Recently, I went to visit my son, John. Actually, I traveled there to lend him a hand. You see, John decided to put up some new wallpaper and asked for my assistance. Naturally, I couldn’t turn him down.
I took some leave from work and made my way to John’s place. He lives about 150 miles away from me. I arrived on a Wednesday. We had a few days to get everything done and were confident we’d finish on time.
On the first day, we hung wallpaper in one room, and the next day, we tackled another. Then one evening, the phone rang. My son picked it up and said:
“Yes, come over! Amazing! I’ll be thrilled to see you all! Meet my new friends! They’re bringing the food themselves!”
I asked, “Who is it?”
“Guests! Five people! And we need to finish wallpapering this room by then.”
I was stunned. “John! What guests?! We don’t have any food! There’s just a couple of eggs in the fridge, not enough for everyone!”
“Don’t worry, Dad! It’ll all be fine! The guests are bringing the food themselves! We just need to get the dishes and some tea ready.”
I was quite taken aback. I’m used to something different: when inviting guests, you buy groceries and cook a lot of food. But my son explained that it’s different for them now.
We had time to finish the wallpapering, take a shower, and tidy up. Then John’s guests started arriving. Each brought two dishes. Someone brought stew and dumplings, another brought a salad and pies, someone else brought barbecue and a salad. John just put out the kettle, honey, and sugar. He had even bought disposable plates for the occasion.
The table looked splendid. Everyone ate with delight and then had tea. Later, a woman began to sing, and we all joined in. The evening turned into a lively, heartwarming family gathering.
Afterward, each guest took away their dishes, and we were left with just the cups and spoons to wash, tossing the plates in the bin. It took no more than ten minutes.
I later asked John whose idea this was, and he replied:
“We used to host guests just like you described. But it was tiresome and costly. So, my friends and I discussed it and decided we’d rotate hosting, with everyone bringing two dishes each time. The host only needs to sort out tea and plates. We started meeting this way and loved it, so now it’s our usual routine!”
I really enjoyed it too. I shared the idea with my friends and acquaintances, but for some reason, they weren’t keen. It’s a shame because I think it’s a fantastic idea.
They didn’t even want to give it a try, which is a pity!
