Natasha Feldman started hosting dinner parties in her 20s. The bubbly cookbook author of The Dinner Party Project thinks they could be more than just a meal — they could help solve America’s epidemic of loneliness, as stated in a public advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy last year.
“I have found it to be such a source of community-building and joy for all the hard times and the good times, and a way to measure time passing,” Feldman tells KCRW. “It's nice to have these regular events to help you structure what's happening in your life and make sure that there are people around you.”
Feldman finds one-on-one conversation and breaking bread to be a humanizing and empathizing experience.
“I think a lot of people are struggling for ways to feel like they can connect, ways that they can heal. And this sense of collective healing is something that we can do in our own backyards or [around] dining room tables. By inviting people in and creating this space, we're all more receptive and excited to take in new information and to feel less closed off.”
Her big message: Don’t be pressured by the perfection of celebrity chefs and social media. “The more you try and play and experience, the closer you're gonna get to figuring out what your ideal dinner party is.”
In her book, she has suggestions for group cooks (where friends come over to help ease the pressure of cooking), potlucks, and takeout.
“I think the concept of the dinner party is just eating with people, building community, creating that sense of place and safety and warmth that you can then go out in the world with. And if that's ordering pizza and having some wine and maybe making a salad if you feel like it, to me that is just as much of a dinner party as if you slaved in the kitchen for seven hours.”
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