A Communist (Birthday) Party

May 7, 2008 6:31 PM

Ideas for a Communist Party, Go!

Hi all,

So I've decided to have a Communist Party for my upcoming birthday, due to the abundance of punny food/drink items that are possible.

I've seen this comment, and those are definitely going to be made. So, hive mind, I need more punny food/drink/activity ideas! A lot of my guests will be vegan, though don't let that stop you from suggesting something, I can likely vegan-ize it.

So far, friends and I have come up with the following ideas:
Proleteriyaki Tofu&Pineapple bites
Tea-nanmen Sandwiches
Hum-Mao-s
KGBean dip
Gulag-amole (this might be slightly offensive)

I don't know any appetizers with Lentils, but there's opportunity there...or perhaps, Lenin (Lemon) Bars. Also, anyone know any good appetizers to be made with Manifesto Pesto?

Drinks ideas include
Mao-hitos
Molotov cocktails
Scotch on the Marx, or something with Makers Marx
And then all of the "real" drinks, like White/Black Russians, Moscow Mules, etc.


Certainly not expecting to make all of these, I just want to get as many ideas as possible so that I can create foods/drinks that go together. Any other decoration/activity suggestions welcome, too! Thanks.

posted by theRussian to food & drink (41 comments total)

Don't worry about being offensive. Remember that communism killed about a hundred million people worldwide and caused some of the most brutal massacres in history— so "Gulag-amole" won't push you over the edge :)

as for a contribution: "Che-ips and Guevara" (what's Guevara? some anonymous dip, I guess)
posted by Electrius at 6:43 PM on May 7, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

You certainly seem to be off to a good start with the edible portion of the event, so I'll focus on activities.

I've been to one very successful Communist Party, and in addition to stuffing us full of red/Communist-themed food and drink, the hostess set us loose in her yard to burn it all off with a rousing drunken round of Red Rover. The nostalgia factor made it an instant hit, even though most people hadn't played it since grade school. Everyone ends up on the same team at the end, so it's even thematically appropriate!
posted by ausdemfenster at 6:50 PM on May 7, 2008

Bolshedip?
Trotstea?

Everything written on The Menufesto?
posted by Solon and Thanks at 6:52 PM on May 7, 2008

Have everybody wait in line for their issued olive green or red plastic cup.
posted by clearly at 6:59 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Make everyone bring booze, and force them to share with everybody.

Works best if you're poor and everyone brings cheap vodka.

A KGB look goes over well, aviators, big mustache, trench coat.
posted by craven_morhead at 6:59 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

An ice breaker to be delivered over cocktails:

Why was World War One over so quickly?

They were Russian.

Why did World War Two take so long?

They were Stalin.
posted by Juliet Banana at 6:59 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

This t-shirt may also be of use.
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 7:01 PM on May 7, 2008

Have the movie Red Dawn playing on repeat.
posted by clearly at 7:04 PM on May 7, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

@Solon, "The Menufesto"--I LOVE it. That will definitely be featured on the invites.

@Electrus, Thanks! I was trying to figure out something cleaver for chips & salsa. I do realize the premise of this entire party is kind of offensive, I was even hesitant to tell my 'rents about it (we all moved from the USSR when I was young), but they seemed amused by it.

@ausdemfenser, Unfortunately, I don't have a yard, but we may have to play on the street.

@clearly, I like the idea of standard issue party supplies. Everyone could get a party member card.

@craven, I was def going to make people help out with communal booze.

Awesome ideas so far, keep 'em coming!
posted by theRussian at 7:04 PM on May 7, 2008

Yes, loooooong lines, and bad service are a must.
posted by R. Mutt at 7:08 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

"Che-ips and Guevara" (what's Guevara? some anonymous dip, I guess)

Guevaracamole, of course!
posted by moss at 7:17 PM on May 7, 2008

Make sure the invitations say "party finds YOU!"
posted by bondcliff at 7:21 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Instead of mock trials and purges, you can have binge on mocktails and... well, then purge.
posted by onshi at 7:24 PM on May 7, 2008

I always thought that ushankas with their shiny red pins looked cool, even as a little kid. I'm not sure you could provide them for all your guests, nor that people would want to wear a thick fur hat, but I wonder if you could find cardboard versions?

You could serve St. Petersbergers (cheeseburgers), although veganized, I'm not sure if veggie burgers would be a hit? (It's more vegan-friendly than a Bay of Pigroast!)

Don't forget a Russian font on your invitations or party signage.
posted by fogster at 7:26 PM on May 7, 2008

Ask subtly and at random times, "Havana nother drink?"
posted by transient at 7:27 PM on May 7, 2008

Have infinite free wine, but a 2 hour wait for a bottle opener.
posted by chrisalbon at 7:32 PM on May 7, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

I actually tried doing this for my 21st birthday, though it didn't work out because no one came except my roommate's friends who I didn't know :(. That aside...

Obviously you need to have everyone bring booze and food to the best of their ability, and distributed according to need.

Declare yourself People's Commissar of Birthday Festivities and declare that it is for the good of the Party that you get more of the booze though.

Also get (or print out) some imposing old portraits of Marx, Comrade Lenin, Comrade Stalin, etc. If you don't want to go to the trouble of actually buying portraits, just Rasterbate this and this for starters.

Also, put up some banners with slogans like "WORKERS OF ALL COUNTRIES, PARTY!" and "LONG LIVE THE PEOPLE'S PARTY!"

For movies, I'd suggest Good Bye Lenin!.

And here's some jokes to tell.
posted by champthom at 7:33 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Oh, and be sure to play the Soviet National Hymn, along "The Internationale" for music.
posted by champthom at 7:36 PM on May 7, 2008

Set up a photo corner with a red cloth background, a camera on a tripod at a low angle, and props such as a beret and wig. (And the already mentioned trench, aviators, etc)

If you have a video camera, or web camera, (or possibly photoshop), you should be able to set it up to get realtime image processing cutting the image down to just three colours.

Put the above as a video feed to TVs and/ projectors, so that
A) The home is bedecked with Party propaganda posters, as is right and proper
B) Those posters are being generated in realtime by the antics of the guests.
C) The guests can see the inspirational imagery they are creating in realtime, and so jostle around and play until they get it "perfect".
[Freeze/Capture]


Name badge stickers:
Hello
my name is
Comrade

................

posted by -harlequin- at 7:42 PM on May 7, 2008

A bowl full of red gummi bears = a bowl full of commie bears
posted by painquale at 7:44 PM on May 7, 2008

have a "Perestroika" bowling party? one side can wear red the other army green.
posted by nimsey lou at 7:48 PM on May 7, 2008

Your fruit / veggie platter can be the kolkhoz-nucopia.
posted by Mr Bunnsy at 8:03 PM on May 7, 2008

I think I want to issue id party cards before hand, and give hell to those people that show up without theirs/have them go through some long process to get new ones issued. Upon arrival, guests will have to trek to another location to get their cards stamped before entry. It would be ideal if this other location were in another building...but alas, I do not know my neighbors that well.
posted by theRussian at 8:29 PM on May 7, 2008

Do you have enough time to order some Leninade?
posted by Ms. Saint at 8:48 PM on May 7, 2008

Fidel Castro-ganoff.
posted by zardoz at 8:58 PM on May 7, 2008

Make sure that top-shelf booze flows freely and visibly for four or five attendees declared "nomenklatura." Get a couple plastic jugs of Popov for the rest of the party and only give them half as many cups as they need to ensure constant shortages and long lines.

Once things get bumpin', "purge the party" and banish a third of your friends to the backyard for reeducation.
posted by ecmendenhall at 9:05 PM on May 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Have someone stand outside and blacklist your guests as they leave.
posted by thivaia at 10:22 PM on May 7, 2008

Bake a stollen cake.
posted by Neiltupper at 11:07 PM on May 7, 2008

Take digital photos of your guests, but make sure to clumsily Photoshop some of them out of the pictures when you post them online.
posted by Asparagirl at 11:15 PM on May 7, 2008

uniforms, baby.
posted by krautland at 2:47 AM on May 8, 2008

but make sure to clumsily Photoshop some of them out

there was a sketch in an old movie, I believe it was airplane! with leslie nielsen, where a communist news announcer is reading the headlines with a pistol pointed to his head.
posted by krautland at 2:48 AM on May 8, 2008

Food (perhaps more authentic than tasty):

- Have many tables with one type of item on each table. (I.e. get you cheese at this table, get your bread at the next table, get your beverage at the next table.) Have long lines.
- I'd recommend having a line for bread. I'd have two options: black bread (I think that this is called soda bread in English?) and white bread. Have white bread available on the table, but don't let anyone take it.
- Pickled things were/are a winter staple for Soviet peeps. See if you can find any thing at the store and then wash off the label.
- Farm cheese
- Smetana (yum - and will go well with the black bread)(
- Maybe have some McDonald's, but have a price tag on it that it totally unreasonable. Same for Pepsi (glass bottles if possible).
- Lemonade (fizzy fruity) would be a good beverage, as would kvas (just buy some O'Douls and put it in a barrel).

Entertainment:

Soviet cartoons are wonderful. (I watch them daily and am amazed with the quality of animation, the music, everything.) They are readily available on YouTube, DVD and probably in torrent form. The most famous perhaps are Nu Pogodi! (awesome) and Cheburashka.
posted by k8t at 2:58 AM on May 8, 2008

Provide a quality tea, and periodically take it off people, as proper-tea is theft.
posted by doozer_ex_machina at 4:13 AM on May 8, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Is there any way to have horrible, inadequite food, drink, music and accomodations in the front room, but a massive "black market" in the back room with anything that their heart desires?
posted by Pollomacho at 6:28 AM on May 8, 2008

Music suggestions:
Back in the USSR by the Beatles (duh)
Turbulence by Warren Zevon
anything by the Red Elvises
posted by adamrice at 6:59 AM on May 8, 2008

Have a "death" squad removing people from the party for perceived infractions against The Party.
posted by gjc at 7:16 AM on May 8, 2008

Kino released a 4-DVD series, Animated Soviet Propaganda, that's fun background viewing, and Netflix has it. Disc 2, "Fascist Barbarians," has some classic strident anti-Nazi exhort-the-people stuff from a Soviet perspective.
posted by mediareport at 7:52 AM on May 8, 2008

A Pol Potluck?
posted by mattholomew at 12:37 PM on May 8, 2008

A communist Party? What a capital idea!

You should play a game of Mao (no yard required).
posted by bkudria at 5:42 PM on May 8, 2008

For posterity, the outcome, documented.
posted by theRussian at 10:05 PM on September 7, 2008

Thanks for the awesome followup!
posted by Solon and Thanks at 12:35 AM on September 14, 2008