Party Tips: Estimating Variety and Quantity

While we can force-fit Asian selections into the nutritional categories as shown above, it is simply not what Asians would do. Instead, the Asian mind set is to serve an endless variety of different dishes in small enough quantities so that when one dish runs out it can be replaced with yet another dish. This presumes that the host has a chef on hand to keep the table filled. The only rule is that there be a variety of dishes containing pork, chicken, fish, beef, vegetables, and sweets. Strictly speaking, in the aristocratic Asia of bygone days, rice would not ordinarily be served, as it is considered a filler, rather than a legitimate dish... and might intimate to the guests that the host couldn't afford more varieties. Noodles, on the other hand, are a symbol of long life and would be included in the array of dishes. Since we are not living in bygone days, rice prepared in its many forms (chicken fried rice, pork fried rice, white rice), is certainly acceptable.

As the knowledgeable host you already know that a traditional Thai, Lao, Cambodian, Burmese, Vietnamese family dinner or party will almost always have a soup dish, a couple of vegetable, meat or fish dishes, rice or noodles, and some sweet to serve at the end of the meal. You are also aware that not everyone can tolerate hot spicy foods and some will not eat meats. Here are some other things we might want to think about that will influence our dish selections.

Are your guest's big eaters or do they just like to nibble?
How much variety do you want to allow?
Are there any vegetarians?
Will the vegetarians eat fish or are they strictly Vegan?
How many like very Hot and Spicy foods?
How long will your party last?

Example
Now that you are armed with the information you need to help make dish selections let's proceed with an example. We'll assume you have ten guests. As you can see below, our worksheet for an Asian party is a little different than for an American party.

As a guide, we use 30 total ounces of food per guest. If you have a particularly hungry crowd, use 35 total ounces per guest. If your crowd is comprised of light eaters, use 25 total ounces per guest. In our example, we'll multiply 30 ounces for each guest and use that result to help us select our menu.

Step 1
Fill in the table using a guest count of 10. Multiply the number in the Allocation column by the Number of Guests to determine the Total Quantity Needed for each Food Group.

Keep in mind that Specialty Dishes all contain 22 ounces of the item and not everyone will eat the full allocation of each food group. If you decide to have soup, logistics requires that you have a small bowl and a soup spoon for each of your guests. If you forgo soups, you simply reallocate the 6 ounces of Soup to the Specialty Dish allocation or the Dessert allocation. The end objective is to maintain the 25-35 ounce Total Quantity (per person).

Step 2
To calculate how many Specialty Dish trays are needed for each Food Group, divide Total Qty Needed by 22 ounces. In this step you have some flexibility to adjust your quantities. You can round up or down to the nearest whole number. Rounding up will give you more food per person for the Food Group. Rounding down will give you less food per person for the Food Group.

Step 3
Now that you know how many trays you need for each Food Group you can select your menu items. The combinations are endless so we have taken the liberty to suggest a reasonable selection of items.

In this example, we have taken into account a couple of vegetarian guests, people who like hot and spicy foods(*), provided Soup and Desserts, and added rice and noodles as fillers. At the same time, we have presented a wide variety of food for all palates. By using the Specialty Dish tray count concept, you have total flexibility to adjust your menu. If you don't want Soup... ignore the Soup selections and increase the Specialty Dish selections with two additional trays and increase the Desserts selections by one additional tray. Increase the quantity by adding trays, decrease the quantity by removing trays. It's that easy.

It's really easy and half the fun of having a party is in the planning. As an added feature to your party, you might want to consider transferring the contents of the heated trays to fancy bowls or small oblong serving dishes and present the foods as a small buffet. Another nice touch might be to chop some fresh scallions or coriander and add it to the top of each dish. In any event, your party will be remembered by your guests for a long time to come.