SC - recipe for za'tar

[Elaine Koogler]

I guess it all comes down to your definition of "open".  I usually welcome any
who want to help with preparing the feast...up to the point where I just don't
need any more help.  What I do not allow are those who just want to "hang out" in
the kitchen to chat with someone in there...or who want to find out what we're
cooking...or who want to use the facilities that one finds often times in
kitchens.

Kiri

RichSCA at aol.com wrote:

> 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.
> >>
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