Don't want it to end

With the semester drawing to a close, my friends have started to voice their sadness that my weekly dinners will also be ending. Besides being flattered that they believe my food is good, many of them have commented that they've really enjoyed the chance to meet other people through these dinners.

I've always loved having very diverse circles of friends. My dinner attendees have ranged from atheist biochem grad students to my sorority sisters and gay friends. Since they all get along with me, I figured that they'd all get along with each other. 13 dinners in, this seems to be the case. Many of my regular attendees love to come because of the people, and not just the food. Ultimately, this human connection is why I chose this topic. I'm fascinated by interpersonal interactions and qualities that allow people to pleasantly converse. As different as my friends are - the president of Wisconsin Student Lobby, girls on the crew team, boys on the Triathlon team, "stoners", a professional pianist and a family member and a grad with a real job - they all have one thing in common: friendly openmindedness. We've gotten conversations going on topics ranging from nail polish colors and shampoo brands to religious debates around abortion.

Without the food to form a sense of community, I'm not sure that these individuals would ever have come just to hang out with me in the numbers that they have. I've gotten compliments that these dinners are the perfect way to wind down the weekend. Thanks to this blog, good friends, good food, and good conversation can be a reliable part of every attendee's week... what more could I ask from technology?