My First Dinner Party

I wanted to serve an elegant, tasteful meal.  OK, we were living in married student housing in Brooklyn NY - not the best of neighborhoods.  I was trying to ignore the bars on the windows, the night time security guard inside the key-locked front door to the apartment building.  And we were on a very tight budget. I wanted a night of elegant and delicious but inexpensive food.  When developing the menu I also kept in mind that Susan was a vegetarian.  We sat on large, plump pillows at our square coffee table/dinner table (made from a door with hardware store legs).  It was 1972 - very hippy and poor student furnishings.

John is probably a good 6'2" tall, his girl friend, Susan, was at least 5' 10". I stand up to 5' 1.5" on a good day and my dear husband, Rafael, towers above me at 5'8". We did not invite small folks to our first ever dinner as a newly-wed couple, we invited good friends.

I served these two big people and my dear husband cheese souffle (supposed to serve 6) and mushrooms in some type of sauce.  I think that a green salad was also involved.

John and Susan literally inhaled the souffle before the remainder of the meal was served.  They ate it all and still looked hungry.  I cannot remember what I had planned for dessert but I am sure that it would not have held off a pack of hungy wolves.  Rafael, sensing that our guests were still hungry, he is a smart man, suggested that we trapse off to a local restaurant where they have really good (stomach filling) desserts.

John latter broke up with Sue but he remains our friend.  When we invite him for dinner I do not serve souffle, I offer much more substantial dishes!