Food and Beverage play an essential
role in an international conference, which are the simplest and hardest to
arrange. Why Food and Beverage matters when you plan your events? Because bad
or insufficient food would sometimes ruin all the effort.
So, what diet might be arranged in a
conference?
Breakfast
This is usually provided with hotels
and only arranged by PCO mostly when breakfast meeting is required.
Lunch boxes are highly recommended
when full day meeting is on and this type would save time to be on schedule.
Dinner can be more diverse and most
meetings demands one gala dinner or theme party for attendance to talk. Thus,
it can be buffet, full served dinner, and so on.
source: pinterest
Refreshment
It is offered with drink, like coffee, during
break and sometimes with dessert, bread and fruit.
source: Marriott
It looks easy but it can be complex in consideration to vegetarianism and religions. Here we are going to brief the diversity of dieters and their taboo food.
VEGETARIAN
Vegetarian is universally understood
to eat vegetables yet there are a number of types of vegetarianism.
Vegetarian excluding all animal flesh and
products, such as milk, honey, and eggs, as well as items refined or
manufactured through any such product, such as bone-char refined white sugar or
animal-tested baking soda.
Ovo-Lacto
Vegetarian includes
animal/dairy products such as eggs, milk, and honey.
Ovo
Vegetarian includes
eggs but not dairy products.
Lacto
Vegetarian includes
dairy products but not eggs.
Buddhist has different teachings on diet.
Many interpret the precept 'not to kill' to require abstinence from meat, but
not all. Some excludes not only all animal products but also vegetables in the
allium family: onion, garlic, scallions, leeks, chives, or shallots.
Raw includes only fresh and uncooked
fruit, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. Vegetables can only be cooked up to a
certain temperature.
source: pinterest
MUSLIM
Quran mentions certain rules on Muslim
diet and there are several organization to certificate this kind of food, known
as Halal (حلال). The most famous forbidden food is alcohol and Pork,
including its products and lard. For some very pious Muslim, they would even require
all food to be proceeded by Muslim.
HINDU
Because Hinduism worships cattle,
they don’t kill cattle and of course do not eat beef and some also refuse pork.
Generally speaking, Indian believes to eat more vegetable is more civil so India
has the biggest vegetarian population.
Although this term is less common,
it would be very appreciated to take it into consideration while preparing an international
meeting. Jewish also prohibits pork, which is deemed as unclean animal. So are
shellfish and most insects. What is interesting to know is: Meat and Milk
cannot be mixed.
source: pinterest
ALLERGENIC FOOD
Allergy is more difficult to handle
as the immune system reacts differently by individuals. Yet, the Food and Drug
Administration USA lists eight most common food that trigger food allergies by
90% estimated possibility. It can be our best reference for food arrangement. These
eight foods are: Milk, Eggs, Peanuts, Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews,
walnuts), Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder), Shellfish (such as crab, lobster,
shrimp), Soy, and Wheat.
To arrange the conference diet
appropriately is the best way to show your respect to your guests. Many of us,
who are free to any food, can dislike some certain food as well. It is always
touching if friends can keep it in mind and try to escape it in the dishes. Remember
there was a scene in Sex and the City. Carrie once dined out with her girl
friend and she wanted to get rid of parley. So she lied to the waiter that she
was allergic to it but the truth is she just didn't like it. So it is why we,
as a conference organizer, need to be very careful, especially on religious
taboo.
All in all, the conference dietary
plan is suggested to be more comprehensive with all restrictions. For example,
to put vegetable dishes on the menu is basic and to make it as strictly
vegetarian, e.g. no garlic, no onion, no egg, and no dairy products, is even
better. With regards to meat eaters, Chicken is globally accepted. As to
seafood lover, fish is safer compared to shellfish. The top 10 most popular food in the world may give you some more idea.
The quantity is another key for
feedback. Excess or insufficient food would both lead to negative feedback. The
historical dining data of the group and their background statistic, like gender
or age, are very helpful to order food. The other reference is their meeting
schedule. Don’t plan two meals in short interval nor long. Four hours with light
refreshment always works for a big group meeting.
Speaking to refreshment, it is
prepared to wake up the attendance in the long and dry meetings. Hot coffee and
tea is essential to play the role. Finger food completes the break session.
Therefore, if to take all the above
into consideration, it would help to collect the dietary requirement in advance
to the conference.
※ Reference ※
