We were planning to go over to friends’ house. But the morning of, their kid ran a really high fever, so the dinner was cancelled.
Instead, we picked up the other guest who was going there, an elderly gentlemen we didn’t know, and took him to our house.
Menu: charcuterie board with figs, olives, etc; ham, game hens, veggie medley from under the game hens, dressing, kale; three kinds of pie.
Our guest and I drank several fingers of McCalahan 12 years, which got the conversation rolling, then split a nice bottle of chilled Reisling. Several types of liqueur after dinner.
Made a new friend, which warmed the heart. Kids got a true grandpa experience, and the gentleman didn’t mind.
In the end, I failed as a Slavic host. I’m not happy unless my guests are laying on the couch with loosened belt, drunkenly complaining about overeating. There’s always next time...