Protocol by Capricia Penavic Marshall

Author:Capricia Penavic Marshall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-05-28T00:00:00+00:00

NOURISH YOUR NEGOTIATIONS

As crucial as food is to the brain and the body, the ancient tradition of breaking bread is also an important cultural tool and a potential source of power in interactions. “Food diplomacy was really the first kind of diplomacy,” says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “It was about reciprocity—if I share what I have with you now, you’ll return the favor to me if I get lost in the desert.”

I knew its influence from my White House days, when I witnessed food bringing people together during social events and resulting in serendipitous, game-changing conversations. At the White House state dinner in 1994 for Russia’s President Boris Yeltsin, the confluence of Steven Spielberg, David Geffen, and Jeffrey Katzenberg at a table launched a discussion that hatched one of the most successful collaborations of all time. Over rack of lamb in an apricot chutney and fine wine, the three began forming the concept for DreamWorks, the motion picture studio responsible for producing films such as Shrek and Kung Fu Panda.

But it wasn’t until a certain chicken luncheon that I understood that a carefully planned menu could play a pivotal role in work settings. Early in my term as chief of protocol, Secretary Clinton was hosting an important bilateral meeting at the State Department. We were in the James Monroe Reception Room, a Wedgwood-blue-and-white salon named for our fifth president. (The secretary loved the room’s soft colors and held many lunch and dinner meetings there.) On that day, I was doing what I often do at functions: standing discreetly in the corner, surveying to make sure all was going according to the careful plan. (I’ve always wished that the chief of protocol could be issued an invisibility cloak, as in Harry Potter.) I watched as the main course was placed in front of Secretary Clinton: a simple meal of baked chicken, steamed rice, and vegetables. I noticed her pause and take it in, and then she turned and looked directly at me. Apparently, I was not invisible, after all. From years of service, I knew immediately what her expression meant: We could do better. It wasn’t that the meal was poorly prepared, but we had missed an opportunity to showcase our country’s culinary traditions and introduce our guests to another aspect of who we, as Americans, are. A light went off in my head: Here is another opportunity for our team to engage in smart power. Food would become an important tool of our diplomacy, a creative and delicious way to share the best of our nation and to advance any engagement.

The next morning, I huddled with the team, in particular the wonderful State Department chefs Jason Larkin and Chris James, who until then hadn’t been asked to fully unleash their creativity, and told them we had a new mission: to make food a key ingredient of smart diplomacy. Natalie Jones, who was then assistant chief of ceremonials, the point person in the office on all social events at the State Department, used her genius to help me develop this new initiative.

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