Across The Table

I came across Across the Table over the summer, and after my first dinner i was amazed at the quality of the interactions, the wonderful company and, not most importantly, the delicious food! It is great to be exposed to a diverse group of people that wouldn’t otherwise interact and walk away filled both from the food and the food for thought!

I’ve been involved with Across the Table three ways — as a caterer (Lauren initially got in touch with my company about providing food for their off-​site events), as a guest (I attended one of the events in Hyde Park), and as a host (we hosted one of the dinners at our kitchen space in Pilsen) and I’ve been impressed from all sides.
At first I had reservations about the concept (Would people really talk? Would the small group really reflect the diversity of our city?), but after seeing the process in action my fears were put to rest. The guests the event I attended were definitely from different backgrounds and we had a lively discussion about our topic. The guests that attended the event in our kitchen were equally diverse. Lauren is a great facilitator and definitely keeps people on topic and engaged.
From a business perspective, I’ve also been really impressed working with Lauren and Across the Table. Non-​profits are notoriously poorly run, but this one is not.

I have been to three ATT events and, I have to say, it is one of the more unique experiences that I have had while in Chicago. There aren’t many situations that allow you to discuss weighty topics like identity and ethnic background with a diverse group of strangers (unless you are in college and I am well past those years). The conversation was great in large part because people felt comfortable speaking their minds in such a non-​threatening environment. The food in all three spots (Lincoln Square, Andersonville, and Pilsen) was very good as well which was a bonus. But it was the discussion that I enjoyed the most and the reason that I am planning to sign up for a fourth dinner.

We signed up, but due to the moderator’s medical emergency – the dinner was canceled. Unfortunately, we were not advised by phone – cell or landline, only by email in the afternoon when we were offline. So you have got the rest of the storyline – we went, along with others from the dinner – only to find, there was no dinner. Poorly handled – and clearly there is no Plan B back up in place for the loosey goosey organization. It is a puzzle why the dinner couldn’t happen w/​o a moderator – given we are adults. So truly, as the stars above state – I’ve experienced better dinners with conversation. The ones at the McCormick Freedom Project for example. They are well organized – had a fabulous one the night after Across the Table’s.

Let’s be honest. My typical Friday night conversations with my friends often ranges from an intense discussion about why some guy really thought it’d be okay to wait three weeks to text back to a rousing debate about how to now avoid Mr. Frattastic Douchbagbobastic. A discussion about freedom of expression in society… well, that’s the sort of stuff that tends to only come up in a classroom or around the family dinner table at holidays.
Until now.
I read about Across the Table in the Trib a while ago and loved the concept: bringing together diverse groups of people from various neighborhoods around Chicagoland to eat dinner and engage in conversations that most of us don’t get enough of on a daily basis.
The dinners are held all around the city at different types of restaurants/​places (check the website). The meals are all vegetarian-​friendly and the price is $ 30 but if that’s out of your budget, there’s a way on the website that you could apply to participate anyways. It’s definitely something you could feel comfortable doing by yourself. Our group of 8 ranged in age from 20’s to 60’s, married couples, to solo individuals.
Lauren, the Director of the non-​profit, was very friendly upon our arrival and immediately split up people who had come together to do an ice-​breaking activity with someone you didn’t know while we waited for everyone to arrive. This meant that around the dinner table, people weren’t sitting next to who they came with… meaning they weren’t constantly turning to them, tempted to have a side-​conversation. It was great!
Our dinner was fabulous both food-​wise and conversation-​wise. Lauren started us off with the general topic of «freedom of expression in democracy» and had loads of follow-​up questions to guide the conversation (i.e., in what ways do you express yourself on a daily basis, etc.) She worked hard to bring us back to the general subject-​matter when things strayed and was conscientious about trying to make sure everyone got the opportunity to be heard.
My friend and I left the dinner with the same reaction — it was even better than we expected, was more interesting, and left us with lots of thoughts now spinning around in our heads.
BOTTOM LINE: Liked it, loved it, want some more of it.

Across the Table is an organization that is designed to «Unite People One Meal at a Time.» That’s their tagline, anyway. I read about them in Time Out Chicago and it seemed worthwhile to me. I went on their website and decided to sign up for a dinner. One dinner is $ 20 and it was a great experience. You dine at a restaurant that the moderator picks and she (Lauren) picks a topic to discuss. The topic is usually very thought provoking. The topic we had was «How do our ethnic identities influence where we’ve chosen to live?» It was great to hear other people express opinions different from your own. I highly encourage people to do this. As long as you have an open mind, that is. Because that’s kind of the point, you know?