What the gathering awaited was not spiritual guidance but flashlights, being passed along, as in a relay race, to guide guests up the five flights of stairs and down the long corridors. Instead, we put candles on the table - leading one woman to exclaim, 'Oh, a seance!' as she peered into near-darkness at the people grouped around it.

We briefly considered moving the party into the lobby with its central table and comfortable sofas. So we went downstairs to greet - and guide - our friends in person. Nor could we buzz open the front door to ait our guests, since the door is controlled by an electronic system connected to the apartment phones. Without electricity, elevators are useless (we live on the fifth floor) and windowless corridors are dark even in daytime. We also bought more candles and the last flashlight. One summer day when we were expecting 40 friends for a cold buffet dinner, a torrential storm knocked out the electricity in our apartment building and for several blocks around.įortunately the supermarket a half-mile away was spared the blackout, and we rushed to stock up on ice to fill picnic coolers and the non-working refrigerator and freezer.

Not all potential entertaining disasters are so easily resolved - nor are they all confined to the kitchen. WHEN JULIA CHILD dropped a turkey on the kitchen floor during her nationally televised cooking show, she simply picked it up and finished preparing the dinner.

Emergency seance candles