As is to be expected Lin has once again come up with a topic for which I had to do some research. I had never heard this phrase before. Thankfully the research did not take too long and I found exactly what I was looking for in Wikipedia. Since Wikipedia is quite clear in its explanations, I simply copy paste their version and leave my comments to another aspect of entertainment later in this LBC post.
“A progressive dinner (US) or safari supper (UK) is a dinner party with successive courses prepared and eaten at the residences of different hosts. Usually this involves the consumption of one course at each location. Involving travel, it is a variant on a potluck dinner and is sometimes known as a round-robin. An alternative is to have each course at a different dining area within a single large establishment. In a safari supper, the destination of the next course is generally unknown by the participants, and they have to decipher a clue before moving on. In the USA, participants go to each house for the various courses. Often there is a regional theme for each dinner, such as Italian, German, or French. Various wines to suit the courses are often served at each location. A challenge is keeping the food warm and ready at each location. An alternative is to have the courses at different restaurants.
This style of eating has recently become popular as a charity fundraiser in rural Britain and is seen as a good way of meeting different neighbors in the community by virtue of each participant having separate guests.”
~ Wikipedia.
I have never been to a Progressive party and I am in no condition to experiment with one. I can safely leave that for younger people. In my time, something similar to progressive dinner would have been what we called pub crawling which on occasion turned into home bar crawling after the pubs had closed down. We would go from one home with some stock of booze to another till we had had our fill. I haven’t done that either in decades and do not visualize doing that ever again.
Anyway, thanks Lin for introducing me to another very interesting concept in entertainment.
I went to a progressive Christmas party this year – cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at two houses and desserts at the last. It was a lot of fun. We’ve sign up to be on next year’s circuit.
Secret Agent Woman recently posted..Ireland, Day 8: Ennis
That is interesting. You are the only commentator on this post that has had first hand experience in the recent past.
In cold wet Ireland having to move from house for every course of a meal would certainly put a damper on the evening. A Pot luck supper is a much better idea. I am looking forward to a rather special family Pot Luck lunch in July, with contributions from three generations both male and female. We are blessed with exceptionally talented and imaginative cooks… I am hungry already.
Grannymar recently posted.. Life has been busy
Pot luck and pound parties are popular here too. No doubt a legacy from our colonial past.
It’s been years, but we have attended both progressive dinner and cocktail parties as part of newcomers activities. They indeed were good ways to make new acquaintances.
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You are among the few commentators who know what it is about. I suspect from what I gather in the comments, that it is confined to some parts of the USA and to some communities.
I have not been invited to many of these, but your post made me smile. We had a number of interesting events when we first moved to our current house. People would knock on our door for a given course of an event – for food – something we knew nothing about and we’re not invited to. Not sure what address they wanted! So, maybe they still happen (10 years ago?)!
Must have been embarrassing to say the least!
Yes, I’ve partaken but in the end, most were drunk as the wines served with each course were over the top and it was pre-designated driver days.
XO
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wisewebwoman recently posted..Deep Thoughts
Ah, the pre-designated driver days of GB! Since I was always a guest there, I did not have to do the duty so, I could tank up to my heart’s content!
I’ve never heard of either progressive dinners or safari suppers. They’re certainly not a culinary tradition in these parts. Personally I would rather stay put in one place than go traipsing from one house to another, but different strokes for different folks etc.
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As Grannymar points out, the climate may well have something to do with it not getting popular in Ireland.
Sometimes a progressive dinner occurs a long a street of eateries – where long tables adorn the kerb/footpath – and you go from one place to another eating your fill – usually it’s some sort of charity dinner where you pay up front…
also could be similar to a potluck dinner…
That makes a great deal of sense to me.
Wow, we had rip-roarin’ times with these in our day. We perfected them by writing clues to where the courses would be held and then guests in teams to find their dinner. At one point we even sold these dinners at charitable auctions with soup from a witch’s cauldron in a cemetery and a main course set up on an vacant lot on a busy street corner. Fun days!
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You are among the few of my readers, who had personal experience of this.