Hospitality and Institutional Meals: from private hospitality to institutional hospitality

Abstract: There is a growing interest in articulating institutional meal serving practices as a hospitality activity involving host and guest interactions. This study aims to qualify institutional hospitality and meal activities by exploring private hospitality events. The study is based on an experimental design, in which 10 bachelor students in Nutrition and Health organized and participated as both hosts and guests in four self-selected meal events. The events included a Housing Community event, a Children’s Birthday party, an Art Exhibition event and a Family Easter lunch. Based on a semi-structured interview, students reflected on their hospitality experiences. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic analysis method. The emerging themes on hospitality activities were identified. It was found that hospitality activities could be characterized as a process where the individual was transformed into a guest. Information on purpose of the event and other information given in the invitation were part of this process. Furthermore, hospitality activities could be characterized by blurred host-guest relations and by being able to embrace unexpected events as well. The activities were discussed as part of institutional hospitality activities. A nursing home was used as an institutional frame.