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This is not the Silicon Valley my friends and I know! The differences the author describes between SV and French dinners seem to be more reflective of differenc

This is not the Silicon Valley my friends and I know! The differences the author describes between SV and French dinners seem to be more reflective of differences between business meals with acquaintances/partners vs relaxed meals with family/friends. I feel like at the moment you're booking caterers, making up invitations to send out, and printing a time LIMIT like 6-9PM, you're already well into "event" territory rather than "meal" (and fwiw I went to my share of both kinds during my years in central France as well!).

JumpCrisscross 10y ago
Seconded. In New York, even dinner with friends tend to be catered. In the Valley, however, it is common in my experience for friends to cook and for the topic of conversation to be life, the food and the future of humanity. I really enjoy the last topic. It's not specificallt work related, but neither is a food magazine editor talking about food not work related. The difference between Manhattan and Paris is more interesting, to me, given the similar population densities.
- bambax 10y ago
  > In New York, even dinner with friends tend to be catered In Paris it's kind of rude to not cook yourself. Not "very rude", not "I'll never see this person again rude", but a little désinvolte. If you can't be bothered to buy the food and cook it yourself, why invite people to your place? We can all go to the restaurant and share the bill -- we do that too, of course. But if it's at your place, the expectation is you gave some thought to the menu and the wines, etc. -- including, yes, the seating of the people, who should seat next to whom, etc. Or it's a cocktail and there are 30+ people, then catering is fine. Catering for 6, I can't imagine.
  - ido 10y ago
    Relatively speaking, food is just not as big of a deal in a lot of places compared to France (I see this living in Berlin as well).
  - munchbunny 10y ago
    Based on his writing, I assume by "catered" he also meant to include ordering food to be delivered from a restaurant. In typical American usage, that's "takeout" or "delivery" but not "catered". That point aside, I think his representation is also very narrow to the crowd that mostly combines business networking with socializing. That's a small minority. In my social circles (20's, middle class, highly educated tech workers), small dinner gatherings almost always follow one of three formats: the host cooks, the host asks everyone to contribute a dish, or we all go to a restaurant. Restaurant delivery is usually reserved for large groups or when the food is a secondary consideration, such as when it's a board game night and we order a pizza.
  - johan_larson 10y ago
    I wonder if this might have something to do with differences in cooking skill. It's hard to invite people over for a home-cooked meal if your skills aren't up to it. Are the French supposed to know how to cook the way Americans are supposed to know how to drive?
- robotresearcher 10y ago
  > In New York, even dinner with friends tend to be catered. Can we please get a reality check up in here?
  - JBReefer 10y ago
    New Yorker with an accent strong enough that they don't ask me questions at Customs: he's full of it. Never been to a catered private meal, also all the catering sucks in this city.

JumpCrisscross 10y ago

Seconded. In New York, even dinner with friends tend to be catered. In the Valley, however, it is common in my experience for friends to cook and for the topic of conversation to be life, the food and the future of humanity. I really enjoy the last topic. It's not specificallt work related, but neither is a food magazine editor talking about food not work related. The difference between Manhattan and Paris is more interesting, to me, given the similar population densities.

bambax 10y ago
> In New York, even dinner with friends tend to be catered In Paris it's kind of rude to not cook yourself. Not "very rude", not "I'll never see this person again rude", but a little désinvolte. If you can't be bothered to buy the food and cook it yourself, why invite people to your place? We can all go to the restaurant and share the bill -- we do that too, of course. But if it's at your place, the expectation is you gave some thought to the menu and the wines, etc. -- including, yes, the seating of the people, who should seat next to whom, etc. Or it's a cocktail and there are 30+ people, then catering is fine. Catering for 6, I can't imagine.
- ido 10y ago
  Relatively speaking, food is just not as big of a deal in a lot of places compared to France (I see this living in Berlin as well).
- munchbunny 10y ago
  Based on his writing, I assume by "catered" he also meant to include ordering food to be delivered from a restaurant. In typical American usage, that's "takeout" or "delivery" but not "catered". That point aside, I think his representation is also very narrow to the crowd that mostly combines business networking with socializing. That's a small minority. In my social circles (20's, middle class, highly educated tech workers), small dinner gatherings almost always follow one of three formats: the host cooks, the host asks everyone to contribute a dish, or we all go to a restaurant. Restaurant delivery is usually reserved for large groups or when the food is a secondary consideration, such as when it's a board game night and we order a pizza.
- johan_larson 10y ago
  I wonder if this might have something to do with differences in cooking skill. It's hard to invite people over for a home-cooked meal if your skills aren't up to it. Are the French supposed to know how to cook the way Americans are supposed to know how to drive?
robotresearcher 10y ago
> In New York, even dinner with friends tend to be catered. Can we please get a reality check up in here?
- JBReefer 10y ago
  New Yorker with an accent strong enough that they don't ask me questions at Customs: he's full of it. Never been to a catered private meal, also all the catering sucks in this city.