You are learning language of formal dining and diplomacy: you will read the scene it happens in, learn 10 words and phrases, take apart the pattern behind them (subjunctive mood in formal and diplomatic contexts), hear them in a conversation, rehearse them, and finish by saying one thing out loud to be graded.
The Delegates Dining Room, United Nations Headquarters, First Avenue
The Delegates Dining Room on the fourth floor of the United Nations has one of the best views on First Avenue — the East River, the bridges, the skyline of Queens. But no one comes here for the view. They come because diplomacy, at its most fundamental, happens at tables.
The protocol office recommended that the dinner menu accommodate all dietary restrictions without singling any delegation out. It is essential, they noted, that every guest feel equally considered. The chef proposed a plant-forward menu with regional accents — Middle Eastern grain bowls, Japanese clear soup, a French-inspired dessert. The ambassador requested that the toast follow the main course, as is customary in his culture.
The seating arrangement required that no two delegates from opposing negotiations be placed adjacent. It was further suggested that each table include at least one translator. Were any delegate to feel excluded, the evening's purpose would be undermined.
At seven o'clock, the room filled. Fifty delegates from thirty countries sat down to the same meal. The conversation was multilingual, the laughter universal. It is sometimes said that food is a universal language. At the United Nations, this is not a metaphor. It is policy.