Not a soccer mom

I went to a meeting last night. It was a refreshing and enlightening experience. And not just because they had tasty thin-crust pizza, a decent Merlot and birthday cake on offer.

The purpose of the get-together was to plan a big public event organised by my children’s school. The setting was a fabulous live/work space in a converted warehouse owned by a couple of architects who have kids at the school. All very civilized and convivial so far.

But what really made an impression to someone who has endured quite enough PTA sessions and committee meetings in the UK in my time was the manner in which those people who attended behaved. Unlike in England, where everyone seems to feel the need to apologise or be self-deprecating before uttering a sentence, here everyone was straight-forward and smart. To the point and full of good ideas. Little time-wasting; no politics, or at least none that I could discern.

There was also nothing amateurish about how the event was organised: a beautiful slide show to whet the appetite of volunteers, hired professionals to do the graphics, publicity and writing, written guidelines for unpaid helpers, corporate sponsors, cross-marketing opportunities.

Americans are good at these things.

Of course, while some people are working away to raise money for a school (and others for Hurricane victims and cancer sufferers), there are still others who think nothing of frittering away $2,000 a head to have a celebrity chef cook them their supper in their super-deluxe, gourmet kitchens.

And, it appears, there are those that will shell out good money for air: $430 per square foot to be precise. At least if it is prime Manhattan air.

Only in America.