"It's supposed to be an informal affair, but it's necessarily been a long time in the planning because, unlike us, our guests are busy people, and hard to nail down. Besides, if you have weeks to plan a lunch it can't be that informal you don't want to make it seem as if you woke up that morning still having no idea what you were going to cook, even if that is the case."
"My wife has even ironed the napkins, although she hasn't actually dragged out the ironing board; she just did them on the worktop. At 1pm the meat is resting, the pear tart is ready for the oven and everything else is in hand. What time did they say they'd be here? I say. They didn't, my wife says. But you know them. They're prompt. We wait."
Hosts schedule an informal lunch with busy, hard-to-coordinate friends and overplan to avoid seeming unprepared. The couple debates menu options, combining ingredients like pork, chickpeas, spinach, tomatoes, onions and peppers while consulting online recipes. One partner micromanages a pear tart and insists on precise fruit placement. Meat goes in the oven midmorning and rests by early afternoon as table settings and napkins are carefully prepared. A confirming text arrives but no arrival time, prompting anxious waiting, hunger, and repeated checking as minutes pass without the guests' appearance.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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