Recently, I visited my son John. To be precise, I went to lend him a hand. John had decided to put up some new wallpaper and asked for my assistance. Naturally, I couldn’t refuse his request.
I took some time off work and set off to John’s place. He lives about 155 miles away from me. I arrived on a Wednesday. We had a few days to get everything done. We were confident we could finish on time.
On the first day, we put up wallpaper in one room, and the next day we tackled another. One evening, the phone suddenly rang. My son answered and said:
“Yes, come over! Fantastic! I’d be thrilled to see you all! Get to know my new friends! They’ll bring their own food!”
I asked, “Who is it?”
“Guests! Five people! And we need to have the wallpaper up in this room by then.”
I was taken aback.
“John! What guests?! We don’t have any food! There’s only an omelette in the fridge! It won’t be enough for everyone!”
“Don’t worry, Dad! It’ll be fine! The guests will bring their own food! We just need to provide some plates and tea.”
I was surprised. I was used to something different: when hosting guests, you buy groceries and prepare a lot of food. But John explained that things are different for them.
We had enough time to finish the wallpaper, take a shower, and freshen up. Then John’s friends started arriving. Each brought two dishes. Someone brought stew and dumplings, another brought a salad and pies, and someone else brought grilled meat and a salad. John simply boiled the kettle, and got out some honey and sugar. It turned out he had already bought disposable plates for the occasion.
The table was splendid. Everyone enjoyed the food, and then we had tea. Afterward, one woman began to sing, and we all joined in. The evening turned out to be delightful, family-oriented, and heartwarming.
Later, each guest took their own dishes away, and they left. John and I only had to wash the cups and spoons, and we just tossed the plates in the bin. It took no more than ten minutes.
Then I asked John, “Who came up with this idea?” He replied:
“We used to host guests the old way, like you mentioned. But it’s so much trouble and expense. So, we talked with our friends and decided to take turns hosting. Each person brings two dishes, and the host only needs to provide plates and tea. We started meeting like this, we all loved it, and now it’s how we always do it!”
I really liked it too. I shared the idea with my friends and acquaintances. But for some reason, they weren’t interested. It’s a shame!
They even refused to try this kind of gathering. I think it’s a really great idea, though.
