How Much Is Enough?


• By Allen Dale "Ole" Olson   |   Thursday, December 17, 2009 at 1:59 pm   |     |   Print   |   Permalink

In this season of parties and guests for dinner, a preoccupying concern has to be how much of what to serve. This concern is greater for drink than for food because of today’s traffic patterns, gendarme interest in the subject, and the ever-present risk of overindulgence. Too little, and guests leave early and late arrivals miss out on all the hospitality. Too much, and there  may be unpleasant consequences.

This concern registered with me when a number of sources referred to “designated drivers” or offered overnight accommodations as part of a holiday social event along with my re-acquaintance with the anonymous Major L, author of Breakfasts, Luncheons, and Ball Suppers in 1887. The meticulous major broke his suggestions into categories — events for the hunt, for the races, for ordinary houses, etc. His more curious suggestions separated the ladies from the men, especially in his explanation that luncheons for ladies should be somewhat larger because during the day they are free of their corsetry; and that after the ” first dressing bell,” when they begin lacing their ample forms into their  tailleurs,  their appetites would of necessity be quite small.

We don’t subscribe to that much meticulous concern today, but we do urge party planners to consider the question of how much.

Major L never details quantity suggestions, but today’s hosts and hostesses always appreciate some guidance. Where wine is concerned, the traditional 750 ml bottle has long been considered appropriate for two people to share during dinner. In recent years, the aperitif or cocktail has been introduced  before dinner as an “ice breaker.” In Major L’s day, there were no aperitifs.

Wine stewards tell me for dinner one should plan on a bottle of white for three persons, one bottle of red for two — which equals roughly a bottle apiece. They hasten to add that this is for a lengthy meal of several courses over two or three hours.

For open-ended parties there is more iffiness. I allow for half a bottle a person, recognizing that in general, party goers will consume more white wine than red. There are always bottles held in reserve just in case. And we encourage making available plenty of water, a selection of soft drinks, and a large quantity of nibbles.

As with all things great and small, moderation and common sense should prevail. Good hosts and good guests cannot go wrong.

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