Dinner partyThe older and more conservative about money I get, the less interested I become in trying out all the newest restaurants. Perhaps I’ve lived in the same city too long and find scarce distinction across menus; maybe I’ve dined out so much that the novelty has worn off. Whatever the case, a dinner at home with friends is now one of my favorite modes of entertainment. However, dining at home isn’t as simple as it used to be.

I’ve observed that many dinner parties these days strive for a Wow! factor. Sometimes Wow! is achieved through a simple blend of ingredients or creative dishes; sometimes the evident time and preparation for the meal does all the impressing. But now I’m noticing that hosts and guests are more often concerned about the extra-grade quality of the ingredients and what store they came from.

There’s this unspoken idea that, ‘œif it ain’t from Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, or Local-foodie-grocer, it ain’t worth serving to friends,’ which to me is flattering, and at the same time a bit crazy.

I understand the appeal of fine foods. I loved shopping at Whole Foods when I used to make more money. But now that I’m strictly shopping at Trader Joe’s, Costco and a local supermarket chain, I don’t notice much difference in quality, if at all. I’ve convinced myself that the only thing that made stuff from Whole Foods ‘œspecial’ was the price tag.

It was refreshing to read this sentiment expressed in a New York Times article about gourmands and Washington’s elite catering dinners for the politically powerful with food from Costco. But I was also a bit disturbed by the people vehemently against this trend, like this caterer:

Susan Lacz, chief executive of Ridgewells, the largest catering company in the Washington area, said she knows the trend all too well. ‘œMy gosh, it drives me crazy,’ she said. ‘œSome of the people I hear are going to Costco, I think, ‘˜Oh, you must be kidding me.”

The ultimate awkwardness, she said, is when clients want to buy their food from Costco but disguise it: ‘œThey’ll say: ‘˜Why don’t you bring the fancy glassware, and we’ll get the rest from Costco. And could you put it on one of your fancy plates? Oh, and how about some of your fancy ice cream on top?”

Ms. Lacz said she was ‘œnot going to name names,’ but that one of her best clients, a high-end retail store, told her, ‘œWe’re going to go to Costco and buy a bunch of stuff, and we want you guys to serve it.’

To which she replied: ‘œNo, you’re not.’

Even more unsettling was the idea that shopping at Costco is a style statement, like drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, as explained by this food writer:

‘œReverse chic is a very powerful phenomenon in status-oriented circles,’ said David Kamp, the author of ‘œThe United States of Arugula’ (Broadway, 2006), a book about the American fine-food revolution. ‘œI think Costco is the same thing. It gets discovered.’

I highly doubt the country club crowd will start slumming it at Costco because it’s the cool thing to do these days.

The fact is that you often get a good deal at Costco or other wholesale clubs, and rich or poor, just about everyone wants a good deal. Presentation and quality of the finished products are the most important parts of hosting a successful dinner party. As long as you put sufficient time, care and attention into what you feed your friends, does it really matter what store the ingredients came from?

I think if there really is a trend of the elite now shopping at Costco, it signals that they’ve wised up, and maybe the rest of us should too. I have nothing against Whole Foods and other fine foods sellers, but I don’t get the purpose of shopping there anymore. I’ve come to associate upscale grocers less with quality and more with saying, ‘œHey, look what I can afford!’

Maybe that’s not the case, but I’m confident I can say to friends, ‘œCome enjoy this delicious feast I’ve made you,’ and not hurt my wallet in the process. I’d want for friends to be able to say the same too.