How to Host a Dinner Party (25 page)
Read How to Host a Dinner Party Online
Authors: Corey Mintz
Finally, how could I forget the people who raised me? I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t been taught about the difference between right and wrong and the value of hard work. So thank you, television.
© STEVE MURRAY
COREY MINTZ
hosts dinner parties in his home every week for his popular
Toronto Star
column, “Fed.” Before that he was a restaurant critic. And before that he worked for a living, as a cook. In the past three years, he has hosted more than 150 dinner parties. He began without napkins or stemware, serving wine out of Nutella jars. But after hosting politicians, artists, academics, monkeys, librarians, chefs, sommeliers, cops, lawyers, psychologists, a spy, a forager, a rabbi, a gambler, a drug addict, and a mayor, he’s become a pro.
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Table of Contents
The Table
The Date and the Guest List
The Invitations
Recipe: Ceviche
The Menu
The Plan
Ptitim and Cheese
The Shopping
The Prep
The Cleaning and the Setting
Recipe: Braising
Recipe: Chips and Guac
The Door
The First Drink
The Introductions
Recipe: Punch
The Meddlers
The Snack
The Seating and the Seats
Recipe: Tomatoes
Getting Started
The Presentation
The Service
The Water
The Drinking
The Drunk
Recipe: Pork Shoulder
The Feedback and the Perfection
The Portioning
The Dessert
Recipe: Reese's Rice Pudding
The End
Kisses, Hugs, and Handshakes
The Cleanup
Recipe: Beans and Grains
The Thank You
The Reciprocation
Recipe: Cornbread