What did it cost?
Party Guy
I don’t usually keep this information on private parties,
but the anatomy of a party would hardly be complete without it.
* This does not includes wines or other alcoholic drinks that may have been consumed, and no I am not telling.
* This does not include any guesstimates on how much electricity, gas or other energy may have been consumed. I have no idea.
* This does not include any normal pantry items used in tiny quantities, like less than a couple of tablespoons. I didn’t use very much of that sort of thing, but there are spices and herbs used in everything that was cooked.
* About one-half of what I made was left over. I meant to have leftover lamb for something I am making in a couple of weeks. That’s in the freezer. I gave the rest away to friends and neighbors
Spanikopita: €9.18
phyllo €3.79
butter €.89
spinach €.50
cheeses €4.00
Babaganouj: €4.93
eggplants/aubergines €3.88
lemon €.30
sesame tahini €.70
garlic €.10
Bessara: €2.19
dried fave €1.89
garlic €.20
spice mixture zataar €.15
Lamb (two complete small legs): €25.25
lamb €24.50
chermoula €.75
Cous cous: €5.39
cous cous €1.89
beans €1.00
broth (homemade) €2.50
Galektoboureko dessert: €7.16 (FYI this thing weighed 9.5 pounds including the dish!)
phyllo €3.79
milk €1.20
eggs €1.08
sugar €.20
butter €.89
In a quick adding up by hand and brain I get €54.10 which divided by 8 equals €6.76 each. Try that in any restaurant. In truth you could easily feed 12 with what I made, even if some had big appetites.
You can’t put a price tag on your time and dedication, but then friends and the time you spend with them are priceless.
The above image comes from this website and shows the consequences of a game called Cho Dai Dee. They don’t tell much about the game, how to play it or especially why. It appears to be very international, however.
Testing comments.
What a pity! I was hoping your party had turned kinda wild and that was one of your guests!
Hehehe that’s what I wanted you to think.
I too was thinking – “that must have been SOME party”! :)
The information on how much everything ended up costing is great though. I’ve always said, you can eat better at home, for less money and have more fun (lampshades included). I don’t know how many times I’ve gone to a restaurant, paid a sack of money and ended up being disappointed in what I ate. It sounds like your menu was a big hit.
By the way, love the new look!
I am so happy to see your comment. I was afraid everybody had abandoned ship!
Yes, although I know food costs are good only for the town one is in, most things are relative in price, assuming you can get them. When I had my country place I used to shop in the big city once in a while to get interesting things, whereas here I can get most ordinary Italian things and quite a lot of North African food.
Assuming there is eggplant in your supermarket, it likely has the same relationship to lamb that it has here. Does that make sense?
Anyway, people almost always estimate too high when they think of food costs. One could easily spend 3 to 10 times as much on drinks and wine. In Italy, people bring you wine!
I have some very pretty lampshades, but so far no one has ever wanted to wear one. Not even Amanda’s husband mentioned it.