Quote by anais
On another note, I've just been reading in our Chronicle about a 'local' council that has spent thousands on nice lunches etc., for corportate meetings, and I mean thousands.
Civic catering is an outrage, take your own god damn buttie Mr/Mrs Councillors, put the money elsewhere
Some of these lunches bring big business into the area. This results in more revenue and jobs for the locals. To me, these are sometimes justified............not all the time though.
Dave_Notts
I agree Dave, but come on.. there's a big difference between providing a few sandwiches and juice to great big platters of fruit, dim sums, dips, indian bites etc etc.
I know because I used to minute these type of meetings AND I was not even offered one single morsel.
Mar, its *normally* good practice to provide a cross section of food to suit different cultures/diets (its always built into most organisations budgets under equal opps). And for councillors the majority of meetings are in the evening to fit in with local residents etc many come straight from work.
If I was a councillor and volunteering my time, or attending a meeting after an already full days work (like many do)I would expect (to a point) something to be provided. Me personally, Im happy with a sandwich but if I didnt know who was attending a meeting that I was organising, I would provide someting similar to what you mentioned. It doesnt have to be expensive.... (I know some go over the top though).
I did smile a few years ago when I went a meeting with few councillors and local bigwigs. As the only white person attending, the person who organised the food was really chuffed with themselves when they presented me with a *white ham sandwich*
It had pride of place in the middle of a lovely homemade spread of Asian food! I was tickled by it...and we all learnt something from it 
:):lol: nice one!
Yes I understand yours and Dave's point of view, I was really just saying that it's an 'over expense' to put on a lunch for a very short meeting or a meeting that's just run of the mill. The article in the paper I read suggests way to much money is being spent on the such like.
I've nothing against different food for different cultures either, these days we have to cater for all people and that now includes food intolerances.
