Are Dinner Parties Dying in Chattanooga?
When was the last time you had friends over for dinner?
Food as a verb thanks
for sponsoring this series
Aren't the leaves normally on the ground by now?
Three days ago, I mowed the yard. Mowed it! October 18, and I'm setting the blade lower because my front yard is still growing. Above me, all the leaves look mostly green.
Around this time — Fall Break, UT/Bama, winter greens in the ground — I'm raking leaves, not gawking at them as they stay green on the trees.
It's like we're experiencing a Fourth Summer.
Onto our main question of the day:
Earlier this month, one couple — dear friends of Food as a Verb — posted a late-night invitation to some friends. Apparently, this act was countercultural, radical and unorthodox.
What did they do?
They invited friends to come over for dinner.
"We have lots of friends and even our own family members who have little to no social life," this man said.
Why?
"Because they are so content to sit at home consuming social media and streaming services," he continued.
The invitation went out late-at-night. By 8 am., three couples had already said yes. More like: YES!!
"Folks are longing for time around someone's table!!" he said.
He referenced Derek Thompson's You Are No Longer Invited To Dinner.
"We're witnessing the death of hosting in America," Thompson writes. "The share of adults who say they regularly have friends over has declined 70 percent since 1975."
Food as a Verb family, is this your experience?
Are you finding fewer and fewer dinner party invitations? Either received or sent?
And if so ... why?
Not long ago, we asked about restaurant coffee: do you drink it? Do you avoid it? Does it taste like hotel coffee when it should be five-star?
Now, we're asking a second question:
Are dinner parties becoming extinct?
Maybe yes, maybe no. 6 AM City — which publishes NoogaToday and other similar media across the country — began something that caught my eye.
It began hosting a dinner club.
With strangers.
Are folks signing up?
Are dinner parties going the way of Blockbuster Video? (Crocbuster, we see you!)
We'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts.
Finally, I'm proud to be part of an event happening Tuesday, Oct. 27, at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
It's a panel focusing on "Public Health, Health Equity, and Food from Supply to the Table."
"The conversation will follow food from the farm to the table through a health equity lens," said Farron Kilburn, faculty within the UTC's Center for Professional Education, College of Nursing and Honors College.
I'll take the end seat on a fantastic panel: Bridget Walsh, Food is Medicine Coordinator for Chattanooga Area Food Bank and co-founder of Floating Tree; Dr. Marissa McElrone with UTC's Health and Human Performance program and our good friend, bacon scholar and food historian, Dr. Mark Johnson.
The panel is open to students and the public.
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
Aren't the leaves normally on the ground by now?
Three days ago, I mowed the yard. Mowed it! October 18, and I'm setting the blade lower because my front yard is still growing. Above me, all the leaves look mostly green.
Around this time — Fall Break, UT/Bama, winter greens in the ground — I'm raking leaves, not gawking at them as they stay green on the trees.
It's like we're experiencing a Fourth Summer.
Onto our main question of the day:
Earlier this month, one couple — dear friends of Food as a Verb — posted a late-night invitation to some friends. Apparently, this act was countercultural, radical and unorthodox.
What did they do?
They invited friends to come over for dinner.
"We have lots of friends and even our own family members who have little to no social life," this man said.
Why?
"Because they are so content to sit at home consuming social media and streaming services," he continued.
The invitation went out late-at-night. By 8 am., three couples had already said yes. More like: YES!!
"Folks are longing for time around someone's table!!" he said.
He referenced Derek Thompson's You Are No Longer Invited To Dinner.
"We're witnessing the death of hosting in America," Thompson writes. "The share of adults who say they regularly have friends over has declined 70 percent since 1975."
Food as a Verb family, is this your experience?
Are you finding fewer and fewer dinner party invitations? Either received or sent?
And if so ... why?
Not long ago, we asked about restaurant coffee: do you drink it? Do you avoid it? Does it taste like hotel coffee when it should be five-star?
Now, we're asking a second question:
Are dinner parties becoming extinct?
Maybe yes, maybe no. 6 AM City — which publishes NoogaToday and other similar media across the country — began something that caught my eye.
It began hosting a dinner club.
With strangers.
Are folks signing up?
Are dinner parties going the way of Blockbuster Video? (Crocbuster, we see you!)
We'd love to hear your experiences and thoughts.
Finally, I'm proud to be part of an event happening Tuesday, Oct. 27, at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
It's a panel focusing on "Public Health, Health Equity, and Food from Supply to the Table."
"The conversation will follow food from the farm to the table through a health equity lens," said Farron Kilburn, faculty within the UTC's Center for Professional Education, College of Nursing and Honors College.
I'll take the end seat on a fantastic panel: Bridget Walsh, Food is Medicine Coordinator for Chattanooga Area Food Bank and co-founder of Floating Tree; Dr. Marissa McElrone with UTC's Health and Human Performance program and our good friend, bacon scholar and food historian, Dr. Mark Johnson.
The panel is open to students and the public.
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
Food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:
Food as a Verb Thanks our sustaining partner:
Food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:
Join our table
keep reading
