Food Talk  Discussion Forum

Do you like formal gatherings or do you prefer informal ones? Have you ever had to plan a formal gathering? Did you enjoy it? Was it a success or a hilarious disaster? deepti replied. Does it matter whether u like a formal or informal gathering, it depends upon the occassion and type of guest coming up tht makes the party formal or informal , top of tht njoyment comes within urself,if u want to njoy u can do it even without going to any gathering whether formal or informal dhawal replied. Formal dinners are too rigid. Its not the same thing as going to a friend' s place and lounging around. Swaraj Das replied. I dont understand this whole debate about formal dining. There are all kinds of social engagements - you obviously follow different norms for each. You don' t do at a wedding function what you do at a house warming party etc. Formal dinners have their time and place, and require the fulfillment of certain mores... that' s all there is to it. This does not call for all this debating and voicing of strictly subjective opinions such as whether one likes it or does not or whatever. swarupa replied. I think formal dinners are such sombre occassions where people pretend to be more serious than they are, the conversation is dry and often quite forced, and the food, even if it is good, seems to stick in one' s throat... phew! Swarna replied. I guess the kind of gathering depends a lot on the people you have to entertain. In our Indian setup, most gatherings are fairly informal since we are comfortable in this kind of setting. Having said that, if you had to invite your husband' s boss or clients,they are not going to be comfortable dancing or indulging in boisterous behavior. Basically there are times when being formal is appropriate and actually sets people at ease since they know how they are supposed to behave. Karishma replied. I think when I host parties with my husband for his colleagues its easier to have a formal setup in order to ensure that you cater to all present. It helps bring a kind of order and ensures everyone gets ample amount of attention. Dealing with large crowds is only possible this way. Otherwise its likely someone or the other is going to get left out and be sitting in the corner. Bharat replied. I guess it would depend upon the purpose of the gathering and the number of people that are gathered there. Its better to have a formal gathering if you have your seniors and elders invited. If the gathering is merely a few colleagues then perhaps an informal gatherings will suffice.