The Project

Three years ago, my husband’s grandmother, Amama, passed away. During the process of cleaning out her home, we found a journal she kept. In the journal, dated from 1975 to 1980, she kept a record of each meal she served to guests in her home. Each entry consists of the date, the names of the guests, occasion, each item that was served, what china was used, what she wore and the guest’s comments about the meal. My guess is that she wanted to keep track of what she served and to whom, so as not to repeat herself, or her clothes. Also, I think this was a way of recording guest’s favorite dishes and also served as a menu template to which she could refer when planning subsequent meals.

As a guest in her home beginning in the late 1980’s, I was immediately in awe of the formality with which the house was run. We were greeted and received in the living room, with hors d'oevres and drinks. There was a piano and real (!) oil paintings on the walls. The furniture was formal as well, with straight back chairs and a firm sofa. There was a large Afghanistan rug that covered most of the hardwood floor. We were then led to the separate dining room, which was also separate from the kitchen. Amama served us each course, with separate dishes for everything, which usually involved carving meat of some kind. Placed above each setting was a small crystal bowl containing salt and an even smaller sliver spoon. Every meal felt like a holiday with the care and presentation of it. After dinner and dessert, we moved back to the living room, with more drinks. There, we sat listening to classical music and hardly spoke. This was my first exposure to such formality and I wanted to re-create some of it in my own home.

In order to explore the life of the formal hostess, I will engage in a month-long performance where I will record the meals that I prepare for my family and guests in a journal. I will also record the same information that she did, including what I wear and what dishes I use. I will photograph the meal preparation, the prepared meals and myself and my family and guests during the meals.