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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

On throwing parties and selecting dinnerwares and flatwares

This is not about food, but quite related to food.
I have an aunt who, when she was younger, was known to throw the most enjoyable parties back then. I say enjoyable because we truly love how she would arrange her dining table into something spectacular visually.

She was very hands-on and was very particular about not only the food served but also how to set the table and present the food. We kids would marvel at how attractive the table looked like that everyone thought of not touching the food itself for fear that it would alter the whole setting! Zooming in on her table, one would learn why. Her guests would always be heard "ooh-ing" and "aah-ing" at the sight of her fabulous dinnerplates arranged beautifully. Even my grandmother, her very discriminating mother-in-law, complimented her of her choices, especially when, once on her visit on a regular day, she saw a set of nice looking dinnerwares that could've been used on special occasions but were used for everyday use.

And the flatware, oh, they were sparkingly gorgeous. I once heard my mom say that you could actually see your reflection on the spoons! Yes, they were that shiny. I heard stories of helpers spending a lot of time polishing the flatwares again and again till my aunt was satisfied. All their efforts paid off, indeed, considering the compliments they received from their guests.

I once dreamed of throwing parties like my aunt but I could never-ever match her expertise at all, her meticulousness from menu selection and preparation, selecting and collecting simple yet classic dinnerwares and flatwares and caring for them properly, to table setting, etc.. Apparently you need to have genuine interest in the art of throwing/hosting parties and have the eye for detail - things that you can never purchase anywhere, even from the dependable Home Depot stores.

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