Recently, I visited my son, Jack. Actually, I went over to lend him a hand. You see, Jack decided he wanted to put up some new wallpaper and asked for my help. Naturally, I couldn’t turn down my son’s request.
I took some time off work and headed to Jack’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 we were confident we’d finish in time.
On the first day, we got the wallpaper up in one room, and the next day, we moved on to another. One evening, the phone rang. My son picked it up and said:
“Yeah, come on over! Fantastic! I’d love for you all to meet my new friends! They’re bringing the food!”
I asked, “Who’s that?”
“Guests! Five people! And by then, we should have the wallpaper done in this room.”
I was shocked. “Jack! What guests?! We don’t have any food! All we’ve got in the fridge is some scrambled eggs, and that’s not going to feed everyone!”
“Don’t worry so much, Dad! It’ll all be fine! The guests are bringing the food! All we need to do is sort out some plates and make tea.”
I was taken aback. I was used to something else: when you invite people over, you buy the groceries and cook plenty of food. But my son explained that it’s quite different for them.
We had time to finish up the wallpaper, take a shower, and get ourselves ready. Then, Jack’s guests began to arrive. Each one brought along two dishes. Someone brought pie and salad, while others brought roast and mashed potatoes. Jack just set up the kettle, honey, and sugar. Turns out, Jack had already bought disposable tableware for the occasion.
The table looked splendid. Everyone ate with great pleasure, then we had some tea. Later, one woman started singing, and we all joined in. It turned into a very enjoyable, warm, and touching evening.
Afterward, each guest took their own dishes, and they left. Jack and I only had to wash the cups and spoons; we just tossed the plates into the trash. It took no more than ten minutes.
Then I asked Jack, who came up with this idea? He replied:
“We used to host guests the way you mentioned. But it’s such a hassle and expensive. So we had a chat with friends and decided we’d take turns hosting, with everyone bringing two dishes. The host just provides the dishes and tea. We tried it out, loved it, and now it’s our usual way of gathering!”
I really liked it too. I shared this idea with my friends and acquaintances. But for some reason, they didn’t take to it. A shame, I think it’s a brilliant idea.
They even refused to try these kinds of gatherings. It’s a pity, because I think it’s a really great approach.
