On the pleasure of talking to strangers

Last week we launched The School of Life’s conversation meals at Konstam in King's Cross. The restaurant is known for its seasonal and locally sourced cuisine and as Nina Caplan (Time Out’s features editor) wrote, “everything was sourced from within the M25 except the topics for discussion”.

The principle behind the meals is simple – all of us know how difficult it can sometimes be to strike up an interesting conversation with a stranger, but most of us would admit that it can provide the opportunity to really see things freshly. The School of Life provides diners with a specially designed conversation menu – containing tasks, pictures, quotes and questions to help stimulate conversations about things that really matter in life. “It has the potential to be excruciating, but actually it’s tremendous fun”, Nina Caplan discovered, ‘there are tasks to accomplish, aphorisms to discuss with the aperitif, questions to bat across the table with a stranger through dinner, postcards to ponder over dessert."

The meals have proven hugely popular with bookings now being taken for Spring 2009. Read more about the concept and find upcoming meal dates here.

Comments

[Drew Byrne, Esq.]

Don't get too near a stranger when he or she or it is hungry, he she or it might get the strong urge to take a bite out of your butt just to see how tasty you are.

[Kare Anderson]

I've literally dreamt of co-hosting family-style dinners
with a menu of topics and price fixe meal...
you've inspired me to consider trying it here in Sausalito..

via Mark Vernon I found this great blog