I am talking about food and beverages, as in a party. Not performing cartwheels, though that is also entertainment of a kind.
While we lived in Bhubaneswar, Harihar and Hyderabad, we did this more regularly-I mean my wife and I. For one, we were friends with a lot of people, and we were young (and foolish?). The idea of having a chai party at Bhubaneswar was once seen to fruition, with some snacks to accompany it. The idea of having black tea, milk and sugar separately available occurred to us because we were just back from the U.S. where it was common. And one of the guests (British) was pleasantly surprised at this, because it was unusual in Indian households.
Picking the food menu for dinner parties was not very difficult most of the time, and usually veered around to a chicken dish for the non-vegetarians, and a veg. gravy for the others, with a dal or equivalent. When drinks were also served, people usually concentrated on the appetisers, and these were so filling, that the food usually got sidelined.
In Harihar, on New Year's Eve, we usually went to a friend's house (Pavan Appachu), and had a great time with some Coorgi mutton curry, or chicken as the main item on the menu-thanks to Jamuna, his wife. Sometimes we also had home-brewed flavoured wine.
The art of entertaining is slowly dying out (or at least it feels so), for various reasons. But it has its own charm, in spite of some work that it involves.
While we lived in Bhubaneswar, Harihar and Hyderabad, we did this more regularly-I mean my wife and I. For one, we were friends with a lot of people, and we were young (and foolish?). The idea of having a chai party at Bhubaneswar was once seen to fruition, with some snacks to accompany it. The idea of having black tea, milk and sugar separately available occurred to us because we were just back from the U.S. where it was common. And one of the guests (British) was pleasantly surprised at this, because it was unusual in Indian households.
Picking the food menu for dinner parties was not very difficult most of the time, and usually veered around to a chicken dish for the non-vegetarians, and a veg. gravy for the others, with a dal or equivalent. When drinks were also served, people usually concentrated on the appetisers, and these were so filling, that the food usually got sidelined.
In Harihar, on New Year's Eve, we usually went to a friend's house (Pavan Appachu), and had a great time with some Coorgi mutton curry, or chicken as the main item on the menu-thanks to Jamuna, his wife. Sometimes we also had home-brewed flavoured wine.
The art of entertaining is slowly dying out (or at least it feels so), for various reasons. But it has its own charm, in spite of some work that it involves.
