Adam's Blog - Toastmasters, a multi-course meal. 7/30/2009

Toastmasters, a multi-course meal. 7/30/2009

Aug 6

Written by: Adam
8/6/2009 2:43 PM

A while back I mentioned I may use this as an outlet for the various writings I did to speak in Toastmaster. I have not yet done that, even though I was Toastmaster at two meetings to this point. Correcting that I post for you today the script I created and used for last weeks meeting of Toastmasters here at DRC.

INTRO

It seems that in the US the fancy, multi-course meal has all but vanished. Most households seem to believe that a nice family meal is one where everyone has the Hamburger Helper at the table together instead of one in the living room with the TV, one in the kitchen with their texting cell phone, and another on the computer in the den. A fancy meal has become going to a national chain sit-down restaurant, such as TGI Fridays, Olive Garden, or even Perkins and ordering an appetizer, main course, and dessert as opposed to just a main course.

It was not always this way. In fact, even today a really fancy multi-course meal is possible. Many people do not believe it to be affordable, or they are not willing to take the time to make it happen. However a big multi-course meal can be a rich and rewarding experience worth more than has been put in to it just as a Thursday meeting at DRC Toastmasters often is.

In researching this topic I discovered there are as many “standards” for the order and type of dishes as there are cultures in the world, if not more. Today we will look at just one of many ways we can serve and enjoy a six-course meal, just as our club goes through one of the many formats that make toastmasters successful.

JOKESTER

The first course often sets the mood for the whole meal. In the US we usually call it the appetizer. To many that brings with it pictures of fried finger food on a plate to be shared among the table. Our meal is a little fancier today. We will start with the Soup course. This light course is meant primarily to whet the appetite. It will not have much of a protein or starch content to it but the spices will excite the palate and leave us ready for more. To whet our palates today is the always humorous Larry.

GENERAL EVALUATOR

Historically the next course served is often a small version of an entrée. In a traditional Italian setting the pasta would be served at this time. In fact, it was not until approximately 100 years ago that the salad started to be served before the meal. It was moved by restaurateurs to alleviate the wait of their customers as the more elaborate and intensive components of their meals were prepared.

As we are in the US we will stick with the local custom and move to the salad ourselves. This course is not always a plate of greens with dressing. In some cultures it can be a plate of cooked vegetables, though in those cases it is often served after the main course. Our salad is a plate of fresh vegetables with a solid base of lettuce. Providing that solid base today is our general evaluator, Lorrie.

SPEAKER

The next course was the hardest one to figure out. A five course meal is pretty easy to do, but adding a sixth course is much more difficult. We are adding it after the salad. This course is actually a lot like a mini version of a main course. If it contains a meat it will often be a fish as that is a lighter meat. Another popular choice is for the primary starch to be on this course. It will generally have some type of vegetable as well. This variety dish is very much like the speaker in Toastmasters. Its content can vary greatly even within a particular culture, but it is an important part of the meal. In a very interesting twist today’s speaker is actually speaking about food! Judi Barrett’s book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs has been brought to the big screen as a new 3D animated feature by Sony. While we will all be able to go enjoy this classic book in theaters September 18^th Perry is going to tide us over with an interpretive reading of the story.

An interpretive reading is one where the speaker makes the story come alive by enthralling the audience to the point they become unaware of the speaker.

When you look into the sky what do you see? The sun? Clouds in unusual formations? Our imaginations can take us on all types of adventures. Come join our speaker, two young children, and their grandpa as they ponder the question, “What’s that in the Sky?”

Presenting, “What’s that in the Sky,” Project #1: Read A Story from the Toastmasters Advanced Communication Series Interpretative Reading manual is Perry Howes. Her speech is 8 to 10 minutes in length.

TABLE TOPICS

Every meal, whether it has a variety dish or not, has a main course. This is the most important part of the meal. It often has the largest portions of any other part of the meal as well. It will generally be protein heavy and may be accompanied by starches. If there is red meat in the meal it will likely be here as that is a heavy meat. Just as many people, especially children, think that this is not the most important part of the meal (that comes later in their minds) many people in Toastmasters seem to wish we could skip this part of the meeting at least every now and then. Yes, I am one of those many people. To serve us our entrée today is Joan.

GENERAL EVALUATION

One of the richest parts of a meal is the dessert. In fact, this course is the inspiration for today’s topic! July 30^th is also known as National Cheesecake day. The Cheesecake Factory is offering all of it’s 30 varieties for ½ off if you have yet to make dinner plans. The cheesecake is the dessert favored by my wife who makes them home-made. There are more varieties than I could begin to mention. Records of the style of the dessert go back as far as 770 BC where a form of cheesecake was served to Olympic Athletes. According to Wikipedia Cato the Elder’s De Agri Cultura appears to have the oldest cheesecake recipes, two of them dating back to 160BC. Serving today’s desert for us is the Evaluation team led by Lorrie!

CLOSING COMMENTS

A successful meal has been served. Everyone is stuffed and satisfied. In fact, nobody is ready to leave after spending some quality time sharing in a wonderful experience. This marks the time for coffee, wine, cheese and nuts. After dessert a small selection is made available. This may not be served at the table, but carry on to a separate sitting area where people may go to converse and digest. Much as our meal has gone from soup to nuts (an expression derived from formal meal progression meaning beginning to end) so too has our meeting reached its end. A few moments where we enjoy having made it through another meeting, make small plans for the next meeting, and ultimately go our separate ways.

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