From 2018: An abundance of wealth and time are de-facto prerequisites for admission at the Institut Villa Pierrefeu.
Neri, who believes orange juice to be an “unimaginative” mixer , explained that cocktail parties are “an efficient and economical way of simultaneously returning multiple favors,” and asked if anyone in the class had ever organized one. Vidhi, a twenty-five-year-old lawyer from Nashik, India, had thrown one for the opening of an art exhibition curated by her sister; so had Christine, the mother of five, for the teachers at her children’s school in Minneapolis. Neri nodded approvingly.
The question of how we ought to comport ourselves in the public sphere has preoccupied philosophers for millennia. Confucius’ teachings address etiquette, as, arguably, do Plato’s, in “Laws,” when he catalogues how various types of guests from abroad should be treated. And if Jesus walks through our world in disguise, rudeness is un-Christian. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” the New Testament warns.
In the early years, the school’s students were mostly from West Germany and the Netherlands. “The French did not come to Switzerland,” Neri said. “They would maybe go to England, because it’s a kingdom, but not to a peasant country.” Every so often, the school received what Neri referred to as “an exotic student”—once, she said, the school hosted a cousin of the Emperor of Japan.
Over the week, I observed many multiple-course lunches, each one set, hosted, served, and attended by students, all of whom were assigned various parts, as in a play, and graded on their performance. The “servants” wore white gloves and frilly aprons and, when they were not pouring water, stood near a sideboard with their hands folded neatly. The “guests” cocked their heads solicitously and inquired after one another’s make-believe families.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mark Wahlberg Buys Las Vegas Villa; Local Agent Spills Tea on Real Estate DealsAfter nixing a move to Florida, where his wife Rhea Durham was born and has family, Mark Wahlberg isn’t waiting for his new mansion to be built at Las Vegas’s uber-luxury resort community the…
Read more »
'RHOBH' Stars Vacation in Aspen Villa That Rents for $12,500 a NightThe Aspen villa the cast of 'RHOBH' stayed in on the show is available for rent at $12,500 a night.
Read more »
This $7 Million ‘Floating’ Villa in the Maldives Lets You Waterslide From the Bedroom to the LagoonYou'll also have your very own 40-foot lap pool with ocean views.
Read more »
Milpitas teachers are struggling to afford housing. The school district is asking parents to take them inLast school year, the Milpitas Unified School District said it lost at least seven teachers who struggled to afford the area.
Read more »