Title: A Future Foreign Service Officer’s Training at the Diplomatic Dinner Table

Last summer, Maia Moore (G’24) was tossed into a diplomatic trial-by-fire during a United Nations meeting. As a fellow at the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna, she was tasked with speaking as the official representative of the U.S. at a UN meeting. And over the summer, she attended official diplomatic dinners, receptions and meetings trying to absorb all the nuances of statecraft.

“I attended these diplomatic receptions and dinners and had no idea what I was supposed to be doing,” she said. “I felt like I survived it, of course, but I definitely felt like there was an art to it that I wasn’t completely aware of.”

As a Rangel Fellow who will join the U.S. Foreign Service after graduating this spring with her master’s degree in foreign service, she knew she had to hone that art form. So when she discovered the Art of Diplomacy class offered jointly by the McCourt School of Public Policy and the School of Foreign Service, she immediately applied.

In a class of just 10 students, Hoyas visit diplomatic embassies and residences around Washington, DC, every week to dine with and learn from ambassadors. They’re taught by Mark Vlasic, adjunct professor of law and public policy, and Belgian Ambassador Jean-Arthur Regibeau.

Decisions of global importance have often been made at the dinner table. And over full-course meals resplendent with drinks, hors d’oeuvres, main courses and desserts, students fill the shoes of diplomats every Monday evening to discuss foreign policy, careers in international affairs and other lessons in diplomacy.

To give you an inside look, step inside the diplomatic residence with Moore as she navigates the meticulous art of diplomacy over dinner with the Singaporean ambassador.

Arrival

Moore arrives at her class at 6:15 p.m. after a metro ride and short walk to the ambassador’s house in Northwest DC. Moore likes to come prepared to these dinners, typically reading the ambassador’s biography online while catching up on the latest news from the host country.

As she arrives, she finds a few of her classmates outside and exchanges ideas and facts she’s learned about Singapore and its ambassador to the U.S. in preparation for the class.

Small Talk and the Year of the Dragon

Once inside the residence, Moore finds the Singaporean ambassador, Lui Tuck Yew, talking to Vlasic and Regibeau in the parlor. As the class makes introductions, the ambassador’s staff takes drink orders. Moore listens intently to her peers as she settles in. When the conversation turns to the Lunar New Year, she asks the ambassador if the embassy hosted any celebrations for the Year of the Dragon.

“Some people are really good at jumping in and breaking the ice during that initial awkwardness,” she said. “I’m definitely one of the students who needs time to warm up. I can’t immediately ask a question.”

Finding a Seat

After a half hour of small talk and a group photo, the class moves toward the dining room, and Moore finds her place on the seating chart. She said she’s seated next to different people every time.

“I remember one time, [the embassy] put me right next to the only other guy in the class who was left-handed so we wouldn’t bump into each other,” she said. “We were wondering if that was on purpose because I feel like a lot of thought goes into those seating charts.”

Getting Accustomed to a Formal Setting

When she reaches her seat, she waits to sit until Yew invites everyone to take a seat. She said one important lesson she’s learned in the class is to always follow the host’s lead.

At her seat, Moore finds a placard with her name with a formal dinnerware plate setting. While all the utensils once intimidated the future diplomat, Moore is no longer fazed by the sophisticated silverware in front of her.

“I usually just watch my professors to see what they do,” she said. “I always got confused about the forks … It’s outside in, but I didn’t know that at all [at first].”

Introductions and a Toast

As the group gets settled at the table, Vlasic and Regibeau explain the class to Yew and the goal of these dinners. Afterward, students introduce themselves to the ambassador, often quipping their interest in Singapore or their experiences traveling to the small Southeast Asian country. 

Moore makes her standard introduction, explaining her field of study at Georgetown and how she worked at a nonprofit in Chicago before moving to DC. She also shares how she spent several years living in Asia, which afforded her the ability to take a trip to Singapore.

“I have been to Singapore, and I do love the food there, so I [thought] I’ve got to mention this. That food was bomb. I loved it,” she said.

Yew then makes his own introduction, tracing his career from the Singaporean Navy to national politics and then through Singapore’s diplomatic ranks. Since 2017, Yew has served as the ambassador to Japan, China and now the U.S.

With everyone acquainted, the ambassador toasts to the evening as Moore raises her glass of red wine. 

The Buffet

Yew welcomes all the women to get their food first from the buffet station.

“Even at the seated dinners, I’ve noticed they will always bring out dinner for the women first. I assume that’s just customary at a lot of diplomatic dinners,” she said. “It’s very much ladies first.”

The buffet station is filled with traditional Singaporean and Southeast Asian dishes, from beef rendang to chicken satay, char kwey teow and sea bass with assam curry. In past dinners, students were served plates at the table, but Moore said she appreciated the buffet-style meal, saying it made her feel like the ambassador was welcoming everyone to his home.

Moore helps herself to just about every dish on the menu. It wouldn’t be her only trip back to the buffet. In fact, she said just about everyone got a second if not a third helping of the Singaporean dishes.

“Me and one of my classmates told each other that we would get up and go back to the buffet together so it wouldn’t be awkward,” Moore joked. “When’s a good lull in the conversation for us to do that? There was kind of a pause, so me and her gave each other a signal with our eyes, and then we got up together.”

Tableside Manners

As the group enjoys their dinner, Moore’s mind is racing. She’s thinking about her table manners, what the ambassador is saying, her posture and, of course, whether she’s using the right fork. She’s especially cognizant of her eating pace. 

“[I’m thinking about] all of the above,” she said. “I’m a fast eater, and I think it’s really awkward to be done eating while everyone has barely started. So I intentionally take a few bites, then put my fork down and listen for a little bit. Then I’ll take a sip of water, and then I’ll pick my fork up again and take a few bites.”

Getting Down to Business

During the dinner, the off-the-record conversation focuses on Singaporean policy issues, from military matters in Southeast Asia to sustainability, China and economics. Everyone is expected to participate and ask a question. Moore thinks about how she can work her question into the conversation.

“There’s a buildup to when you’re trying to jump in and ask a question. We don’t raise our hands or anything,” she said. “After the ambassador is done answering a question, [everyone in the class] makes eye contact with each other real quick to see if anyone else is going to jump in.”

When Moore finds an opening, she asks Yew what it’s like to represent a country like Singapore with seemingly no single national identity, drawing from her experiences in Singapore where she witnessed a rich variety of cultures, languages, religions and peoples in the island city-state.

Farewells

The group breaks off into several different conversations as people come and go to get more food throughout the meal. When dinner wraps up, the class sips on coffee and tea while nibbling on cakes for dessert before presenting Yew with two class gifts: a branded thermos and mug from the SFS and McCourt, respectively.

The dinner ends at around 8:30 p.m. Moore heads back home. After about a dozen of these dinners, wining and dining with ambassadors, she feels more prepared to enter the world of diplomacy when she graduates this May.

This story was made possible by the generous and insightful ambassadors, their diplomatic chefs and embassy staff, as well as Ambassador Jean-Arthur Regibeau and Professor Mark Vlasic.