Taco Night

Recipe for successful taco night: Step 1: Pick a venue. Preferably one with a friendly dog and a big dining room table. Step 2: Call some friends together. (It's best (though not necessary) if said friends have experiences with church potlucks, they know the protocol). Step 3: Assign each person an ingredient (or two) to bring. If you're lucky, like our group, one couple will bring seven pounds of taco meat, that way you don't have to worry about conserving your portions. Don't forget to assign a dessert, and if possible, ask someone to bring a baby (not to eat, just to hold). Step 4: Set the table. Here's where the big dining room table plays in--everything fit: guacamole, cheese, beans, meat, tortillas, lettuce, tomato and 12 people. Step 5: Pass food to the left. This will break down at some point, and you will have to start making loud requests for more salsa and sour cream. Step 6: Eat and enjoy. Step 7: Play with the baby and/or the dog (but not both at the same time). Step 8: Wash and dry dishes (this is a three-person job). The rest of the party should sit on the couch and digest for a few minutes. Step 9: Bust out the games. Cranium, Imaginarium, Trivial Pursuit, Nintendo Wii ... Step 10: Say goodnight, declare what a great time you've had, and promise to do it again soon.