Dining in

The practice of dining in is thought to have formally begun in 16th-century England, in monasteries and universities; though some records indicate that militaries have held formal dinners as far back as the Roman Legions. The Vikings held formal ceremonies to honor and celebrate battles and heroes. During the 18th century, the British Army incorporated the practice of formal dining into their regimental mess system. Customs and rules of the mess were soon institutionalized rules, known as the "Queen's Regulations". The mess night or "Dining in" became a tradition in all British regiments. The Americans, taking many of their traditions from the British military, held mess nights in the 18th and 19th century, but the tradition waned after the Civil War. Dining in took a temporary halt in the Navy and Marine Corps when Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels imposed prohibition of alcoholic drink, but soon the tradition was restored. During World War II, the custom was revived in the U.S. military, initially in the US Army Air Forces 8th Air Force, which was based in Britain. In modern times, Department of Defense officials have emphasized that fostering strong internal unit bonds remains critical to mission readiness, especially amid emerging threats like weapons of mass destruction. AAF Officers were invited to participate in British military–hosted mess nights and were then expected to return the hospitality. ==British traditions==

Formal functions A formal function is one at which all mess members may be required to attend and service personnel are on official duty. The entitlements for official functions are: Officers' Mess 12 Formal Functions per annum. Generally these are 2 x seasonal balls and 10 x other functions (e.g. Mess Dinners) as agreed by mess committees. In the RAF, it is passed from hand to hand without touching the table. In the Army, it will depend on the traditions of the regiment. The custom of "dining in" to welcome new officers and "dining out" to farewell retiring officers originated with the British, although the term came about much later. It has been discontinued in some countries such as the United States but is still practised by the Royal Navy. Toasts at sea The traditional toasts after dinner for ships at sea are listed below. On certain days, an alternative toast is available but the first one is most usual. ==US traditions==

Portions of the event tend to become quite humorous in nature, while others remain somber. Etiquette requires a diner to know what is appropriate at any given time. The dining in follows established protocols. After a brief cocktail period of 30 to 45 minutes, the presiding officer, known as the "President of the Mess", announces, "Please be seated." The group will then retire to the dining area to be seated. After tasting the meat (usually beef), the President will declare it "tasty and fit for human consumption", after which the meal will be served to the diners. After the dessert is finished, the President will invite the chief steward to bring forth wine and/or punch to be served, and toasting will begin. After the toasts have concluded, the floor will be opened to the levying of fines. The president and the guest of honor will have the opportunity to speak if they so desire. After this, the mess is often then returned to an open cocktail hour, and then the evening concludes with final honors. ==Formal toasts==

Formal toasts are the heart of the formal dining in. A junior officer, known as "Mr/Madam Vice", proposes a toast to the guests, at which the guests remain seated. After this, various parties will offer toasts to the commander in chief, to the heads of state of a visiting or host nations, to their branch of service, to the units, and to the fallen members of the military. Notice that the United States does not have a king, queen, or Prime Minister, and that the commander in chief and President are the same person. The final and most solemn toast is always to fallen comrades. Often this tribute is marked with a table setting dedicated to those military members killed, captured, or missing in action. Some unusual forms of toasting are common to the U.S. and Canadian traditions. In the Toronto Scottish Regiment, for example, a loyal toast to the regiment's colonel-in-chief ( King Charles III) is performed standing with one foot on the chair and one foot on the dining table, facing a portrait of the C-in-C and drinking after the piper has played. • wearing a clip-on bow tie at an obvious list • gaffes • loud and obtrusive remarks in a foreign language • foul language • discussion on a controversial topic (politics, religion, and women are commonly forbidden topics) • improper toasting procedure • toasting with an uncharged (empty) glass • rising to applaud particularly witty, succinct, sarcastic, or relevant toasts, unless following the example of the President • leaving the dining room without permission from the President of the Mess • carrying cocktails into the dining area before the conclusion of dinner • haggling over penalties or fines imposed • drawing a sword except in ceremony At some mess nights, violators of the mess are obliged to publicly drink from a grog bowl in front of the mess attendees. The grog is sometimes contained in a toilet bowl, consisting of various alcoholic beverages mixed together. As a more disgusting effect, the grog may also contain floating solids, such as meatballs, raw oysters, or Tootsie Rolls. The tradition of drinking grog originated with the British Navy. Grog consisted of the regulation rum ration diluted with water to discourage binge drinking. In modern times, grog comes in two varieties: alcoholic and non-alcoholic, the latter of which may contain anything that will make it less appealing to the taste, including hot sauce. For additional effect, the drinker may be required to drink from a boot. In addition to visiting the grog bowl and paying fines, violators may be sentenced to sing songs, tell jokes, do pushups, or perform menial tasks to entertain the mess. In most cases, when a violator has been identified, he or she is given the opportunity to provide a rebuttal or defense for the violation, which rarely results in the violator being excused for the offense, and usually only results in more punishment. Traditionally, all fines collected throughout the night are split amongst the stewards that served the attendees as a token of appreciation for their efforts. The fines can also be used to pay for the drinks consumed, while some units have used the Mess Night as a fund raiser (often to pay for a ball). Members of the mess may also be singled out for some good-natured ribbing and teasing. In some units, members go out of their way to be picked on, often wearing obvious uniform violations, such as crowns, tiaras, eye-patches, bowties and cummerbunds of the wrong color, and other items that have no place on any military uniform (although it is common for US Artillerymen to wear red socks, suspenders and even bowties, in a nod to tradition at the expense of uniform regulations). Some will attempt to leave sabotaging evidence on or around others they wish to see fined, so care must be taken to not be the butt of a joke. Navy and Marine traditions also include that no diner may leave the hall to use the restroom without permission until Mr. Vice suggests that the company "shed a tear for Lord Admiral Nelson", a reference to the fact that his body was preserved in a barrel of brandy after his death at Trafalgar. Most Messes attempt to furnish the night with military music and marches, with live bands if possible, or recorded music. Depending on how formal the ceremony is, the diners may be required to march to their seats. In recent times, Marines have established a variant of the mess in a "field environment", substituting in mess dress for utilities and combat equipment (to include camouflage facepaint), canteen cups, and tentage, while still retaining the formal nature of the ceremony. ==See also==