In the 1950s and 60s corporate lunches were quite a rage in the West. The epicenter was Madison Avenue, the heart of the advertising profession. The three Martini Lunch was the norm. But in that period some great advertising was produced. Clairol's "Does she... or doesn't she?" Greyhounds "Leave the driving to us". James Bond did not enjoy corporate lunches - he was a loner. He dined alone, with a Vodka Martini (shaken, not stirred). Occasionally, with a beautiful woman. But corporate lunches are not a recent phenomenon. They date back to the 18th century. The Chieftains of the East India Company lunched lavishly - after all they were looting the wealth of India, Lord Mountbatten, was once hosting a lavish lunch. Gandhi, Jinnah, Patel were all there. The only person missing was Jawaharlal Nehru. He was spending romantic time with Mountbatten's wife, the lovely Edwina.
Corporate lunches started in Pakistan in the mid-1950s. The MNCs that were gradually investing in Pakistan started. The 'Goras' wanted to interact with their local underlings, to understand the local culture, and identify the potential high flyers. Many MNCs had their own canteens, separate for the executives and labour. Once in the late 70s, the chairman of ICI (Pak) decided to hold the Board of Directors meeting at the ICI beach hut. It was April. The weather was balmy. The visiting English Directors were quite happy to shed their suits and don shorts. At that time I was the Administrative Services Manager. It befell upon me to organize the event. I ordered lavish lunch boxes from the Intercontinental Hotel - Smoked Salmon, Shrimp on toast, etc. The board meeting was a great success. Afterwards the lunch boxes were given to the seven drivers on duty. They immediately rejected the cuisine, telling me "Farooq Sahab, this food is alien to us. Can we have rice, dal and roti?". Immediate arrangements were made at a local village.
I was once lunching with a friend in his corporate lunch room. He was the CEO of a big multinational. He raised an interesting dilemma "Farooq, we provide a free lunch at the Labour Canteen. The staff eat so much, so that they can skip the evening dinner at home and economise. The problem is that after a lavish feast like that, they cannot work. They become sluggish or actually fall asleep at the machines. It is both a productivity problem and a security concern". I suggested that instead of a buffet, lunch boxes should be handed out containing healthy food like fish, salad etc. The proposal was defeated by the Labour Union. In fact, the lunch or dinner is the finest technique for evaluating the potential corporate CEO. When the candidate arrives, you visually check out his appearance - his suit, shirt, tie, cuffs, watch etc. You offer him a tipple. If he opts for Coke or Lassi, you mentally deduct some points. After a leisurely discussion you proceed to the dining room. You observe him closely during the meal. Does he know the difference between fish and steak knives. Does he blow his nose into the napkin. After the meal you both retire to the sitting area. You offer him a Cigar from the tray. Does he know how to light a Cigar. After the dinner is over, you will have a fairly accurate assessment whether he will make a good CEO.
In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev, the premier of the USSR, came to New York to address the UN General Assembly. In a famous incident he took off his shoe and pounded the rostrum. Later that night, the Secretary General of the UN hosted an exclusive dinner for the Big Five (the permanent members of the Security Council - the US, the UK, Russia, France and China). It was a very exclusive dinner. The five Heads of the State attended. After each had ordered, it was Nikita Khrushchev's turn. He said: "Nothing special for me. I'll just take a bite off everybody else's".
Fast Food has spelled the Death Knell for the corporate lunch. Now people prefer Pizza or Hamburgers. Only the French have resisted the onslaught of Fast Food. The French Parliament once actually tabled a bill to ban the Hamburger. Francois Mitterrand, the late President of France, once lamented "How does one rule a country with 320 different kinds of Cheese".
(The writer is the former Executive Director of the Management Association of Pakistan)
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