How to Host a "This and That" Party - With Sample Wording

A "This and That" party is a fun excuse to have your friends over to eat delicious foods and play a fun round of "This or That", sometimes better known as "Would You Rather."

How we got here:

“But what if people don’t want to wear black and white?” I asked myself as I considered the next party I wanted to plan.

The initial idea was simple: wear black and white and bring a dish that contains something black and white, such as black bean soup or blackberry cobbler.

However, knowing what stage of life these friends are in (young motherhood, moms with teens, moms with large families), I knew some wouldn’t want to get dressed up. They just wanted a casual evening to see each other and have a low-key conversation.

So then I thought, “We should have a ‘This and That’ party.” The guests would be invited to choose a classic combo that fell into the "this or that" catagory—peanut butter and jelly, sweet and sour, hot and cold, etc. Then, they could either dress accordingly or bring related food, such as a peanut butter and jelly dip, sweet and sour chicken, or baked Alaska (hot and cold).

Related Drinks: Tart and Sweet Lavender Lemonade

What IS a This and That party?

It’s a party where each guest brings a food or dish that fits the "this and that" description. It's a good opportunity to play a game called "Would you rather?" if your friends are up for it.

If you want to make things interesting, you can ask the group what they think someone specific would choose. "Would Mary rather go sky diving or scuba diving?"

Here is a list of This or That questions.

Related: Would you rather have a sweet or spicy version of my Cilantro Limeade? (Hint: add jalapenos for a spicy version.)

Here’s how the invitations looked:

This is a sample invitation. You can, of course, make it into anything you want!

Why I love to host a This or That Party:

There is little to no planning involved. You just need to send out the invitations and ensure your house is ready to receive visitors (no, it doesn't need to be perfect or clean). The invites can be as elaborate as being printed and sent via mail, or as simple as a block of text to a group chat.

Remember, the goal is to get together and have fun.

The theme encourages creativity and comfort. People are likely to bring comfort food or get creative when given the "This or That" prompt. With each guest bringing a dish to share, everyone will have at least one food they're excited to eat.

Related: A comfort food of mine is this Kale and Brussels sprouts salad.