*Today is my birthday
Today is my wedding
Today my sons birthday
Today I got promotion
Today I passed my exam
Today I got admission
Today I got my visa
Today I got job offer
Today friends are visiting
Today is my anniversary
Today is Christmas
Today is Diwali
Today is Eid
Etc Etc Etc. The list is endless*
Whatever be the occasion, people like to throw parties. People wants to enjoy, relax and have fun with family & friends and enjoy the occasion. But when it comes in deciding what to prepare fore food, it gets tough. Everybody has different opinion, different style, different food habits. Sometimes its gets so bad that instead of enjoying the party, people get tensed and occupied with work. So when deciding a menu for a party, I suggest one should remember the following points:
1) Occasion
First and foremost thing to remember when deciding the menu is the OCCASION. This will tell you wether you have to bake cakes or cookies or to buy them. If its birthday, then surely you would like to have cake in the menu along with other things. If its Diwali or Eid, there are special sweets that has to be there in the menu. So depending on the occasion, there are some special dishes to be prepared and should be there in the menu.
2) Crowd and Culture
Second thing to remember is what type of people you are inviting. If they are your immediate friends and family then you surely know their taste, their likes and dislikes. Also, they might prefer to have some of your speciality in the menu, which may not suit the occasion but this being such informal, you can easily include those items. If its cosmo cultural crowd, with people from different caste, religion, countries, ethnicity then make sure to make your menu as common and flexible as possible. Try to include soups and salads, couple of main dishes one mild and one spicy, one veg and one non-veg, etc so that if somebody does not like one item, they have the choice to eat something else and wont be disappointed. In such occasion try to know each person and his or her food habits and cross check with the menu you have tentatively prepared such that he or she can have full meal.
3) Age Group
This is again another important thing to remember. If it’s a birthday party for kids, then you should have stuff what they prefer to eat like cookies, pastries, cakes etc. Try not to include much junk as it will upset their stomach. Also, in such cases, when inviting the kids, try to find out from their parents if they are sensitive or allergic to any foods so that you can avoid giving it to him/her or just avoiding that from the menu all together.
4) Time
Try to remember what time you are planning to throw the party. If its hot summer and afternoon, you don’t want to have hot coffee or tea when guests comes in. They would appreciate if you have lemonade or any other cold drinks. Some like to serve beer or hard liquor and again it varies from culture to culture, occasion to occasion and from time to time. So keep in mind what time you are going to serve the food and drinks and plan it accordingly.
I would personally try to divide my menu in the following manner
Welcome Snacks and Drinks
Startes with Soups and Salads
2 Main dishes
Drinks and Desserts
Remember just selecting the best menu does not mean that you are going to enjoy the party. If all the thing you mentioned requires spot preparation, then you wont have time to sit with the people and enjoy it. So try to make menu as flexible as possible where you can get away with just heating up the stuff instead of preparing it
I am hoping some of you guys will invite me for a party soon. EAGERLY WAITING FOR YOUR INVITATION.
Enjoy and Have Fun
-Rahul