winter at home: potluck + a movie
a hyggelig evening of shared food, film and friendship
When you think of hygge, a cozy image comes to mind. You might picture yourself snuggled away under a pile of blankets. Maybe you imagine curling up with a book or working away at a knitting project. A candle flickers and quiet, cozy music fills the air. The one element of hygge we tend to skip over is the social aspect - the warmth of being together with loved ones. My very favorite definition of hygge comes from Meik Wiking’s Little Book of Hygge where he describes it as “cozy togetherness.” He shares
“While you can hygge by yourself, hygge mostly happens in small groups of close friends or family… time spent with others creates an atmosphere that is warm, relaxed, friendly, down-to-earth, close, comfortable, snug, and welcoming.”
- Meik Wiking (in the Little Book of Hygge)
In the spirit of a truly hyggelig, social evening this winter - may I suggest the classic combination of dinner and a movie? Invite a few friends, choose a film that has been on your list for a while, and host a potluck inspired by the movie. A few weeks ago, I invited a small group of friends over for a viewing of Past Lives, a recent best picture nomination that shares the semi-autobiographical story of writer and director Celine Song. The film introduces you to two childhood friends in South Korea, later split apart when one moves away to Toronto with her family and eventually New York. The film centers on the pair finally meeting again in New York 24 years later. For our cozy night of viewing, I encouraged everyone to bring a Korean-inspired dish and we enjoyed a shared meal together, which was followed by piling way more people into my living room than actually fit. We worked together to cover all the bases of the meal. I cooked up a pot of kimchi jjigae and rice. One friend brought tteokbokki, another made a cucumber salad. My friend that loves mixing cocktails made a delicious pear-soju drink and one more friend made these incredibly delicious sesame rice krispy bars (gift link). Seriously, so tasty! I really love the flexibility of a potluck - everyone can bring a dish as elaborate or as straightforward as they like or even pick up something from the store. At the same time, everynoe contributes so everyone immediately feels like a co-host.
I can’t wait to host another movie + potluck evening and I have since been dreaming up some other films I’d like to see, along with potential menus. The group’s consensus is that we’d love to do an Italian menu next. Here are a few of the potential combinations I have been pondering, I hope you find some inspiration!
Past Lives + Korean potluck:
Kimchi jjigae
Rice
Smashed cucumber salad
Soju cocktail
Black sesame rice krispies
The Great Beauty + Italian family meal:
Lasagna
Bruschetta and bread
Olives
Marinated artichokes
Simple Italian salad
Tiramisu
A great bottle of red
Fargo + a Midwestern smorgasbord:
Tatortot hotdish
Carrot and beet salad
Local cheese (and meat!) board
Dill pickles
Local beer
See How They Run + a British pub meal:
Shepherd’s pie
Peas (mushy peas?!)
Yorkshire pudding
A sharp cheddar and crackers
Trifle
Gimlets
I want to hear your best combinations! Any movies that you’ve loved lately? Any on your list to watch soon?
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