What is a hospitality meal?
Hospitality meals offer a unique opportunity to meet emerging leaders from around the world in a relaxed atmosphere – your own home. When GlobalPittsburgh arranges itineraries for visiting professionals, an opportunity for a meal in a real American home provides a unique cultural experience for them. Hosts typically are asked to host between two and four guests for dinner, although there are occasional lunch opportunities as well.
What is expected of me as a host?
Hosts prepare a meal for typically two to four guests. The menu for a hosted dinner should include whatever your family would normally serve; the meal does not need to be fancy, catered, or something that the visitors would eat in their home countries. Visitors are usually very eager to try American foods such as hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, pasta, vegetarian dishes, etc. GlobalPittsburgh will inform hosts in advance if their visitors have dietary restrictions or feel uncomfortable around pets. If you do not speak the language of your guests, an interpreter assigned to the group by the State Department will be asked to join the dinner to help facilitate conversation. You are always welcome to invite friends or neighbors to also attend the dinner with your international guests.
What is the purpose of a professional dinner?
There is no one exact reason for hosting a dinner. The experience is meant to be holistic and encompasses many things. It is intended to be a relaxed evening with an easy conversation about a wide variety of topics. It is a chance for the visitors to ask questions about things that may not relate to the subject of their program. It is a chance for visitors to see a “real” American home and how a “real” American family lives. It is a chance for visitors to get an understanding of American culture at the most basic level. Please remember that this is not to be a “party,” but rather a relaxed professional dinner.
How do the guests get to my house and what time does dinner begin?
The visitors take Uber or Lyft to and from your home. Their program liaisons help with necessary arrangements. The hotels that GlobalPittsburgh uses are generally located Downtown; sometimes, we use the hotels in Oakland, Waterfront, or Lawrenceville. The dinner time is determined by the individual host, but we ask that dinner begins after 5:30 pm on a weekday whenever possible. This allows the guests time to relax and re-compose themselves after a full day of professional meetings or traveling. If you are hosting a lunch or brunch on the weekend, there is more flexibility.
May I take my guests out to eat at a restaurant?
We ask that hosts do not take their guests to eat at a restaurant. As previously mentioned, this is a chance for guests to see an American home and family. For many international visitors, the majority of their meals are at restaurants during the duration of their program. For these visitors, a home-cooked meal is a welcome relief from the endless parade of restaurant food. If you must take your guest to a restaurant, please consider bringing your guest home for coffee and dessert so that they may see your home.
What if I don’t like to cook or can’t cook?
Feel free to buy prepared food and serve it at your house on your dinnerware. You may invite a friend or two and ask them to bring a dish. We do encourage everyone to prepare at least one homemade portion of the meal. If you feel you can’t cook or aren’t very good at it, try anyhow! Your guests will appreciate the effort and, besides, the only way to get better is by practicing!
What should I cook?
Whatever you like! Please keep the following suggestions in mind. Please do not prepare food from the country of your guest. They have come a long way to try something new! Stay away from non-traditional food (e.g. liver paté, certain kinds of seafood, beef tongue, etc.). Prepare food that you enjoy and that you feel would be something you think your guest might enjoy. Please do not be offended if your guest does not eat a lot of food. There are differing world views about an evening meal and the amount of food that is to be eaten Also remember something that is an American staple, for example, corn, may be viewed in another country as strictly animal feed. In general, remember that your dinner should be casual and does not need to rival something prepared by Martha Stewart.
What about alcohol?
This is at your discretion. Be mindful of differing views about alcohol in different regions of the world. Further, some guests may choose to not drink alcohol because of their religious beliefs, but may not be offended if they choose to have a drink. If you have doubts, the best option may be to omit alcohol from the meal altogether. We will share the guests’ dietary restrictions ahead of time, including the use of alcohol in cooking, prior to sending the guests your way.
Will I be compensated for dinner?
GlobalPittsburgh does not compensate dinner hosts. However, depending on how you file your taxes you may be able to claim the expenses for any food purchased, as well as the gas mileage from driving guests to and from their hotel. If doing so, please save your receipts for your records.
What if my guest doesn’t speak English?
If your guest(s) do not speak English, we ask that you host an interpreter for dinner in addition to your guests. You will not be tasked with finding an interpreter. GlobalPittsburgh would ensure that there is some individual to facilitate and translate conversation during dinner if the guest is not accompanied by an interpreter.
What about food allergies or dietary restrictions?
GlobalPittsburgh will inform you prior to the dinner about any food allergies or dietary restrictions that your guests may have. While this information is largely correct, it is always good to check with your guests before sitting down to dinner about any allergies or restrictions that they may have.
I have a pet. Is this an issue?
Generally not. Guests will inform GlobalPittsburgh if they have an allergy or are uncomfortable around pets. It is extremely important that you let our office know if you have any pets so we can avoid any conflicts that may arise. If a guest is uncomfortable around a pet such as a dog, you may be asked to put your dog in another room during the dinner.
What do we talk about during dinner?
Whatever you like! Please remember that your guests may be from anywhere in the world and could have different views on a subject than you have. It is important to remember this and to keep an open mind. If you find that you have a disagreement about a topic, politely accept whatever view is expressed and move to a new topic. While the responsibility for a good dinner is upon both the host and the guest, you as the host have a huge impact on the success of the evening. Please remember this. Additionally, some topics may be taboo for discussion with some guests. GlobalPittsburgh will send you biographies of your guests prior to the dinner so you may appropriately prepare for the evening. Further, you are always welcome to speak with a staff member if you have any concerns. They can guide you to information about the country or countries from which your guests are coming.
Please remember that this list is by no means inclusive. Should you have any questions that are not addressed here, please feel free to contact Nadya Kessler at 412-282-3815 or by email at nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org.
How do I apply to host?
You can apply to host by filling out the
Host Application webform. Keep in mind that this form is for both homestays and hospitality dinners, and there is a place to indicate if you would like to apply for both or just hospitality dinners. With any questions, please email Nadya Kessler at
nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org.
