SAT JUNE 27, THE BIGGEST AND BEST YET

8:45pm and I was starting to panic, more than 60 people about to descend upon my doorstep… Thankfully help arrived in the angelic form of Hyon, soon followed by Amanda (guest of honour, my old friend all the way from Sydney), the ever-lovely Jamie and a spectacular Brigitte. Food was laid on the buffet table and last minute details were tended to before the onslaught of the masses.

I was somewhat concerned about the “over-booking” with 60+ confirmed, but in the end there were a few no-shows (which I consider very rude but in this case perhaps a blessing). The final total was 59 guests - 32 women and 27 men. Of these there were 33 first timers and 26 repeats including a hard core of regulars! The relatively limited number of nationalities present, a mere 15, I would have to blame on the local invasion, with 23 Spanish/Catalans it would seem they are trying to claim the cosmosoirée for their own;) There was also a healthy U.S. contingent of 10, and a sprinkling each from Australia, Italy, France, Britain and Germany. Holland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden managed to rustle up a representative or two, and I was particularly “encantada” to receive 3 latino americanos (además todos chicos guapos) from Venezuela, Peru and Argentina… bárbaro!

The highlights of the 1st course buffet were Hyon’s delectable oriental summer rolls with peanut sauce, wonderful salads by Jamie, Brigitte, Paolo and myself, Natalia’s mouthwatering meatballs and Maite’s exquisite quiche. Unfortunately my lovingly- prepared tabuleh salad remained neglected in the fridge behind a mountain of bottles, and I completely forgot to put it out! Oh well, it was very much enjoyed by my workmates on Monday.

With my kitchen overtaken by party animals I did as best I could to serve out my old faithful chicken curry in a civilised manner, and it went down a treat as ever. Then finally the dessert selection - fruit salad, chocolate torta, a special coca from Olot (thanks Jordi) and my childhood special honeycrackles (a little underdone, sorry) – and I think I managed to perfect the surprise spotlight dessert presentation on the terrace table amid gasps of appreciation.

At that point I was able to relax and enjoy the party, and what fun it was! The terrace was even more packed than usual with people enjoying the balmy summer evening. Later some ingenious guests cooled off by wading in the icy bathtub, and some crazy photos were taken (I want to see them!) There was salsa dancing and general mayhem till 3am... luckily my neighbours were away!

For the moment I’m not planning another event over the summer, at least not in my loft. But you never know, I might suddenly be inspired, or have a special event in a different venue. There will indeed be une petite soirée in September… and a welcome back authentic cosmosoirée in October. See you then!

TONIGHTS EVENT IS FULL, NO MORE PLACES!

EL EVENTO DE ESTA NOCHE ESTA LLENO, NO QUEDAN PLAZAS!

PARTY REPORT SATURDAY MAY 30

It was a beautiful warm night, summer was in the air at last… and most of Barcelona was out of town for the holiday weekend! Would anyone come to cosmosoirée???

I optimistically prepared my house anyway, and left the terrace awning-less to reveal a clear sky with the illuminated crown of my neighbouring skyscraper hovering overhead like a UFO... It was still dusk when the first trickle of guests started to arrive, naturally gravitating out onto the terrace to the fresh air, and the drinks! Gradually the trickle grew into a respectable sized crowd, smaller than usual with just 38 people, but a very interesting and animated group, and the party soon got going!

I know you’re all hanging out for the vital statistics - there were 20 men and 18 women, exactly evenly matched between first timers and repeat attenders - 19/19. We had the lowest ever count of countries of origin with a mere 12, mostly the predictable ones, but I am happy to report two new nationalities on the cosmosoirée list – China and the Dominican Republic!

I for one especially enjoyed the evening, perhaps because it was smaller and more intimate than usual I was able to relax and socialise more. But even objectively speaking I would say that it was a great mix of people and everybody seemed to have a wonderful time, thanks to all for being such fabulous guests! Also a special mention to DJ Julius for providing the cool vibes, and to Stephane for doing a great job as my official helper :)

Might I also take a moment to congratulate myself;) for preparing basically ALL the food. With most of my friends away I couldn’t rely on the delicious dishes usually brought by a number of them so apart from the scrumptious croquetas made by Natalia and Ana (gracias chicas), I provided every other morsel of food. I managed to fill the buffet table with a nice array of salads, of which the bok choy was the clear favourite, plus jacket potatoes with cashew pesto, guacamole etc... My main course chicken curry was possibly the yummiest ever (in my opinion), and since it is toned down for delicate local palates I was rather astonished that several Spanish guests asked me to spice it up! Be warned for next time;) For dessert, along with a giant fruit salad, I managed to throw together a very impressive and surprisingly delicious layered chocolate cake with berries on top… I think this will be making a regular appearance!

Now that the weather is hotting up the logistics of preparing and keeping all the food and drinks cool has become quite a challenge I must say. In fact my fridge was seriously threatening to go on strike with the work overload, not to mention the difficulty for myself working in such conditions and the possible discomfort of the crowd in summer... So the plan for the moment is that the next party on June 27 will probably be the last such one until after the summer… However there could be a few surprises with special events and a change of venue, so keep watching this space!

No more photos sorry, I was having too much fun and forgot...

PARTY REPORT APRIL 25

Hey everyone! Another great party, the biggest yet... but no time to write an elaborate reportage this week, I'm too busy trying to hold on to my day-job for as long as I can;) Here are the basic facts and figures... and plenty of photos!

Guests - 57
Women - 27
Men - 30
Countries of origin - 17
Repeat attenders - 35
First timers - 22
SFS absentees - 3

Dinner highlights:
-Paolo's artichoke quiche
-Jamie's potato salad
-Ana's samosas
-Isabel's hummus
-Jordi's pasta salad
-My bok choy salad and chicken curry
-Anna's blueberry pie
-Stephane's banana chopping;)

New friends made - lots!

PARTY REPORT SATURDAY MARCH 28

Undaunted by the bad weather a determined cosmocrowd turned out last Saturday for another hugely successful soirée. A total of 53 fabulous international people braved the heavy rain and joined together to eat, drink, be merry and make new friends! This time only 3 unfortunate confirmees had been struck down by SFS (sudden flu syndrome) and could not make it. The male/female ratio was evenly matched with 27 women and 26 men (mosty single and gorgeous;). There were 17 “repeat attenders” who had been to at least one of the 3 previous events, and 36 first-timers.

Amongst the guests from 20 different countries of origin there was a notable majority of Scandinavians and Northern Europeans, plus the usual healthy dose of North Americans and an ever- growing Australian contingent. Not to forget the sprinkling of Italian stallions and plenty of guapas and guapos from our host country. It’s also great to see some guests hailing from more exotic places such as Albania, Turkey and India. Our one Colombian guest was strangely the ONLY representative of the American continents south of the US border! Vamos, no puede ser, han de venir mas latinos!!!

I’m not sure if it was the rain or the presence of so many strapping young men (or the combination of both) but the abundant food supply was hungrily devoured and there was very little left-over this time. It was evidently greatly appreciated and complimented on, highlights being Sonja’s two delicious salads, Salvatore’s spinach and ricotta pie and mini-pizzas, my bok choy and pasta salads, samosas and pakoras from Ana, my ever-popular chicken curry, and to top it off Irma’s incredible chocolate cake! I would also like to thank Irma for all her help and support during the evening, and even with the cleaning up the next day:)

The soirée wound up around 1.30 – 2am with everyone enthusing about what a great time they'd had and vowing to come again. Many new found friends formed groups to continue the night in bars and clubs. For me a quick night-cap to wind down and hit the sack, exhausted but happy with such a wonderful evening!

Photos courtesy of Frances Farrell
P.S. Actually these are from the previous party but none were taken this time!

PARTY REPORT FEB 28

Well, what can I say… it was HUGE! Only the third cosmosoirée ever but word seems to be spreading fast. We had 52 official guests (plus a few blow-ins) from 20 different countries of origin, including for the first time Sweden, Norway, Canada, Peru and India. The male/female ratio was however slightly imbalanced with women out-numbering men 32 to 20… so come on guys, that should be an incentive for you to sign up for the next one!

Once again the first course buffet was an impressive spread, highlights including Salavatore’s spinach and ricotta pie and mini-pizzas, Paolo’s artichoke quiche, delicious salads by Anna, Dani and myself, and some superb jamon from Josema. As the main course my chicken curry did not disappoint it's fans, and the dessert selection (served on the terrace this time) starred Salvatore’s panna cotta and Bea’s apple tart…Yum!

However of course the food is not the priority, the main idea is for everyone to meet new people and have a great time, and the cosmosoirée formula certainly seems to work in that respect! There was a wonderful vibe, with an interesting and varied crowd mingling and enjoying the company of new-found friends - as an example the evidence can always be seen on facebook in the following days!

Another personal highlight for me was the unexpected guest appearance of my very dear friend Frances, who hopped on a plane from Madrid just to be at the party and surprise me:)

The only slight downer of the evening was that my neighbours complained once or twice so I will have to control a couple of things in the future… no dropping-in late (and especially ringing the wrong doorbell), in future there will be no admission alter 11pm. Also I’ll probably try to tone down the activity on the terrace around 1:30 and bring the party quietly inside…

In keeping with my schedule the next party will be on Saturday March 28, and it promises to be a sell-out so reserve your place ASAP!

P.S. Some photos will be posted on the weekend courtesy of Frances

Party report Jan 31

Another very successful cosmosoirée was held last saturday, despite the heavy rain which evidently put some people off coming at the last minute (not a very good excuse!). In total there were 36 guests, 19 women and 17 men, from 15 different countries of origin: Spain, USA, Italy, Holland, Germany, Finland, Latvia, Scotland, France, Slovakia, Turkey, Argentina, Colombia, New Zealand and Australia!

The format was pretty much the same as the previous party and all went very smoothly. Some wonderful home-made delicacies were again provided by friends, thanks guys for your efforts! Most memorable were Salvatore’s potato gratinée and apple pie, Bea’s apricot tart, Hop's chickpea salad, quiches from Anna and Paolo, Eva’s tuna montaditos… and may I also add my own bok choy salad and of course the old faithful chicken curry…

Once again the terrace seemed to be the most popular spot during the evening (perhaps because that's where the self serve bar is;) and the awning managed to protect us all from the rain, not a problem!!! Another place which is proving to be a prime position is the bathtub! Not as odd as that sounds due to the fact that is is opened out to the living space and faces the buffet table, so it forms an excellent spot for guests to perch and becomes a bit of a hub.

The party went on a little late this time, with a small group of stayers dancing on into the wee hours... not exactly my ideal as I don't want to start annoying the neighbours, but what can I say, we were having so much fun! There was rather a mess to clean up in the end... but thanks a lot to Irma and Lorne for helping me.

I had actually been expecting around 50 guests and had told a few others they couldn't come as I was at the limit... so I would like to stress again that bailing out at the last minute (especially not even letting me know) is very bad manners! Apologies (and sympathy) of course to those who had legitimately come down with terrible flus:(
Finally I would like to thank everyone who came and participated in the spirit of cosmosoirée to mingle and make new friends. All in all a very enjoyable evening.

NEXT PARTY
I am planning to have the parties on the last saturday of every month, so the next is programmed for February 28... watch this space!