a tale of two dinners (m)

Sunday-a dinner party to celebrate T's 60th birthday with his side of the family.  Two brothers, two sisters-in-law and two nieces.  I served the following:

Appetizers
Grilled shrimp with 3 different dips
Tortilla Chips with homemade salsa and homemade guacamole
Veggie platter
Sangria, beer, wine

Main Course
Grilled tenderloin
Boiled Lobsters
Corn bread, rolls
Tomato and Mozzarella Salad
Spinach Salad with pears and goat cheese and pecans
Potato Salad


Dessert
Chocolate Mousse Cake
Fresh Fruit Salad
Sorbet
Coffee/Tea

The dinner was civilized.  Everyone got along well (although Harrison came into the kitchen to advise me to "get out there...there are big lulls in the conversation").  Sam cooked on the grill, everyone helped clean up. It really was a relaxing, pleasant evening.

Monday-My family calls and wants to know if I "need help with the leftovers,"  meaning a.) are there any and b.) can they come over for dinner.  I said "yes" to both.  I had a consulting project that afternoon and arrived home to find my brother Phil, his wife, their demon dog and my mother in my kitchen.  The 4 perfectly good boiled lobsters had been converted into an elaborate 6-ingredient lobster salad; the dog was eating the vegetables, my mother took the corn off the cob (from Saturday's dinner...I meant to throw them out) and added butter and cream and salt and microwaved them.  Basically, it was what I imagine happens in a kitchen on a cruise ship....leftovers from the previous night get converted into dishes which disguise their point of origin.

The dog barked throughout the entire meal, my mother asked me to set her hair while my sister-in-law was having dessert and my brother announced 6 times that he wanted to go home.

Now I know why my marriage works...we represent the middle ground between polar opposite families.

I had some sangria and went to bed.