Tiny Dining-in Night - Ideas, please!
 

I have to organise the smallest dining-in night in the RAF, with just 10 attendees (all Flt Lts apart from the Stn Cdr). Problem is, a tiny dining-in night could either be a rip-roaring success of drunkenness and hijinks (the staish is usually up for a laugh), or a damp squip of awkwardness and lack of conversation. I have ordered the most alcoholic Cointreau sorbet I could find, which should be a good start.

The dining-in doesn't have to follow the normal format. So, do any of you chaps have suggestions for how to make the event more fun/embarassing/alcoholic for its participants? Reverse dining-in has already been suggested. Korean rules (I don't mean bury the food in a mountain and explode it) are a must.

Cheers!

tabs

Con a good guest speaker along for a free meal. Where in UK are you?

It is hard to have those japes without the mob mentality of a full DIN. Why not concentrate on a bloody good dinner, loads of good banter and get the best wines you can afford? You'll do enough proper DIN where all of the above are average. I could see Korean rules or reverse, or both, just being awkward with 11 people there.

Oh - even bad guest speakers are rarely free!

I think you need maximum audience participation.

Each diner to prepare a party piece to entertain the others. Marks out of 10 for style, artistic contempt etc., and major forfeits for those who achieve highest and/or lowest marks :E

'Korean rules' might be OK for a few juvenile baby co-piglets, but require inappropriate behaviour before the loyal toast, which is a distinct no-no.

Having seen the look of embarrassment on the face of a senior guest when expected to eat his dessert without the benefit of cutlery, I suggest that you abandon any such childish stupidity - particularly at such a small dinner.

What you are being expected to organise is probably nothing out of the ordinary for some RN wardrooms; perhaps the Senior Service may be able to advise you (if you need such advice) how to enjoy such a convivial event without it being dull?

BEagle - I served briefly in HMS Sabre, a Fast Training Boat. On joining I increased the wardroom numbers by 50%. A squadron (three boats) dinner comprised fewer diners than TE will have :E

Why not organise a taster menu, 7-10 courses (small portions) should do with a different wine specially chosen for each course. Gives a great talking point and you'll all be in high spirits by the end of it.

This place does a great Tasting menu, for ideas.

http://www.roast-restaurant.com/menu.cfm

'Korean' rules? Sorry, it's an age thing ---

Korean rules and all that.
 

If the food you are to consume is anything more extravagant than beans on toast, then I would suggest this is a big no-no. I've always thought it a little insulting to the kitchen staff who have slaved to produce and serve a quality meal.
I'm not an old miserable git, with no sense of humour (some may disagree!) but save that sort of thing for squadron christmas parties!
The party piece from each diner sounds like a great idea. Even a shy Officer should be able to rouse the courage to stand up in front of 10 people!
BV:ok:
PS. Korean rules = napkin round head and eating without the benefit of iron-mongery!

I'm with BEags and Bob Viking.
Korean rules is a slap in the face for the kitchen staff, quite apart from being strengst verboten before the loyal toast.
Please also consider that some of your diners may not have their own teeth! There's nothing more likely to put you off your food than your neighbour's top set falling onto his plate.:}

Best way to handle a small dining in night?

The way it is frequently done by the 13-35 'dining club' in MPA (joint DIN between 1312 and 1435 Flts). Attendance is usually in the order of 15-20 Officers, but numbers are swelled by making it 'ladies guest' - ie scour the complex for the 15-20 reasonably attractive women that exist down there (they do, honest!). Seating is always 'boy-girl-boy-girl'.

And arsing about before the loyal toast is, as quite rightly pointed out above, verboten. A point made by the 'PMC' right at the start of the dinner - there usually follows a delay of roughly 5 seconds before the 'PMC' stands up again and makes the loyal toast! Sets the tone for the evening quite nicely.

Set a record! Have it in a phone-box - if you can find one that's not been trashed

Invite 10 equivalent rank aircrew from each of the nearest Navy and Army bases as Mess Guests. Each service to provide a 5 mins speaker of equal seniority to the Staish and call it a 'Purple' dins. Whats more everyone will have someone to scrap with in post-dins Mess Games. Please post photos here !

Reverse dining in night
 

As a token holding officer some years ago I was of course the only choice for the job of Mr Vice.
The job was made somewhat easier when I found out that a reverse dining in night had been authorized! Essentially the evening started with grace, immediately followed by the loyal toast. This therefore meant that drunken debauchery and drunkenness were valid throughout the whole meal - excellent.
Just a thought.
:ok:

PS 'twas a small mess and probably the smallest dining-in I have been to - it certainly did help liven things up

A Good Night
 

Don't provide any cutlery. That usually breaks the ice.

Choice of location will be crucial - you might be doomed to failure if the ten of you sit down in splendid isolation in the middle of a hangar-sized Mess dining room designed for 150! Is there a smaller room? Or any other slightly unusual location (within reach of the kitchens, of course)? Shame it's past the time of year for outside.

I like the idea of everyone doing a 'party piece' (also takes the heat off the Stn Cdr, who is less likely to feel he has to drone on at length from someone else's script about any leavers - no offence intended to any leavers from wherever you are, or your Stn Cdr).

The idea of guests also has potential, without turning your function into a traditional Guest Night: what about asking each of your attendees to invite a non-family guest? Of course it would put the price up, but might be a chance to entertain any civvy mates, get completely slaughtered with Service colleagues from elsewhere, embrace the spirit of Jointery as suggested above etc etc

Hope you have a fun evening, whatever you choose to do. And my fee for the above advice is an entertaining PXR posted on this forum!

Cheers for the tips, chaps. It is a stag do for the Jnr Offrs and Stn Cdr only, so no guests and no guest speaker. I'll be PMC for the evening, as well... heh heh heh!

Reverse dining-in seems to have the support of my colleagues, as well as making it somewhat more informal as it is our own occasion. Various ideas for themes and (dear God!) fancy dress have been floating around.

The party pieces idea stands to scrutiny, so I'll probably go along with that. Someone suggested an X Factor type arrangement with people singing between courses. I think I'd rather staple my eyelids to an extractor fan!

I will, of course, post a PXR (if it's that entertaining!).

If you need a game to play and you have a bit of a decent sized room, i.e bigger than aa's, get some of those foam kids aeroplane toys about 50p each. Then you can have a challenge of who flies farthest, building them blindfold etc etc, with penalties/rewards, and if the staish is tied to a mahogany bomber at the mo, you can say, 'Tonight sir, you can fly!' All the lads have chipped in and we've bought you your own plane! It will give a flying theme to the evening at least!
Whilst a civvy, I know that this game has been played at 'team building':ugh: forums in the graveyard shift, (first talk after lunch). Makes for a good laugh, and wakes everyone up!
Bags first Daily Mirror headline, 'Drunken senior RAF Occifer crashes Spitire':oh:

We had an Australian themed reverse dinner once, and I was 'Mystic Bruce'. I had to fine people for the mistakes that they were about to make!

Amusingly, I was 98% correct as well!

If you're going with the reverse theme and want fancy dress, then Australian can work.

Instead of demonstrating to your Stn Cdr that you and your flt lt chums are just a bunch of suburban Club 18-30 food-throwing wannabes, I would support the suggestion made earlier of providing him with a meal to remember for the quality of the food, wine and not least, your own sparkling company.
Cooking for only 10-11 as opposed to the more usual 100 plus would also give the chef much greater scope for an imaginative menu.
If I was the Staish in question, given the choice of a fine meal, superb wine and the combined wit of ten flt lts versus an Officers’ Mess version of It’s a Royal Knock-Out, I know which I’d go for. But what do I know..
Alternatively, how about if you got the Fire Section to squirt the meal down a fire hose at you, in a darkened room with a maddened RAF police dog for company..
Or just mix the complete meal up into one steaming heap and arrange for a friendly Rock Ape to explode the lot over you all..
Or how about you all have to wear goon suits and you throw your food at the person opposite. Laugh..? (I almost did)