aem wrote:
On May 30, 5:50 pm, "Nancy Young" wrote:
You hear stories like this and every time you do it's just as
incredible. Okay, I think asking to bring the main course is
weird, but maybe if she'd offered to pay for it? Still. But then,
telling her what wines to bring?? Hello, pick it up yourself, that
takes no skill!

Stories like this are confusing. At first glance they may seem
outrageous, but there can be mitigating circumstances. For one thing,
"lovely home in a nice neighborhood" may mean they all have plenty of
money and $200 as the cost of contributing to a special party for her
husband may seem insignificant to the chef's wife. For another, wives
sometimes misjudge how close the friendship is between their husbands
and third parties. She may have thought they were close enough that
they'd welcome a big role in this surprise party. Then again, the
chef's wife just may be thoughtless. I guess my point is to not be
too quick to lambaste her on the basis of a second or third hand
report. Misunderstandings between neighbors have spawned a lot of
case studies for sociologists and lawyers. -aem

I find the entire instance too hard to comprehend. Maybe it's because I
was raised with the concept that a guest honors you by accepting an
invitation to your home. Hospitality is up there with the same rule that
says it's a good deed to visit the sick.

I have no doubts that the story is true, and I give aem credit for
attempting to find the positive side of it, but I just can't wrap my
brain around a $200 invite to a house party.


--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life