We host strangers for dinner every month - now we have 60 new friends

Image source, Your Pal Moments Image caption, Vik and Nidhi struggled to make friends in Belfast By Olivia Copeland BBC News NI Published 22 June 2026 Making friends in adulthood can be difficult, especially after moving across the world to a new city. When Nidhi Pal, 38, and Vik Parashar, 46, moved from India to Belfast, they found, while people were warm and friendly, building lasting connections was difficult. So the couple came up with an unusual way to expand their circle - a dinner party made up of 10 strangers. "We thought, if no one is calling us in, we will call them in, and open our door," Nidhi said. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, 'We struggled to make friends until we started inviting strangers for dinner' Approaching people to make friends in "a different culture and a different language" was difficult, Vik said. After two years in Belfast, Nidhi realised how isolated they had become. "I suddenly realised that we have no friends, no social life, and as a mature adult, I didn't know how to make any." Back home in India, they loved cooking for friends and inviting groups over for celebrations. Wanting to recreate that sense of connection, they created an Instagram page, Masala Talkies, and posted an online form for anyone who wanted to come to dinner. People of all ages and backgrounds, from Belfast and beyond, filled it out, and Nidhi chose a group of ten who she thought would mix well with each other. Inviting total strangers into their home wasn't easy. When applying to attend, people are asked about their personality and interests. Do they like to sit back and soak up the atmosphere? Do they prefer deeper, one-on-one chats? Or are they the life and soul of the party - the kind that could make a group of strangers feel like family? Nidhi and Vik use that information to curate the mix around the table. "You're going by what they put on the form, and you're going with your gut," Nidhi said. "We've been very fortunate to make a lot of friends so far, but it is nerve-wracking." Image caption, Nidhi and Vik's 91-year-old neighbour joined us at the table Six months on, they are hosting their sixth dinner - and I am the tenth guest at the table. Nidhi and Vik have cooked an Indian meal, with each of the six courses linked to a different Indian city. At the table with me are guests from across Belfast as well as two students from India who are studying in the city centre. This dinner is especially meaningful as it follows days of anti-immigration protests and some violent demonstrations across Northern Ireland. "I know that isn't the real Belfast," said Nidhi, adding that she is grateful for "the opportunity to show people that Belfast isn't what it looks like from the outside". For Kayva, 25, a student from India, the timing of the dinner feels important. "After the riots and anti-immigration protests, I was receiving loads of videos which were very disturbing.