“Junket” can refer to a soft cream, a journey or a promotional tour. The word comes from Middle English and implies a party. Public officials and movie studios often take junkets, which can be criticized for misuse of funds. Authors also use junkets to promote their books and attendees may receive freebies.
You may hear the term “junket” used in a variety of ways. First, the junket is a food, a type of soft cream made from rennet and flavored milk. This word is also used to refer to a journey. Junkets can take the form of pleasure trips undertaken by public officials at government expense, or a junket can be a promotional trip used to build interest in a product or event.
The root of all three versions of “junket” is the same. This word comes from the Middle English jonket, which refers to a bulrush basket used to carry food. Jonkets would have been used to pack foods for picnics and other leisurely social events, and were also used as serving dishes for guests. In every sense, the term “junket” implies some sort of party and entered modern English in the 1300s.
Public officials are often accused of taking trips, taking advantage of their positions and access to public funds to embark on leisure trips thinly disguised as political importance. For example, a government official might travel to Hawaii, claiming to be attending a conference there, but leaving plenty of days to explore the Hawaiian Islands at one’s leisure in addition to attending the conference. Members of the press tend to target some public officials for the frequent outings, reminding voters of their free ways with public funds as Election Day approaches.
In the sense of a promotional tour, junkets are often undertaken by movie studios, who send a film’s stars and key staff members to promote it. During a film outing, the studio may arrange special screenings, giving people a chance to meet those involved with the film and ask them questions after seeing the film. These types of junkets are sometimes called press junkets, referring to the fact that promoters hope to get press coverage to encourage interest in the film being promoted.
Authors also go around promoting their new books, as do other people with products they want to sell. Attending an event associated with a junket can sometimes be interesting, because it often offers the possibility of obtaining freebies from the company that sponsors the event, while also meeting prominent authors, directors and so on.
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