What's a savvy host to do about Double-Dipping?

Continuing to share some of the best, brightest & most creative resources for entertaining - and overall savvy perspectives - let's introduce Saucy Dipper, an expert in Hosting your Own Dip Party, who's bringing some focus to an issue of etiquette (and guest health ;-) - asking "What's a savvy host to do?".

The human mouth has somewhere between 10 to 50 billion bacteria hiding out (source NPR), which includes up to 100 different species of bacteria. Some bacteria protects you mouth and health, but the bad bacteria—the kind that will rot your teeth or cause illness—is swimming around in there, too.

This kind of information is not necessarily useful to the average person, except when you are a savvy host and have 12 mouths to consider at your dinner party. The truth is that you don’t know what’s happening inside your fellow party-goer’s mouth, and this is cause for a strong stance against double dipping. In case you don’t know, double dipping is the practice of dipping a single chip or single veggie into a bowl of dip more than once.

In 2008, Clemson University published a report in the Journal of Food Safety that was inspired by a Seinfeld episode. In the episode, “The Implant,” Timmy, an incensed party goer, becomes enraged with George Costanza saying: “That’s like putting your whole mouth right in the dip!”

7 Gift Ideas for the Foodie Host

Secret Stash Salt Chorizo

Heading to a dinner party or other occasion where the host is a gourmet or fellow foodie?  Practicing the art of being a gracious guest, and looking for an appropriate host gift? (See prior post, The Art of Being a Gracious Guest as needed.)

Not interested in offering them the "same old same old"?

Here's a quick list of hot hostess/host gift ideas (around $25 and some conveniently available ONLINE) sure to please their palate!  We added a few of our favorite examples...but don't hesitate to share a few of your own!

The (Louisville) Art of Hospitality

Enjoyable entertaining is as much about the style of the host or hostess as it is about the food and beverage or the décor.  Hospitality ~ the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly generous way ~ is key.

We’ve been lucky enough to enjoy some of the most wonderful hospitality over the years – friends, family and business colleagues have graciously provided for excellent dining experiences, facilitated memorable events, and opened their homes to entertain us as their guests.

What defines great hospitality in the context of entertaining? “Triple A” service –

• Exceptional hosts and hostesses are ATTENTIVE as much to the guests during the event as to the party details.
• Exceptional hosts and hostesses ANTICIPATE what a guest may need or want throughout the event or gathering.
• Exceptional hosts and hostesses ACKNOWLEDGE each and every guest with individual attention, engaging them in the gathering, communicating how welcome and appreciated they are.

It is the “little things” that very often do make the difference. A recent business trip through Louisville, Kentucky, provided an unexpected refresher course in how enjoyable fine hospitality can truly be.

Guest Etiquette Tip: Don't Forget a Gift for the Host!

Following up on an entertaining etiquette post earlier this year, we thought we'd offer some ideas to help gracious guests with what to bring the host or hostess.  Here's a short list of items ~ all around $40 or less ~ shared by other Savvy Hosts as hostess gifts they greatly enjoyed receiving (or giving!).

1. Flowers or potted plant ~ fresh cut flowers are always appropriate, but if you are feeling a little creative, consider a seasonal green plant or potted herbs (see Photo from www.proflowers.com).  Note: if you are incredibly organized, you can arrange for these to be delivered directly to the host on the day of the event ~ we use ProFlowers for easy online ordering and delivery (flowers arrive in a long box!).

2. Wine or champagne ~ this can be a challenge if your host is a sommelier (or similar), but don't stress too much on the points and ratings.  Either bring a bottle of something you know and enjoy ~ or simply ask at the wine store for an "interesting" recommendation within your price range.  For a celebration, a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne is a guaranteed winner ~ and even authentic French Champagne can be found around $30-$35.

3. Chocolates or candy ~ even local grocery stores now stock gourmet chocolate truffles and sea-salt caramels.  It's easier than ever to find a lovely gift box of something sweet to offer your host. The Savvy Host is crazy for Vosges ~ conveniently available online, at Whole Foods, and in the airport!!

4. Nuts or specialty snack ~ prefer salty rather than sweet?  There are many options to choose from - but try to find items that are well-packaged for a gift.  We like the 1lb assorted tins from Garrett's Popcorn (a Chicago classic starting at $28) or Dean & Deluca's Asian Snack Mix ($14) or Harvest Nut Mini Bar ($22) both available online.

5. Specialty Candle or Soap ~ we're not referring to tapers or a box of Irish Spring of course ;-)  Our favorite candles are 100% soy Colette's Candles, packaged in an elegant mini-hatbox in such delicious scents as French Fig, Mod Lavendar, Southern Pear and California Chai ranging from $18-$26 (available from SavvyHostMarket!).  Gift sets of hostess soaps are also a good idea - Mistral offers a beautiful wooden gift box set of 9 bars for $19!.

6. Serving Piece or Utensil - there are many unique and distinctive serving utensils or pieces that could make a perfect gift for the host, especially if their event or gathering is more elaborate.  We like Wild Eye Design's High-Heel Cake Server ($20), our Bauhaus Bread/Fruit Basket in Red, Black or Silver ($26.95 - see photo below) or the Island Bamboo Salad & Pasta Servers ($24.99) from Amazon.

7. Hors d'Oeuvres accessory - especially around a holiday occasion, we find that sets of accessories to use with the cocktail nibble or hors d'oeuvres are appreciated.  Cheese knives or spreaders are very popular hostess gifts.  Even a special demitasse spoon set for the host who loves their cappuccino or tea works well. 

8. Napkin Rings - One of the easiest ways for a hostess to update table decor is with a unique set of napkin rings. And, with so many hosts and hostesses focusing on "green" entertaining and eco-friendly households, there is renewed interest in using cloth napkins which beg for napkin rings.  Stockholm Enamel Napkin Rings in Black & White (set of 4, $19.95) pictured to the right with the Bauhaus Bread/Fruit Basket.

9. Wine or Bar accessories - another creative area of host gifts revolves around the bar and around wine.  Hosts and hostesses will enjoy accessories that add pizzazz to their wining & cocktail-ing including wine stoppers, wine drip collar, or wine grips, specialty olive & garnish picks, and humorous cocktail napkins.

10. Themed item to match the occasion - if the gathering has a theme - a "Mexican Fiesta" or an "afternoon BBQ" or an "Italian Pasta Night" consider bringing a hostess gift to complement the theme ~ a CD of Louis Prima music, or a Molcajete (pictured above from Crate & Barrel, at $32.95) for making guacamole, or Grill Charms (pictured below at $19.95) for the BBQ enthusiast who has every possible grilling accessory.

The moral of the story ~ a gracious guest doesn't forget a host/hostess gift!  Any of these gift ideas ~ and so many more creative options within a reasonable budget ~ will keep you on any Savvy Host's "A" list.

Entertaining Etiquette...The Art of Being a Gracious Guest

Wow!  Don't know about the rest of the savvy hosts in the world, but we almost got pulled into the undertow of the holiday/end-of-year tide....

So, can we dish for a minute?  We'd love a little feedback and dialogue on an entertaining etiquette topic - The Art of Being a Gracious Guest.

Imagine you've worked hard to create and/or prepare a special menu, set a beautiful table, laid out appropriate libations and attended to all the "back of house" items necessary (the extra hangers and t.p. rolls do matter after all).  Your guests - friends or family - have enjoyed the appetizers and are helping to clear for the main event - your meal.

In the kitchen, hard at work, you find yourself in the midst of the following dialogue:

• "What's in that?  Is that heart-healthy? How many points is that?"
• "Shouldn't you add more (less) salt - pepper - garlic - ...."
• "Wouldn't it be better to serve it this way..."
• "Isn't that too much sauce...salad...rice...food?"
• "Oh, that's just so fattening - how can we eat that?"

This Savvy Host wants to know when it became acceptable to question the host or hostess or offer anything other than a gracious "Wow! that looks wonderful" or "How hard you must have worked to prepare that!".  Time for a little dose of "if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all".

At one otherwise lovely dinner party, we sat next to a certain guest who felt the need to analyze the fat and sugar content of each dish our host placed on the table.  We noticed the host did an excellent job of not dumping the dessert tray into this particular guest's lap for a closer review ;-)

As a guest, it seems only polite to appreciate the hospitality being extended to you.  There has been some level of investment from your host or hostess in creating a wonderful occasion for sharing stories, ideas, laughter and life.  You don't have to accept the invitation after all, but if you do, we think appreciation and respect for whatever the host has arranged is mandatory.

If a guest has special dietary considerations (not necessarily limited to food allergies), they should simply advise the host/hostess when accepting the invitation.

A guest can also limit the amount of food ~ sauce ~ salad ~ rice eaten from the plate.  Add a polite comment about having "filled up on the hors d'oeuvres".  Or a side comment to your host that you are trying to watch what you eat, but "so enjoyed every delicious bite, it was difficult not to lick the plate clean!!"

So many cultures place a high priority on welcoming guests - or visitors - with a showering of abundance, generosity and kindness.  Shouldn't being a "good guest" include respect for the effort that the host/hostess has undertaken to make you feel welcome (whether or not it matches your personal taste?)

Looking for some expertise in dinner party etiquette, we found these posts to hit the mark-

• eSsortment.com's "Etiquette tips: dinner party etiquette" outlines tips for being polite as host and as guest.
• The Art of Manliness, a favorite blog of ours, published "How to be the Perfect Party Guest", offering 11 tips to guide guest behavior ~ many of which emphasize the hard work of the host/hostess including #8 - Compliment the host.
• Amanda Piper-Smith's Guide to Manners - "Dinner Party Manners 101" offers a healthy dose of humor and common sense.

What do you think ~ can we bring the art of being a gracious guest back into fashion in 2010?