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Dîner en Blanc: A “Yay” or “Nay” Discussion

By Underground Eats on August 20, 2012 / 2 Comments / Categorized Featured, Good Reads, Photos, Pop-Ups, Unique Dinners, Unique Events

Tonight is the night.  For anyone who has been staring longingly at their beautiful white garments, delicately hung in their closet, waiting for the day when they can be worn to one of the most talked-about dinner parties in the world, tonight is a big deal.  Dîner en Blanc is taking New York City.

The extravagant pop-up “picnic” that began in Paris has become a global phenomenon with events now taking place in Italy, Mexico, Rwanda, Spain, England, and multiple US cities.  While Dîner en Blanc’s popularity has grown tremendously, helped by the trending underground dining scene and social media, here at Underground Eats we cannot help but question whether or not it truly deserves the praise it has recieved.  Below outlines our serious discussion on the pros and cons of Dîner en Blanc.  (Keep in mind… we’ve never been.)

Yay:

1.  The pictures look awesome.

2. The French make it look classy and fun.

3. It’s exclusive, secretive, and exciting.

4. Who doesn’t enjoy a picnic with friends?

5. Who doesn’t enjoy a picnic that turns into a party?

6. Being part of a global, roving dinner party is COOL.

7.  Everyone will be talking about it the next day.

8. Joy in the thrill of being shut down.

9. A chance to dress up and get in touch with your inner Parisian.

10. Instagram/Twitter-updates/FB heaven.

Nay:

1. Schlepping your own folding chairs, tables, and food.

2. Paying $25 to schlep your own chairs, tables, and food.

3. Buying (or renting) folding tables and chairs.  (Because who has tables/chairs hanging around in their cramped NYC apartment?)

4. Staining your white clothes with red wine and food.

5. Buying white pants. (Since most men don’t have a pair of white pants lying around.)

6. If it rains, you are wearing all white.  (Although this may be a “pro” from a man’s perspective.)

7.  If it rains, it will be a total shitshow.

8. Registering.  (The online registration process is nearly impossible and highly confusing.)

9. Clean up.  No one likes cleaning up and lugging trash-bags with a buzz.

10. Americans are not as classy as the French.

Comments

  • Seth Gordon

    So, last year 1,150 people paid $50 each to be told where an event was occurring. That’s all they got for their money. They were told to bring their own food, utensils, etc.

    The overhead cost for the organizers was… a bunch of breadbaskets. Since it was in a public space, there were no rental costs, etc. So maybe $1,000 total overhead. Let’s go out on a limb and say $5,000, with the white tablecloths and everything.

    So, net profit? $52,500. Not bad for exploiting a bunch of flash-mob morons.

    That would be a “Nay” for sure.

  • Chris Lukas

    Definitely worth doing…once.