The Namesake Post A # 6

Gogol begins to spend more and more time with Maxine and her family. He moves in with Maxine, and after six months, her parents give him a set of keys to their house. Gogol describes the differences between the dinner parties that Gerald and Lydia have, as opposed to the ones his parents have. "Only a dozen or so guests sitting around the candlelit table [...] talking intelligently until the evening's end. [...] cheerfully unruly evenings to which there were never fewer than thirty people invited, small children in tow" (140). He then describes again, the food differences between the two party styles. In Gerald and Lydia's parties, wine is the center of attention, and in his parent's parties, getting food is the meal priority. I can make connections to this, seeing how I have actually attended many Indian "gatherings," and yes, the parties are like that. Seconds and thirds are a big part. You are expected to keep going up for more food until you are completely full and cannot eat any more. I guess for American dinner parties, it does depend on who the crowd is, but I do agree that some would be conducted like that.