Drinks may also be of different nature and can possibly follow the food theme – I mean, who doesn’t like “hot chocolate”! In general, however, fruit juices (freshly squeezed if possible!), softdrinks, herbal teas or “smoothies” (yoghurt- or ice-cream blended juices) are very popular drink alternatives to simple coffee and tea.
In general, morning coffee breaks will include some sort of bread / bakery like croissants, and be more of a sweet nature, whereas afternoon breaks tend to be more of a salty nature and feature items like sandwiches. In any coffee break, a selection of 4 – 6 different items should be offered. Unless a coffee break is individually served or passed around on a tray, try to avoid anything deep-fried - it is impossible to keep it properly warm on a buffet. And remember – coffee breaks are not to be considered “cost-effective” lunch- or dinner alternatives for your client!
3. Lunch and Dinner
The key to this is to understand WHAT people actually eat during these meals. Every country has its own habits when it comes to menu sequence, so here’s just a very brief outline of the major “trends”:
Northern Europe / USA: a menu most commonly contains a starter (usually a salad or a soup), followed by a main course and a dessert. It is also common to have “stews” which basically combine “all-in-one” (except the dessert of course!). Also, meals may consist of cold items only – like salads, cold cuts and cheese, served with bread.
Italy: probably the best-loved food around the world! Peculiar only because Italians usually start a meal with a pasta or a risotto (cooked rice) dish, followed by a main course containing fish or meat and vegetables, and then dessert. As for pizza, this is usually eaten for dinner only on its own as a full meal – leaving you just enough space for a fantastic Italian “gelato” (ice-cream)! Talking of pasta and risotto: pasta and rice should always be cooked “al dente” (literally meaning “to the tooth”). It actually means there should always be a little “bite” left to the pasta or rice, and it should never be cooked mushy or too soft.
Spain: Taking the lead from Middle Eastern countries, the Spanish like to eat a variety of small dishes referred to as “Tapas” (literally “small bites”) all day long. By the way – that’s a great coffee break concept! Most of the time Spanish tapas are however rather greasy / oily and heavy – that’s why the Spanish make a siesta (“take a rest”) every afternoon to digest!
In general, when composing any Western lunch and / or dinner menu, always go:
a. from cold to hot
b. from simple / subtle flavours (eg fish) to complex / fragrant flavours (eg game)
c. from white meat (eg fish, chicken) to red meat (eg steak, lamb)
d. from light sauces to dark sauces
Note that cheese & dessert are not included in the above criteria.
During lunch, which is usually a private- or a business affair, Western people have the habit nowadays of eating “light’, meaning items like fish, grilled white meat, vegetables and / or salads (as seen above). They tend to stay away from large and heavy menus. Lunch is also a rather “efficient” affair, with most people not wanting to linger on for hours at the table – unless, of course, the luncheon is used to celebrate a business deal or any other event.