It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it

The BBC has been running a broadcast on Radio 4 called “Diplomatic Dinners”, which delves into the world of wrangling peace while wining and dining. Diplomats have long used food and drink to further their cause, but the tactic is tricky. Everything from deciding who sits where, to what food and drink is served, to ...

The BBC has been running a broadcast on Radio 4 called "Diplomatic Dinners", which delves into the world of wrangling peace while wining and dining. Diplomats have long used food and drink to further their cause, but the tactic is tricky. Everything from deciding who sits where, to what food and drink is served, to what cutlery is used, risks making or breaking diplomatic relations. The broadcast unveils several veteran accounts of diplomatic dining. Social secretaries are sometimes summoned to investigate crucial gossip - who's slept with whom, or has fallen out with whom - so that seating arrangements can be planned accordingly. Amusingly, one diplomat in Australia once turned over his plate as a statement of displeasure about his seating placement. "But he was extremely greedy so he only did it for the first course," says Lord Carrington, who was High Commissioner in Australia at the time. Some menu items are politically unpalatable. The former governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, remembers a delegation from the World Wildlife Fund which had come to China to promote the protection of rare species. At their farewell banquet hosted by the government in Beijing, the second course was bears' paws.

The BBC has been running a broadcast on Radio 4 called “Diplomatic Dinners”, which delves into the world of wrangling peace while wining and dining. Diplomats have long used food and drink to further their cause, but the tactic is tricky. Everything from deciding who sits where, to what food and drink is served, to what cutlery is used, risks making or breaking diplomatic relations. The broadcast unveils several veteran accounts of diplomatic dining. Social secretaries are sometimes summoned to investigate crucial gossip – who’s slept with whom, or has fallen out with whom – so that seating arrangements can be planned accordingly. Amusingly, one diplomat in Australia once turned over his plate as a statement of displeasure about his seating placement. “But he was extremely greedy so he only did it for the first course,” says Lord Carrington, who was High Commissioner in Australia at the time. Some menu items are politically unpalatable. The former governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, remembers a delegation from the World Wildlife Fund which had come to China to promote the protection of rare species. At their farewell banquet hosted by the government in Beijing, the second course was bears’ paws.

Even the Foreign and Commonwealth Office supposedly has a regulation stating that those entering the diplomatic service must have both kidneys, since social obligations of the job might place physical wear and tear on the organs. In other words, you must be healthy enough to have a chance of surviving a career of alcoholism. No wonder veterans joke about being asked to “lay down your liver for your country.”

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.