Tea at Trianon: Rules for a Potluck

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Rules for a Potluck

From Bon Appétit:

BE THE HOST WITH THE MOST

Make it a theme party. Whether it’s the type of cuisine or recipes from a specific a cookbook, this will help you avoid a Greek salad/carne asada tacos/kimchi fried rice mashup. Be specific with your instructions, and make sure they’re within your guests’ cooking abilities and budgets.

Sign me up! If you don’t email a sign-up sheet, you’ll get six pastas, three trays of brownies, and no greens. The best way to do it? Get four people on drinks, four people on sides, and four people on main dishes. Or, if you’re a Type A personality, straight-up tell people what to bring. No problem with that.

Beware: Your guests will be needy. Things can get tight in the kitchen at potluck dinners. Ask your guests to tell you if they need any equipment, oven space, or serving utensils. If your range gets full or you foresee yourself running out of anything, you can ask your guests to change their dish or bring along what they need from home. (Read more.)