately the lady who organised the whole event is now moving from our community, so I doubt if there will be future such events. Her job takes her from country to country every few years, and the last one she organised had 90 couples!

The starters sound OK, but the puddings are a bit parsimonious, especially the rice crispy bites. But it all sounds like a fun night!

If you mean the portion size of the puddings, I think they were fine, especially after having starters and mains. The actual puddings themselves were ok, nothing too special but no complaints! The rice crispy treats were a bit kiddie, but the dark chocolate gave them respectability 😆

Everyone served wine (with starters as well as dessert) so I think I should have insisted on serving the wine I bought with the mains.

Sounds as though it went well. You can't insist on serving wine if people don't want it though.
You did the right thing in offering it but they declined so that's fine.