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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't know if dietary things are part of "from abroad" like no meat, Kosher, whatever. If it's simple order pizza or get frozen pizzas and bake them maybe throw some extra shredded cheese on. Serve with wine or beer or sparkling water..if they are passing thru they don't need lots of alcohol or staying late. Serve whatever you can almost ungrudgingly afford. Dessert can be ice cream, sauce, whipped cream, spring for sprinkles and cherries. Real American![/quote]

This is good advice, and honestly they might really enjoy having pizza (assuming they are not coming from Italy!) and ice cream sundaes or brownies or something like that. Costco has good stuff too - just put it on a nice platter.

I totally understand your irritation and anxiety, and I can also see that you’re not really feeling like you can get out of it. I have social anxiety too, and I find that I almost always work things up to be way worse than they turn out to be. If you go through with it, it might end up being a fun evening, or at least not a terrible one. Maybe they are lovely people with funny stories. Coming to a “real American” home might be the highlight of their trip. I do hope you will keep us posted on whatever you decide to do.

I’m reminded of a question I always ask myself when I find I’m thinking about all the worst-case scenarios: “What if it’s awesome?” It might be![/quote]

Funny, I have social anxiety and the way I talk myself through such situations is by asking: "What's the worse that could happen?" When you think about it... no one's going to die from a possibly disappointing dinner! :-)

Are you afraid they'll see you don't live in luxury in America? Great, they won't ask you for much in the future. Are you afraid they'll be shocked at what you offer? Great, you're a normal person and not a professional chef. Are you afraid you'll need to clean your house beyond your usual standards? A good opportunity to have a nice clean-up, right? Are you afraid they're report all your weaknesses to everyone they know? They won't, but even if they did, allow yourself to bask in your quirky self without shame. No one thinks the worse of you. Are you afraid of making small talk with strangers? Think about their lives. Pretend you care. Make a list of questions and topics you want to broach. Go where the conversation takes you. [/quote]

All of it to be honest. People are not usually that kind when I have them over. My house is clean and I would say nice (not luxurious, but nice) but I've had people criticize it, same with my cooking, or not eating stuff I made, or telling me after it wasn't a good evening...I think having so very many little comments made over the years as I was already forcing myself to host has made me completely scared of people. I can't take a negative comment anymore in this context of my already trying hard to do something I don't want to do in the first place. I also truly don't care to know people anymore.[/quote]

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