Dear Queenie,
I have just finished reading your column from the Friday, January 20, newspaper (Guesti-Ket). Have you not heard of potluck suppers?
I have hosted everything from coffee and muffins for neighbors to formal dinner/dances and I find a potluck supper to be the most fun.
The hostess asks each guest to bring something to complete the menu for the meal. Each guest can then make something special to her and bring it to the gathering. It makes everyone feel like a piece of the bigger part, the meal. Often someone asks for a recipe and everyone seems to complement each other. This really helps if you have a newcomer to the group or someone who might be a bit shy.
The atmosphere of the meal is far more casual and just plain fun.
Try it, you might enjoy it.
I am sorry for the writer of the question to you as she might have missed a party due to your advice.
Queenie, I enjoy reading your column while on-island. I do not always agree but that is life.—E.S.
Dear E.S.,
Yes, I have heard of potluck suppers. However, it is up to the hostess to make it clear in her invitation that it is going to be that kind of event, which apparently was not the case for Guesti-Ket, as she only found out from other invitees, who may have been as bewildered as she was.
Thank you for your input. And FYI, you can find my column every day on The Daily Herald’s website even when you are not on the island.
Dear Queenie,
My fiancé and I are getting married later this year. We have been living together for several years and already have everything we need. So we would rather have people donate to our favourite charity than give us stuff we don’t need.
Queenie, is there a right way to do this?—Bridal Etty Ket
Dear Etty Ket,
According to the rules of etiquette, there should be no mention of gifts of any kind on (or with) your wedding invitations.
However, if anyone asks you what kind of gift you would like to receive you may feel free to tell them what you have told me about making a donation in your name.
Dear Queenie,
Our daughter has decided to quit school before graduation. She has a part-time job, but she lives with us and we pay for her school expenses, cell phone, health and car insurance and clothes.
Queenie, shouldn’t we continue to pay her expenses as long as she lives with us?—Doting mother
Dear Doting,
Not if she is not going to school! And that includes university depending on her age.
If she thinks she is ready to end her education, it is time she started learning what it is like to live in the real world without it. Stop paying her way and if she continues to live with you start charging her rent.
Of course, if she decides to go back to school you should start paying again, until she is ready to graduate (or leave school again) and go out on her own, but only until then.
Dear Queenie,
A friend of mine is getting married and I have been asked to be in the wedding party and have accepted the honor. The wedding is going to take place some distance from where I live and I have also traveled to several pre-wedding events, plus paying for my wedding outfit, and it’s all getting rather expensive.
Queenie, do I still have to give them a wedding gift?—Out-of-town wedding attendant
Dear Out-of-towner,
Yes, but you do not have to spend a lot on it. In fact, if you are handy that way, you could give them something you make yourself. You also are expected to chip in on all attendants’ group gifts.
Dear Queenie,
My husband and I have a satisfying sex life, but it doesn’t include actual intercourse, only what he calls alternative forms of gratification – sex toys and such-like.
Queenie, what could I be doing wrong?—Puzzled wife
Dear Puzzled,
Have you tried to talk to your husband about this? Is it possible that he actually is gay? Or suffers from some form of erectile dysfunction? If the latter is a possibility, encourage him to discuss it with his family physician. A visit(s) to a marriage counsellor and/or a sex therapist might also help.
