Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

First published February 25, 2009

Having navigated the waters of grocery shopping over the last couple weeks provided a much-needed shot of confidence. I had been chomping at the bit to invite some of our new friends over for dinner. I collected emails from some fellow students and sent out the invitation. Then I waited...I wasn't sure if 20-somethings would want to "hang" with people of our...uh...wisdom. I did have the lure of a home-cooked meal so that would at least provide some incentive.

I received RSVPs that would bring 4 guests to our home. I immediately began assessing our available dishware. I inherited a variety of pieces with the furnished flat. There was a hodge-podge of plates with patterns and chips, but it didn't matter to me. A long time ago someone shared great wisdom with me. Entertaining focuses on perfect surroundings. Hospitality places emphasis on the guests. I wanted our friends to feel completely welcomed.

I cooked "The Dish." "The Dish" is currently thinly sliced chicken breasts sprinkled with Italian spices and grilled in my cook-everything-in-this-pan pan. I added plenty of American comfort foods mashed potatoes, buttered corn, fresh bread and a fruit salad for Aria aka "The Fruitbat." Emileigh stopped at the bakery by the language school and picked up a kilo of chocolate croissants. John had a beautiful bouquet of flowers put together by our neighborhood flower guy. A few hor'deurves set out, Michael Buble' singing in the background and we were ready.

Johann (Yo-hahn) and Monica arrived first. Johann is an awesome guy from Sweden. He's keenly intelligent and genuinely kind. Monica hails from many countries, but claims Mexico as home. She's lively, outgoing and has a tender heart. The final two guests arrived. Jan (Yahn) comes from Germany and Elie is from Switzerland. They are roommates in a flat near the school. While very different, they are each learning Arabic and building their resume. Jan is witty, smart and knowledgable about world affairs. Elie's sweet, a bit shy and a peacemaker as we would discover.

We sat down to dinner and explained that it is our custom to pray a blessing for the food and for our friends. We joined hands and John prayed. We enjoyed food and conversation as the buddings of friendship developed. As the evening progressed, the subject of languages naturally came up. Between the eight of us, English, Spanish, German, Swedish, Swiss-German, Russian and Arabic were spoken. We laughed as we would try to understand bits of each language being dropped into our conversations. If anyone began to argue a point, they would point at Elie (Swiss guy) and say, "Remember he's doesn't have an opinion. He's neutral."

Finally at around 11 our friends decided it was time to head back to their flats and study. We bid them farewell and began stacking dishes. We were all encouraged by time with new friends and are so thankful for the opportunity to meet such amazing people. We plan to begin a "Dinner and a Movie" night each week and provide a place for them to just feel welcome. Now I have to come up with a new "Dish."