Last year Hasan Minhaj’s Netflix special Homecoming King, took the South Asian community by storm. Finally someone articulated the South-Asian American experience in mainstream media.
Minhaj charismatically, hilariously, and brilliantly shares what it’s like growing up as a South Asian American, from his parents emigration to the US from India thru adulthood. There were several moments throughout where I laughed hysterically and also shed tears as I watched and listened to real stories from his life that most people in our community can relate to, as we experienced similar incidents in our own lives.
The title of this article is Why Catering Sales Managers Should Watch this Special, because like any industry, the more you know about your customers the better job you can do in selling them products and services. And Minhaj did a fantastic job explaining the Indian-American experience in a very entertaining format.
There are thousands of Hasan Minhaj’s out there. They’re getting married and looking for you – the venues and their staff – that will gladly host South Asian weddings and accommodate the unique needs these beautiful and fun celebrations entail.
They’re straddling Western and Eastern cultures and that becomes so apparent in Indian weddings. Traditional Indian weddings never had bridesmaids and groomsmen….who wore matching outfits! I mean trying to get one of those super sparkly saris is hard enough and now you want 10 more identical ones?!?
Traditional Indian weddings never had assigned seating during dinner and ridiculously huge dessert displays comprised of cakes and pastries. People sat wherever they chose and dessert was an assortment of mithai from the local mithaiwalla.
So the thing that happens behind-the-scenes that Catering Managers don’t see is the hard work to get everyone on board. Many parents don’t relate to the concept of bridesmaids and groomsmen and question the necessity and the hefty expense that comes with that. A lot of parents don’t relate to the idea of having a bridal shower and a bachelorette as pre-wedding celebrations, especially when there’s already an entire wedding week of celebrations. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of cultural gaps.
You might be wondering why parents’ understanding matters? And the fact that you’re wondering that is evidence in itself of the cultural gap. Eastern cultures are family and community oriented whereas Western cultures which are more individualistic. Indian weddings are comprised of two families that come together which is why there are so many influencers when it comes to making wedding decisions even though the parents are footing the bill.
By watching this special, Catering Managers will start to understand the gap that exists between South Asian parents that emigrated to the US and their children who are getting married, and were born and raised in the US. And this is valuable because Catering Sales Managers work with both.
I hope this article has been helpful to you. If you have comments, questions or stories you’d like to share, feel free to post them in the comments below. Follow ShaadiShop on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest – whatever your preferred media is, as we frequently publish articles for venue catering teams.
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cover image: Wedding Documentary Photo + Cinema