The art of… being the perfect guest

The world is getting ready to celebrate. And ANNA HART knows what to bring to the party.

- ANNA HART

I used to worry terribly about how to be a good guest – be it a guest in another country, or a guest at a dinner party. On a flight to, say, Bali, I would half-watch Crazy Rich Asians and sweat about how I hadn’t sufficiently swotted up on the history of the island to be a respectful tourist. And I’d arrive with a pervasive apologetic air that is rather ageing.

In a bottle shop on the way to a dinner party, I’d stress over my choice of wine for the host, wrestling with conundrums such as: “I know that screwtop wine is no indication of quality, but does my boss know that a screwtop doesn’t mean cheapo?”

My dad is a Protestant pastor, my mother an eye doctor who spent years working at Tanzanian clinics, so I was raised to feel sort of sheepish that I have two working eyes and food on my plate. It doesn’t take a shamanic journey to guess where my anxiety about accepting hospitality stems from. And I think many of us are raised – my wellmeaning parents intent on instilling humility and good manners in us – to question if we truly deserve any privilege or celebration.