Goodbye (RANT) (Was: Re: SC - Is Arrowroot Period?)

[Richard Kappler]

I do not think I am operating on the same definition of an open/closed 
kitchen as everyone else.  But for me this is usual  :-)

I love to work in kitchens.  This is how I met "my" Peer, years ago.

Sometimes when I arrive at an event I stop by the kitchen to ask if they need 
any help.  I have been told (nicely) "No, thank you.  We have our own kitchen 
staff".  It has been explained to me that many times households, groups and 
others are "in charge" of preparing the feast and they have assigned all the 
tasks to their group members and need no "drop-in assistance".  For me this 
would be a "closed" kitchen.

Now if I drop by your kitchen to see if you need any help and you give me a 
pile of onions and a knife then (to me) this is an "open" kitchen.  Open for 
anyone willing to help to help.  

I find that many people WANT to help at events.  There is a friendliness in 
the kitchen.  For this reason when I cook a feast I try to make sure that I 
have "something" for someone to do if they ask to help.  Someone can watch a 
pot to make sure it doesn't boil over or to run to the pantry and fetch 
things if there is not actual cooking assistance I require.  Now I do take 
care to not have the kitchen so filled with people that no one can move and 
also try to limit the amount of non-working visitors in the area.  I am VERY 
conscious of food health and safety and strive to make sure that my kitchen 
staff will insure "safely" prepared food.  I always welcome a "non-busy" 
Chirurgeon (with first aid kit) to "man" the kitchen and keep us company.  

Rayne

In a message dated 4/8/00 7:46:11 PM Central Daylight Time, 
ktradford at cyberport.com writes:

<< 
 ----------
 > From: Aldyth at aol.com
 > To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
 > Subject: SC - Feast planning/Administration
 > Date: Thursday, April 06, 2000 2:33 PM
 > 
 <snip>
 > Is the kitchen open or closed?  Who handles the reservations, if there
 are 
 > any?
 <snip>
 > Aldyth
 > 
 I do not have much info but some personal experience to offer as a kitchen
 helper.  In our prepared feasts (we generally have small one's with 100 or
 less people being served), we have a 'closed kitchen', that is only kitchen
 workers are allowed in the kitchen area.  It has also been the same rule of
 thumb in the larger kitchens that I have worked in.  Also the servers have
 a certain area that they can be in, not in the working area of the kitchen. 
>>