Dear Cool Girls.
I will be hosting my first dinner party in a few weeks. Among those guests invited, some are in their golden years, and another has had health issues in the past. I want everything to go smoothly and feel in control for the most part. However, I do have a lingering fear of, (oh how should I say this?) What if one of my guests were to pass away during dinner?. That would so ruin EVERYTHING and all of my hard work. Far-fetched I know, but could you please advise of how best to respond if this unpleasant event were to occur?
Dying to Know
Dear Dying,
Well first, it's totally unacceptable and rude to die in the middle of anyone's dinner party, and I would hope you are inviting a higher caliber guest than anyone who would commit such a social faux pas. However should such an unfortunate event take place it's important that the consummate hostess know how to respond and carry on. And I can help you with that.
The ideal circumstance would be if the deceased guest were to appear to have just fallen asleep. This will not reflect badly on you, but on your guest, who others will rightly assume has never learned the fine art of dinner party conversation and has ( aghast) fallen asleep from boredom.
Another possibility, and one I especially like because we are creating a positive from a negative, is to prop your deceased guest up against a wall. Quickly, but gently, form their fingers around a serving tray and let them serve the hors d'oeuvres or after dinner drinks. A perfect solution I think you'll agree, because you, the “hostess with the mostest”, have found a way of making all of your guests feel important and involved in the evening's festivities.
I have some lovely ideas for planning the perfect funeral as well. But, perhaps we will save those for another day.
Best of luck with your party “Dying”
It's a "Good Thing"
Martha "Jules" Stewart
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