The Greeting Committee Reports...

<p>Ana Prvacki: What does it mean to be “prepared” to greet? I am reminded of my grandmother and family in Romania preparing for guests in the late 1970s and early ’80s. It was an exhaustive effort. The house was cleaned, everything put in its rightful place, shiny and aired, the buffet elaborate and ornate (radishes were cut into little flowers, and parsley was laid out in patterns). And this was during the Ceaus‚escu era. There was barely enough food for the daily meals, but all the “good stuff” was brought out for guests, from meat and cocoa for cooking to imported soap in the bathroom. As for us, after we were all scrubbed clean we waited in suspense at the window and balcony, trying to spot visitors as if we had binoculars before they arrived to ensure that in time for their entrance we would be on our toes, spotless and perfect. There was something almost manic about the anticipation and joy of our welcome. I also remember putting a snowball into the boots of a guest I did not like. (Of course, you would never ask guests to take off their footwear unless it was snowing heavily, in which case they would offer to take it off themselves.) The guest only noticed the snow in his boots on his way out…</p>