The following is how to put out a classy spread for your next talk; ignoring beverages and extras, everything listed should ring up at around $50.
- The most important snack is cheese. Yes, some people are vegan or lactose-intolerant, but cheese is one of the most universally-beloved snacks world-wide. Most cheeses keep for a while with refrigeration, and some even keep at room temperature. Cheese is, as a dear friend says, one of the few products whose quality scales more or less linearly with its price, and I would recommend at least two mid-grade cheeses. I usually buy one soft one (Camembert, Brie, and Stilton are good choices) and one semi-hard one (Emmental or an aged Cheddar for example). The cheese should be laid out on a cutting board with some kind of metal knife for each. The cheese should not be pre-cut (that’s a little tacky). Cheeses should be paired with a box of Carr’s Water Crackers or similar. Estimated price: $15-20.
- Fresh finger vegetables are also universally liked. The easiest options are finger carrots and pre-cut celery sticks. If you can find pre-cut multi-color bell peppers or broccoli, those are good options too. You can pair this with some kind of creamy dip (it’s easy to make ranch or onion dip using a pint of sour cream and a dip packet, but you need a spoon or spatula to stir it up) but you certainly don’t have to. Estimated price: $10-20.
- Fruit is a great option. The simplest thing to do is to just buy berries, but this is not foolproof: blueberries are a little small for eating by hand; raspberries lack structural integrity, and where I live, strawberries are only in season in the mid-summer, and are expensive and low-quality otherwise. In Mid-Atlantic cities, there are often street vendors who sell containers of freshly-cut fruit (this usually includes slices of pineapples and mangos and bananas, and perhaps some berries) and if this is available this is a good idea too. Estimated price: $10-15.
This, plus some water, is basically all you need to put out. Here are some ways to potentially extend it.
- Chips are a good option. I think ordinary salty potato chips are probably the best choice simply because they’re usually eaten by themselves. In contrast, if you put out tortilla chips, you need to pair them with some kind of salsa or dip, and you need to buy a brand with sufficient “structural integrity” to actually pick up the dip.
- Nuts are good too, obviously; maybe pick out a medley.
- Soda water is really popular and cheap. I recommend 12oz cans. It should always be served chilled.
- A few bottles or cans of beer may go over well. With rare exceptions, should be served chilled.
- A bottle of wine may be appropriate. Chill it if it’s a varietal that needs to be chilled.
If the talk is before noon, coffee (and possibly hot water and tea bags) is more or less expected. There is something of a taboo in the States of consuming or serving alcohol before 4pm or so, and you may or may not want your event to have a happy hour atmosphere even if it’s in the evening.
And here are a few things I cannot recommend:
- In my milieu it is uncommon for people to drink actual soda.
- I wouldn’t recommend cured meats or charcuterie for a talk. The majority of people won’t touch the stuff these days, and it’s pretty expensive.
- I love hummus, but mass-produced hummus is almost universally terrible. Make it at home (it’s easy if you have a food processor) or forget about it.
- Store-bought guacamole tastes even worse, and it has a very short shelf life.