Dinner parties - a thing of the past? or athing of your class?

[SpeckledHen]

My parents had these. TYhey were form,al affairs and my mum went to a lot of troubler. Now I only know of a couple of folk in my neighbourhood who have them. Do any of you still have them and if so what is the format? Have they largely been replaced by BBQs?Are dinner parties, dare I say it, class related?

I think it's just the term 'dinner party' which is outdated and class-loaded

"Dinner party" is almost one of those outmoded tropes which are usually used only metaphorically now - "the dinner party conversations of Islington are all about school catchments" and so on.

Up here in't Nooorth it would cause confusion, anyway. It baffled me at first, as a southern expat, that people here had their "dinner" in the middle of the day!

we have lots of mates

BUT rarely like the MAN and the woman

Once my brother and I were over 10, my parents had them all the time, they went to them before that, but got us a babysitter.

I've never had one, I don't even have a table!

When my best friend lived along the street she'd come to eat often with her kids, but not a planned thing, I'd just put on extra food.

I don't know anyone to invite and I'm not really into formality. It's just not my thing.

Everytime we go to my Dad's though, DD says I should go on Come Dine With Me, using my Dad's house, as he has a dining room and huge table.
Hell would freeze over before I contemplated it

yeah, there's always one berk isn't there

(comment re a couple)

we have abotu two sets where we both like both of them

i went through a phase of doing loads of meals in.
then I realised that
a) it was hard work
B) its £££
c) no one invites you back

so now we go to the pub

I love cooking.
I love having friends over.
Play loud music, get slaughtered, have a few sneaky fags.
Kids running riot.
Great fun.

I have "friends round for a meal". I go to a degree of effort but it's not Cordon Bleu. In fact nothing is Cordon Bleu anymore is it? I think that died when dinner parties died.

Whenever I have cooked anything for my parents which requires more effort than bunging it in the oven to warm up, my mother always says "Ooooh, this is very cordon bleu".

I love having people round for lunch/supper/tea. I like seeing people laughing and joking around a table. Formal/informal, 3 course meal or cold buffet just like having a full house.

We go to a lot of dinner parties but never host them. But we often have people for lunch or dinner (in the kitchen or garden normally and only v occasionally in the dining room). I love cooking and always do three proper courses but only because I like to, not for showing off.

I like last minute informal get togethers the best.

Recently at a v formal dinner party at a neithbours' house, DP was asked if he'd like to join a men's book group. I asked in a too much wine voice, if it was going to be porn or sports biographies. And I've subsequently noted that we haven't been asked to any further social engagements by that particular set.

I'd like to join a men's book group. I've never found one.

Arf I spoke too soon. Apparently, we are going to a men's book group dinner this weekend.

UQD, why don't you start one?

It's not that I'd necessarily want it to be all-male, but I think some people would have "ishoos" with a mixed book group and those already in existence seem by default to be all-female. And I've done talks/readings/Q&A sessions to some, and they always say "ooh, it's nice to be talking about books for a change." It seems they are mostly just an excuse for wine and a gossip!

ooh mine are always NO KIDS
i dont want MORE Kids in my house

oh no

I can't think of anything worse than an all male book group.

From extensive research most people only hav book groups to eat " posh crips".
If i want posh crisps I know where the shop is.

Well, it might actually discuss books....

eating posh crips ?

That's not very PC

Swedes, yes indeedy.
I imagine lots of beardy types with bad breath who wear baby slings a lot.
Yuck.

I never have kids in my house so I don't mind them when it is jolly get together.They are generally elsewhere anyway.

no pc?
really? oh lord, there is a political bias to crisps.
SO when you say to people " i cant imagine havign to read what someoen else chooses"

they always so its great " we have posh crisps"

its liek on those " finind homes abroad" shows where they look at the patio and the woman ALWAYS SAYs,
" oh i can imagine meselfout here of an evening with a glass of wine"

every fuckign time

We have a few men in our book group, but they are vastly outnumbered. Only 1 is bearded

YY and the concept of "breakfast on the terrace".

???

Who does that on a regular basis ?

I suppose "a rushed half slice of toast off the worktop" doesn't really cut it in lifestyle terms.

nobs