SC - Feeding Servers

[Margo Hablutzel]

I think His Majesty misunderstood me, as usual:

	Points (1) AND (2) I can't help you with. I usually serve the
servers, musicians and everyone who will spend the feast time working a full
meal before feast time.
I'm sorry, I am just not used to eating supper at 4:30pm or 5:00pm, the time
servers usually have to eat in order to be cleared and ready to serve for a
6:00pm feast.  Especially if I am working at other parts of the event and
didn't get lunch until 2:00pm or so.  What bugs me is when someone preserves
the servers, and then there is NOTHING for those who skipped the preservice
meal due to other work or not being hungry.  This is why I have the extras
on the servers' table for them to eat while they wait.  It's not just
"picking off the remains" of food, although if a table rejects half a tarte
and it is in good shape, I don't want the server to just dump old bones or
something on top of the pie for convenience of clearing the table.

Under my scheme, I've never had anyone complain of feeling "ripped off" for
not sitting and eating a full meal on the schedule with others and out in
the main hall.  Letting the servers eat in the hall I have found to be a
trouble; they wander off to visit with friends and are too hard to retrieve
when the next course is ready, without some fuss.  One head cook I know
rings a bell when the servers need to regroup for another course.

You do have a good point about the explanation to eaters (the best example I
had was giving the servers instruction in eating of crawdads so they could
explain it to the feasters), but by having the items out for them to eat as
they are set around for the next course (usually when you know which are the
prettiest items, etc., for serving to the feasters, especially when you are
pulling things out of the cooking queue so they are hot at serving - a
problem if you try to plan to serve chickens to one group at 5:00pm but they
do not show up on the feast tables until 7:00pm) the servers will have
taste-tested the items.  However, this does not substitute for having an
ingredients list available for the feasters to read; taste does not always
tell someone if an ingredient is in the dish, if their palate is
unsophisticated and the flavours complex.

	Another advantage to serving the servers the feast is we can show
them how we want it served. The quantities and order or what goes on top of
what etc...

Isn't this why you have a setup crew?  (I forget the technical chefs' term.)
I never have the servers establish the trays, it's someone from the kitchen
who does.


	We usually have a room or a couple of tables that have been set
aside for feast preparation which is also used for the servers.

Not the same as using them to help move tables and otherwise set up the
feast hall, unless your group is so large that you have a setup/moving crew
that is separate from the servers.  I have not always lived in a group that
affords that luxury.  This may be a YMMV thing.

	                                     ---= Morgan


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	           |/ margolh at nortelnetworks.com <mailto:margolh at nt.com>  *
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	                      Morgan Cain * Steppes, Ansteorra


	                     May God have mercy on my enemies
	                     For they shall certainly need it.

	      For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

                I intend to live forever -- so far, so good!

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