They presented their ideas to a Seattle Host Organization committee, which oversaw the dinner and a reception for 5,000 Monday night. Choosing food that would be tasty, easy to eat and above all inoffensive to hundreds of people from around the world was far less so. One polenta and wild-mushroom appetizer that was popular at an October tasting failed to make the final menu because, while polenta is a staple of U.S. nouveau cuisine, it is regarded as peasant food in some countries, organizers concluded. Other kinds of meat were excluded as entrees because they would be too difficult to cut for diners not accustomed to using knives. It is organic, at least.
Organizers say they took great pains to be politically sensitive.
Seating tickets were going to be green for one section and red for the other, but it was decided that red carried too strong a political connotation. Less ambitious meals were prepared for police, Secret Service and 140 servers, cooks and bartenders. All told, more than 1,100 meals were prepared, and the ratio of guests to security, production and support staff was designed to be nearly 1 to 1. Twenty extra chairs were set in a line near the tables for interpreters. At least, we don't think we do right now.