The Theory of Appetizers

What’s on my mind? Timing is everything. My personal exquisite timing meant buying 10 (count ’em, 10!) five-piece place settings of china with every accessory anyone, anywhere in the world, could ever imagine. My timing was exquisite because this truckload of china landed on my doorstep five minutes before we heard the world was in the grip of a pandemic. 

Once in a lonely while, I’ll remove a plate, or one of several serving platters, or the matching water jug, or the 10 appy servers I also bought, admiring and replacing them in the china cabinet, unused. And here we are today, months later, still on lock-down and still cautious, looking like bank robbers on the lam in our masks. 

So here’s some self promotion. I also write a recipe blog. I borrowed from it a couple of days ago, in my post about Linda W.’s Daughter’s Miso Chicken Recipe. So now I’m borrowing again, from a post that appeared four years ago, almost exactly to the day. 

Why? It’s a fun piece. Canada Day and the Fourth of July will soon be upon us. If for no other reason, let this post serve as a reminder of better days to come - days when guests will grace our doorsteps, days when life will return to a semblance of normal, days when I can use my new china. Here’s the post from Nicole Parton’s Favorite Recipes. https://nicoleparton.blogspot.com

A friend of a friend in Washington, DC, where some pret-ty fan-cy par-tays take place, sends along The Theory of Appetizers, which she very cleverly happens to have invented. The friend of a friend is Rebecca Scott, formerly the special events manager of the Folger Shakespeare Library on Capitol Hill. I’m indebted to Rebecca for this succinct and clever summary of all you need to dazzle the masses with a tasty array of appetizers.

A thing on a stick. A thing on a thing. A thing in a ball.

Translation?

A thing on a stick: Examples? Thai Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce or Chorizo-Bacon Bites or any thing that connects to any other thing with a skewer or a toothpick. 

A thing on a thing: Examples? Cheese-Stuffed Apricot Bites or Cucumber Shrimp  or Smoked Oysters in Tomato Cases.

A thing in a ball: Examples? Ball-shaped things such as the too, too delicious Basilica Torta or Brie en Croûte.

And that, folks, is all you really need to take you through a summer of potlucks and barbecues and Washington, DC, par-tays. When a potluck, barbecue, or par-tay comes your way, you will be ready! 

Appetizers: How Much and How Many Per-Person? 

If you’re having an early meal, expect guests to eat four or five. If the meal’s going to be late, count on six or seven. If you’re not serving a meal, your guests will consume eight or nine appys, on average. 

© Nicole Parton, 2020 (from a piece by Rebecca Scott, Washington, DC)