# Meals -- Before or after the meeting



## Smokey613 (Jan 17, 2010)

I began to ponder on this after our last stated meeting. Most lodges I have visited have their meal before the meeting. We have ours after the meeting. I was wondering if there was a "standard" regarding this.


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## Bro_Vick (Jan 17, 2010)

Most places do meals before the meeting to allow participation of wives, etc.  D.C. and Virginal are the only two jurisdictions I have been that they serve the meal afterwards.


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## dhouseholder (Jan 17, 2010)

Bro_Vick said:


> Most places do meals before the meeting to allow participation of wives, etc.  D.C. and Virginal are the only two jurisdictions I have been that they serve the meal afterwards.


 
No wonder the Virginal jurisdiction eats afterwards, they DON'T have any wives to participate.

... you know, being virgins and all.


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## Traveling Man (Jan 17, 2010)

kg_hart said:


> But I prefer the meal before Lodge just in case I cant pass the admissions exam, LOL.


 
Excellent idea! ROFLMAO


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## Nate Riley (Jan 17, 2010)

We do ours meal then meeting and we are in a town where a lot of folks commute to the Houston area for work. So, from a practical standpoint,  having the meeting after the meal (at a later time) appears to allow more brothers to make to the meeting from work and other obligations.  If the meal and meeting were switched it might make it harder for some to make the meeting. I find (from my position in the kitchen) the some brothers have dinner with their family before coming to the meeting.  At first I thought "why not fellowship with the brothers", but spending time with family is more important (per our teachings).


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## RedTemplar (Jan 17, 2010)

When conferring the MM Degree, we eat between the 1st and 2nd sections.


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## Bigmel (Jan 17, 2010)

We eat our meals before Meeting.  It lets candidates and visitors have fellowship before meeting.


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## Bill Lins (Jan 17, 2010)

Bigmel said:


> We eat our meals before Meeting.  It lets candidates and visitors have fellowship before meeting.


 
Ditto. We also like to have wives & kids eat with us.


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## Blake Bowden (Jan 18, 2010)

I would love to have a nice meal served afterwards along with a nice glass of wine.


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## Christopher (Jan 18, 2010)

I like the idea of having the meal after the meetings.  Stated meetings have a serious tendency to drag on with a lot of business and drudgery.  I think a meal after the meeting would give some incentive to stay focussed and on-track and get our work done, and a way to relieve some of the strain from the back and forth haggling that sometimes happens at meetings.  A bit of hunger might also prop up the attention spans of some brethren accustomed to napping after a good meal.  

Christopher


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## kcir (Jan 18, 2010)

I belong to a lodge in Germany and we eat after the meeting and have a formal table lodge.  The brothers are served the meal by all attending EA's and FC's.  This is a tradition thaqt I miss.


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## Christopher (Jan 18, 2010)

"Table lodge"?  What all is involved in that?  Are there certain customs involved?


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## TexMass (Jan 18, 2010)

During the meeting in MA.  We usually break for refreshment and go to dinner after opening and doing any first half ritual.  After dinner we return and do our business meeting then what ever part two ritual we have.


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## kcir (Jan 18, 2010)

There is a lot to the procedure.  You can get an idea by visiting the web site of Army Lodge  1105 here in San Antonio.  They have instructions for their formal table lodge.  Good Luck


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## JTM (Jan 20, 2010)

i like after.  the women aren't there at that point.


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## Wingnut (Jan 20, 2010)

We do before, but I think we should do it after degrees, a chance to destroy the evidence by serving the goat.


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## Bill Lins (Jan 20, 2010)

At stated meetings, we eat first. At degrees, we eat afterward.


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## TexMass (Jan 21, 2010)

TexMass said:


> During the meeting in MA.  We usually break for refreshment and go to dinner after opening and doing any first half ritual.  After dinner we return and do our business meeting then what ever part two ritual we have.


 
MA lodges usually start at 6:30 and dinner is at 7:00 to 7:45.  IF the District Deputy is visiting, he is received at 8:00.  This actually allows the DD to have dinner with us and after lodge has returned to labor you can get the business meeting out of the way and receive the DD.  Whle he's there, he can view your ritural if you have a second part to do on a candidate.  I think it works out really well.


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