My friend said, “I am going to be very selective about who I include because there are some people who seem to think parties are ‘the more the merrier’ and that is not the cultured event I want to host. The time you asked me to include your mother at Easter, my table was at its max capacity and crowded.”

The time you asked me to include your mother at Easter, my table was at its max capacity and crowded.” I was shocked: My request was 10 years ago and was cheerfully accommodated. I would have stayed home with my mother had I been rebuffed.

My friend was very excited about a new gourmet group they were forming – a rotating dinner party. I told my friend that the idea seemed fun, and I was interested. The next time we met up, my friend raised the subject of the group once again.