It's hard to describe CMH Dinner Club because it hasn't been around very long. It is doubly hard because it isn't really mine (it isn't really any one person's club). Despite that, I'm going to try to do it here.
Things you should know:
1 - There is one rule to CMH Dinner Club: you cannot arrive empty-handed unless you are really funny AND good at washing dishes. Okay, seriously, I do not know that there are rules to this club. There is definitely peer pressure to bring food that you prepared.
2 - CMH Dinner Club started with a wistful tweet and much encouragement and enabling by food lovers around the city.
3 - The Twitter account (which maintains a private setting) was created only to share the address and phone number of the host/hostess's house. (We let non-Twitterers attend too so there is also a Facebook account. We'll trap you into our social media web somehow.) There are several of us with the password to these accounts. We really only want to share our address and phone number with people that intend on joining us for a meal.
Here is our unofficial method of determining whos follow request gets accepted:
- We don't accept follow requests on the day of a dinner (it is like RSVP-ing on the day of an event; we don't want the hosts or guests to feel last minute pressure).
- We don't accept follow requests from someone that hasn't been participating in the conversation leading up to a dinner (mention @CMHDinnerClub or join the conversations with other guests). We know Twitter and Facebook suggest accounts for everyone to follow/friend. We have no idea if you are interested in joining us for a meal or just accepting those suggestions.
- We don't accept follow requests from businesses because we don't think businesses actually want to party with us. Feel free to prove us wrong.
- I think that is it. Yup.
We haven't been around long enough to have unfollow rules. I imagine that there will be a day where we start unfollowing people if they are not attending any of the dinners. Not because we don't like them or because they are not invited, but again, the point of the accounts is to share our private contact information with a bunch of strangers over the internet.
4 - Everyone is invited. Very few of us knew each other in real life before that first dinner.
5 - A dinner happens when a good idea and brilliant name spark interest. Our dinners thus far have been:
Winner, winner (Thomas Keller's fried) chicken dinner
"The family you choose" post-Thanksgiving poutine dinner
The Showcase of Crusted Arts: a dinner of pie
Grilled and Chilled: from fire to ice
6 - Anyone can host a dinner at their house. What you can expect if you host:
- control of accepting friend requests on Twitter and Facebook
- no idea ahead of time how many people are showing up until well into the actual dinner party
- a crowd of interesting and interested people (it usually ends up being about 20 people)
- delicious leftovers
- abandoned kitchen equipment
I know that this sounds good. To find out what ideas are being bantered around (or who is talking), click here and then join in.
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UPDATE: New location for updates and events HERE And if you need a password, try "freedom"