2008 Retreat Meal Plan

I would say a more casual type lunch thing around 11:00 in the morning and then one big meal at around 7:00 at night, a big dinner with everyone gathered.

Dinner might be prepared meals, but lunch would just be something laid out -- weather it's sandwhiches, or fried up hot dogs, or salads, or what have you -- and for the rest of the day, any snacks would be up to the individual guest. If you want cheetos, buy a bunch of cheetos and then defend them from your fellow writer.

The one useful thing to have would be hot water going throughout the rest of the day. If it's good and hot then people can use it to make coffee, and people like me can use it to make a good cup/pot of tea.

So I would say Two Meals with Continuous Drinks.

Any more seems excessive. If I eat a big breakfast, a big lunch, and a big dinner, then the odds of me doing anything the rest of the day but napping in the sunlight are pretty slim.

I voted just dinner because I only eat one warm meal a day, but I'm adaptable! Like PeeDee said, a snack at lunchtime would be fine with me. Or warm lunch and a snack at dinner. Assuming that breakfast is included?

What I was muddlingly trying to say about lunch is, do one of those snack platter setups where they have the bread rolls, some slices of meet and cheese, some crackers, some fruit, some juice. I tend to eat like a bottomless pit, but mostly I just eat all day long instead of in big wallops.

Breakfast, I can take or leave. I don't generally eat anything for breakfast, but start getting hungry a few hours later, around 10:30 or so.

And anyway, since this lot is a bunch of writers, they may not be up in time for a meal any earlier than lunch-time anyway...

I like the idea of lunch being a grab-it-and-go kind of informal setup -- we could throw some stuff on a plate and then sit around and yap about stuff. Dinner I can see as a slightly more formal, sit-down affair.

Breakfast for me is usually a banana and a pot of coffee, so I don't really care about that

As long as I've got cold water or iced tea throughout the day, everything's gravy.

Though i hope we're not talking TOO formal for dinner, because if it gets to the point where I have to consider a tie, I'm going to McDonald's...

I think we should definitely do dinner together, and then everything else should be pretty informal. People should bring snacks and stuff along with them (power bars, cereal, dried fruit, crackers, etc.) Will there be restaurants near the Retreat? Have we decided where the Retreat is? If the Retreat is going to be in a building, will we have access to stoves? All of this is relevant to how many meals should be served.

Also, we should make sure we have a vegetarian option on the menu. I know I'm vegetarian, and I would guess there are others on the board who are as well.

Thanks Cassiopeia and PeeDee for trying to set this up!

maddythemad said:

I think we should definitely do dinner together, and then everything else should be pretty informal. People should bring snacks and stuff along with them (power bars, cereal, dried fruit, crackers, etc.) Will there be restaurants near the Retreat? Have we decided where the Retreat is? If the Retreat is going to be in a building, will we have access to stoves? All of this is relevant to how many meals should be served.

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Well, I can tell you for a fact that the Retreat will be held in buildings, because no one on these boards are going to go all Jeremiah Johnson with me (nor has anyone but me apparently seen that movie...)

So, in a building for sure, and there will be stoves. Whether or not we, the guests, have access to them is probably another matter. I have no idea on that count.

I wouldn't mind if there were restuarants nearby the retreat, I could always do to sneak off and get a nice big salad from a local Perkins or some such.

PeeDee said:

Well, I can tell you for a fact that the Retreat will be held in buildings, because no one on these boards are going to go all Jeremiah Johnson with me (nor has anyone but me apparently seen that movie...)

So, in a building for sure, and there will be stoves. Whether or not we, the guests, have access to them is probably another matter. I have no idea on that count.

I wouldn't mind if there were restuarants nearby the retreat, I could always do to sneak off and get a nice big salad from a local Perkins or some such.

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You're going on a big AW retreat-- nay, a vacation-- and you're going to eat SALAD? Be ashamed, PeeDee. Be ashamed.

(oh, and thanks for answering my question, btw)

well, I thought it would be a nice break in between the platefulls of Swedish meatballs and steaks I intend to be otherwise served.

The continental breakfast with room sounds perfect for the early meal, and you might consider boxed lunches for midday. Many restaurants will prepackage, then participants can just grab it to take to a quiet corner where they're working with a couple of folks, or out to the back patio, or wherever. Dinner together sounds perfect.

I'm flexible about everything, except the tie stuff. No ties.

I voted for dinner only because I have stupid dietary restrictions that eliminate half the foods in creation. I anticipate fending for myself a lot.

sanremoave said:

The continental breakfast with room sounds perfect for the early meal, and you might consider boxed lunches for midday. Many restaurants will prepackage, then participants can just grab it to take to a quiet corner where they're working with a couple of folks, or out to the back patio, or wherever. Dinner together sounds perfect.

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I think that sounds PERFECT!!

I definately think we should have a get-together meal each day, but I also think we should have a meal or two where we can go out alone or grab up a buddy and head out to a restaurant or something.

I voted for lunch/dinner.

May I suggest only one group dinner, perhaps on the night the most participants will be available? Have some kind of event tied to it to insure participation and leave the other nights free for people to go out in groups and socialize. Another option is for affinity groups* to plan their own get togethers for dinner. (*freelancers, genre writers, non-fics, bloggers - hey, who invited those weirdos!! )

Continental breakfast is a great idea. Lunch, I believe, should also be left open - people may want to nap (jet lag) or need their own quiet times. Plus dietary challenges always leave some folk having to fend for themselves and the less expensive lunch menues I've seen at conferences, etc, are always challenging. I'm not that picky and I've gone hungry more than once.

PeeDee said:

Though i hope we're not talking TOO formal for dinner, because if it gets to the point where I have to consider a tie, I'm going to McDonald's...

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By formal, I meant "people wear shirts".

Just lunch would be great.

PattiTheWicked said:

By formal, I meant "people wear shirts".

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Pffft. I'm out.

Well, thanks for acknowledging that I was trying to be helpful. I'll keep my peace from here forward.

Yeah, definitely if you have something special that you need for food -- whether you're allergic to something, or you just really don't like something -- do let her/me know. Honest, we won't laugh. I spent the first fifteen years of my life allergic to all sorts of things, so I'll be plenty sympathetic.

I think we'll definitely have a big proper dinner on one of the nights, perhaps the last night. For the rest of the dinners, I'd like to have something provided, but that doesn't mean everyone has to eat THERE, and it doesn't mean everyone has to eat together. It'd be like a continental breakfast, where sometimes people come down, get food, and then retreat with a stack of plates back up to their room for their herd of bloggers.