Or Good Host for that matter.
How long can u last at being an attentive Host / Hostess when u have guests round for either just dinner, or staying the night, or more than 1 night?
I can manage only 1 dinner and 1 breakfast. After that I want my guests to either help themselves, or LEAVE!!!
I think it depends on who is the guest if they are your favourite then no problem, if they are annoying people, one sitting is enough.
Our close friends family whenever came to us after 3 hrs drive they stay at our place and when we go there we do the same. So when they came on friday night, we both enjoyed dinner and (we help each other when she is at my place or me at hers) and after some gupshup my hubby and her hubby and kids go to sleep we start our gupshup for almost 3-4 am then we go to sleep, then on saturday again enjoying heavy brunch, then saturday dinner at home or bar-b-q in some park. Then same schedule on sunday breakfast. Then in afternoon of sunday they went back to home.
Every time when they came or we went there we both try new dishes and we are enjoying with each other company, she has two kids of 5 and 4, and I have a baby of 2.5, so all kids enjoying with each other.
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
i am always a good host, but that means a laid back casual host and I expect guests to be at ease .. i aint no servant and they aint no kings..I will do what I can but my place is not a spa and I am not a staff member. Those who come with such formality type expectations are not happy I suppose, those who are chilled out types they have a blast.
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
its soooo hard being attentive all the time, i have to give props to people who can do it! it looks bad if your not.
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
My parents are super duper amazing hosts. I am more of the 'make yourself at home' type.
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
riyaaa kia yaad karadiya.. i want chicken and rice with sauce 
My parents are super duper amazing hosts. I am more of the 'make yourself at home' type.
my family as well. when someone enters our house we have to present ourselves to them..................keep serving, cooking and attending them no matter what.
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
^same here…I love being a host, I got this habit from mom. Ever heard of ‘Sindh k log bohat mehman nawaz hote hain.’? 
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
i'm of the X2 frame of mind, although i admit, i'm a clean freak and the house has to sparkle before they come over or i fuss about it- i try to time people's visits for the day after the maid comes, or i go crazy cleaning everything myself. i also sometimes go overboard with the food but that really depends on who's coming- for example, if its my bff, she can cook for me lol i sort of just hover around "being helpful" :p
Jias, u must like these ppl to do that. I really think i wouldn't b able to b very welcoming to guests that much. I've had a family stay with us over friday, saturday, leave sunday pm, but when they left i was rejoicing! Its bcos when u r the host u can't just sit and relax in your own home knowing that u r going to b responsible for making sure the people have something to eat for the next meal, even if someone's helping.
X2, i totally agree with your way of thinking, i aint no servant, and they aint no kings, however, sometimes when its just men who come over, like husbands friends, then he needs to be entertaining them whilst im in the kitchen, can't really expect these lone men to go to the kitchen to help. Husband does help, but i send him back inside to sit with guests, cos they might feel neglected.
xclusive - yes its DEFINITELY hard to be attentive all the time.
Shay and Aiklarkithi, my parents are also in the same category as both yours. Maybe it has something to do with them having more Pakistani hospitality morals than us. Western view to hosting is more relaxed i think.
CorruptAngel, so u love being a host? So tell us, what is the longest time u have kept it up for, did it not wear your patience thin?
SGC, my house is most usually a mess, but my husband says that guests should come over more often, bcos just b4 they do the house is really clean and tidy, cos i do the panic run around turbo clean (and delegate jobs to husband too!).
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
Has anyone had kids stay with them before? We did, they came with their family, parents requested spicy paksitani food, but rang b4 hand to warn us that their kids didnt eat spicy and preferred chicken burgers, fries etc.
So I bought some of that frozen stuff for kids. I couldnt believe it, the 2 kids ate enough for 3 meals in ONE SITTING!!! So then i had to go shopping the next day for more fast food type stuff for those kids.
And the strange thing is, next time we visited them, kids were tucking into spicy pakistani food without problem. Explain that???
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
My attitude is that people are pretty much always welcome in our home, provided the following:
I love being a hostess, but I have so many responsibilities in the family and at work, that I cannot ALWAYS be the kind of hostess my mother is. I like to do it, I wish I could do it often, but after a while, I have to think of myself and my own happiness. I don't want to resent my guests. If something is too overwhelming for me, I'd rather be honest and straight-forward about it.
I've seen my parents taken advantage of their entire lives, and of course that is the fault of those taking advantage, but it is also my parents that allow it to happen. Then they are unhappy and hurt and bitter. I won't put myself in the same situation.
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
RupayHalwa,
The longest I'd say was 3 weeks when my MIL and FIL were visitng(we were meeting for the first time after wedding) but I guess it doesn't count? my sister and her baby visited for 2.5 weeks once and also a couple months back, we had my hubby's uncle's family over, three people including a 5 yr old kid for 6 days. I mostly cooked at home but we occasionally went out to eat. It was awesome. I love having guests over eventhough sometimes it gets stressful. I think it's perfectly normal!
My attitude is that people are pretty much always welcome in our home, provided the following:
sahar, what did you mean by #1?? I agree with your points although I havent had that kind of experience yet. :)
My attitude is that people are pretty much always welcome in our home, provided the following:
I love being a hostess, but I have so many responsibilities in the family and at work, that I cannot ALWAYS be the kind of hostess my mother is. I like to do it, I wish I could do it often, but after a while, I have to think of myself and my own happiness. I don't want to resent my guests. If something is too overwhelming for me, I'd rather be honest and straight-forward about it.
I've seen my parents taken advantage of their entire lives, and of course that is the fault of those taking advantage, but it is also my parents that allow it to happen. Then they are unhappy and hurt and bitter. I won't put myself in the same situation.
I too have seen this happen to my parents, but THEY NEVER LEARN!!! I don't know why, maybe its so strongly instilled in their culture as they were growing up. I believe it is better to treat others how they would treat u.
RupayHalwa, The longest I'd say was 3 weeks when my MIL and FIL were visitng(we were meeting for the first time after wedding) but I guess it doesn't count? my sister and her baby visited for 2.5 weeks once and also a couple months back, we had my hubby's uncle's family over, three people including a 5 yr old kid for 6 days. I mostly cooked at home but we occasionally went out to eat. It was awesome. I love having guests over eventhough sometimes it gets stressful. I think it's perfectly normal!
NOOO, FIL and MIL don't count in this game! However, it seems that u have an amazing ability to cope very well with everyone else who comes to stay.
The longest i have had guests for is a 3 week NIGHTMARE of a strange family who turned up on my doorstep from another country, just bcos they were related to a friend of one of my relatives. I was quite naive at the time, but now if that happened to me i would directly order them out.
sahar, what did you mean by #1?? I agree with your points although I havent had that kind of experience yet. :)
I love to serve tea and make dinner. But if someone is sitting in the living room, bellowing out requests and demanding to be treated like a king, I will not do it. I won't show them the exit. I just won't do what they are asking me to.
Also some people are ridiculously picky about how food is being prepared. You don't like it? Cook yourself or go get some food. I do the best I can, but I will not torment myself for your frivolities.
family related to friend of your relative??wow , and you let them stay with you for 3 weeks? No, I dont have that kind of patience. It’s not much of a issue of too much work for me, it’s an issue of privacy and personal space.
BTW, a long long time ago when I used to chat on yahoo a lot there was this Indian online friend of mine who I had been talking to for quite some time, he said his family was coming to US and said since we were such great friends that I HAD to keep them at my house and treat them nicely until they find their own place… needless to say, i blocked him out of my list!
Oh God, the next thing you mentioned reminds me of my dad’s family(my phupo, chachi family, etc)…Whenever they used to visit, they used to criticize my mom on every little thing she did in the kitchen. Them and their 2 dozen daughters would gather around in kitchen and talk about how my mom didn’t know how to cook food properly. My mom is an amazing cook but her cooking style is more Pakistani and they are Indians so ofcourse it’s different but NO they will still criticize her. 
I think it’s a given that guests should appreciate the efforts of the host family. Some people are just ungrateful and I agree that we shouldn’t take such treatments from them.
Re: How long can u keep up the Good Hostess Act???
^ KILL 'EM, KILL THEM ALL!!!