There was a wonderful time, when I shared a house with four other people, and every Sunday we would have a few people over, rent several movies, and proceed to cook all day and dine all evening. My housemates and I would bake bread from home-made starter, bring in and prep items from our modest garden, wash, prep, and present an assortment of dishes playing to each of our particular culinary strengths and interests.
Later, when I moved into a smaller apartment with my girlfriend, I continued to have people over, but with much less frequency; and though the money was often short, I put whatever I had into creating the best menus I could. I take food rather seriously.
These days, my friends are scattered and only occasionally visit. At present, I don’t have a place of my own, so while there are ample kitchen tools available to me, and an occasional appreciative audience of family members, dinner has become a challenge but also an obligation as I prepare meals for my girlfriend and her parents nearly every night. My skills and knowledge continue to grow, but the magic for me is in the food itself now, and not in the atmosphere in which it is prepared and served.
Hopefully I can remedy this situation sometime soon.
Maybe one day I can approach the idea of having guests to supper with the intense systematic devotion exhibited here:
http://www.hertzmann.com/articles/2005/plan/
