Take linen tablecloths, serve Chicken Sicilian with a marinara sauce and invite 60 sixth-grade students to sit down together at the Park Hotel in the ballroom.
What do you have? A fine dining experience for all - even with vegetables and a luncheon speaker who told University of Utah jokes - and a learning experience for youngsters who haven't eaten out formally very many times before."This is our way of helping the school," said Dennis Porter, director of public relations for the Provo Park Hotel, which is in partnership with Timpanogos Elementary. "We thought it would be a good way to combine what we do with their needs."
Principal Rose Marie Smith said for many of the children the luncheon was their first experience with fine dining.
To allay any fears and ease the transition from school lunch to formal dining, the hotel's director of catering, Becky Petrey, gave some pre-meal instruction.
"Identify which knife and fork is yours," said Petrey. "And notice how you hold it. You don't grip it up like this, do you? When you're done, you put it on the bread and butter plate so you don't soil the tablecloth."
Petrey illustrated eating a roll properly, which involved tearing off a portion to eat as needed rather than trying to butter and bite an entire roll at once.
She explained the value of setting up a meal to look attractive and noted that it's a good idea to offer to pass items to other table guests.
The children took the challenge in stride. They were careful not to talk about anything "gross" during the meal and paid polite attention to BYU assistant coach Tony Engle as he spoke to them about living
their dreams.
"Everybody did something different with the roll," said Misty Lind-gren.
At Cesar Machado's table, all the children were "professional roll-rippers" said the teacher. Ma
chado said it was "easy to mem-orize what to do." "I did know youalways got the salad first," said Dan-ny Draper.
"I worried about knocking down the glass," said Heejune An.
If anybody had spilled - and nobody did, the kids had some thoughts on what to do.
"I would have cleaned it up with my napkin," said Draper.
"I would put my napkin on it," said Kristen Billings.
If they hadn't liked the fare, then what? "Don't spit it out," advised a table of boys.
"You keep chewing it anyway and swallow it 'cause it's unkind to spit it out," said Carol Tomkinson.
"I didn't like the broccoli or the squash," said An. "I left them there, but I tried a teeny bit of it first." Would the kids come back and would their table manners be better now at home? "This is the best salad I ever had," said Adam Cryer.
"This is a good meal," said Kristin Ripple. "The meat was easy to cut."
"I won't be the same at home," said Josh Bendoski. "Because you don't have to."
"I'll eat like this when I go out and things," said Parley Fullmer.