SC - SC- Kitchin Bitchin'

[Elaine Koogler]

I agree with you wholeheartedly!  I would never have agreed to such an expansion
in the number of people I cook for.  I usually have an agreement with the
autocrat that I will cook for the number of people who make reservations (paid)
and whose money is in hand no later than Saturday the week before.  I will
usually add a specific number to that for folks who procrastinate until that
last week...usually one or, at the most 2 tables.  In some cases, there will be
an absolute top number, the number of people that the hall will comfortably
seat.

What happens then is that the autocrat/troll will create a waiting list of those
who do not make the above cut.  Any reservations that have not been claimed by
3:00 are then sold to the waiting list in the order that they were placed on the
list.

While we've had the occasional person to grouse about not being able to eat the
feast, there never has been any real problem with this.  Most folks understand
that we just can't be quite that flexible...especially as we have to plan ahead
in order to be able to present a good feast for as little money as possible!

Kiri

RANDALL DIAMOND wrote:

> Sabia wrote:
>
> >>>>Greetings ! this is a last minute quick qusetion.  The
> dinner I am cooking for tomorrow I have just found out
>  has increased from a (generous estimate of 120) to
> a very firm 160+ likely to turn into 200.<<<<
>
> Sabia, I hope your dinner turned out well.   In my kingdom
> anyone waiting so long to inform the cook of such a drastic
> increase in the required number to be served is in serious
> jeoprody of being served as well.  Perhaps I shouldn't have
> been so critical of the post on butchering a human carcass.
> I had forgotten there were a few instances where I might have
> considered its use.   Such inconsideration from your autocrat
> is extremely distressing and IMO is doing a great disservice
> to the folks who were wise and considerate enough to reserve
> their feast early.  The streching of the food prepared is literally
> robbing them of what they have paid for and expect for their
> enjoyment.  A thinned out feast IMO is simply not a viable
> option.
>
> My solution to this problem (and I have used it several times)
> is to inform my autocrat as to the number of persons I going
> to cook for and the absolute limit to which this number can be
> expanded by a definite date.   Any more and I resort to my
> secondary feast menu which would be served a la carte outside
> the feasthall (like in an open picnic pavillion if one is available).
> This is a well defined shopping list of items and quantities (broken
> down in units of 4 persons and cost allowances)  that I hand the
> autocrat the morning of the event and point in the direction
> of the nearest Kroger's.  I will usually have one of the kitchen staff
> supervise the setup of this (wholly mundane) secondary feast.
> Whole roast chickens, crusty breads, grapes, prechunked deli cheese
> and fruit pies are generally the core of this menu.   And you know?....
> not one person who actually ate at the secondary feast EVER
> complained to me about the food.  If fact, many complemented me
> on my solution.  The folks who did complain were attendees ot my
> primary feast who thought what I was doing was terribly wrong,
> splitting up households and friends who expected to sit together.
> T.S. ... Elliot!  Strict feast-tokens-at-the-door policy was enforced
> no matter who whined, bitched and moaned.  This is my "kill em all
> and let God sort em out" approach.
>
> I have been critcised for my attitude but when you carefully plan for
> months and preorder supplies to be picked up on the way to the
> event, it simply is not rational to attempt a last minute expansion
> of everything.  Of course, I do not usually do any precooking and
> prepare everything pretty much from scratch at the event site, so
> there is some lattitude built in.  But I am not going to turn my
> kitchen staff into scullery slaves trying to crank out a huge increase
> in the food to be prepared at the last minute.  Several weeks notice
> is o.k., if the kitchen (and the staff) is up to it and I can get more
> (dependable) staff to volunteer.   My kitchen philosophy is to make
> the onsite feast cooking experience fun for my staff with wine,
> chocolate and other goodies provided by me, with music and with
> impromptu classes in technique or recipe improvisation (like when
>  you find out one of your ovens doesn't work).
>
> Am I being an unreasonable kitchen despot in my expectations???
> Christiana, Di... you have been to my feasts haven't you.  I would
> appreciate your two cents as I know you both have run into this
> problem before in your own groups.
>
> Akim Yaroslavich
> "No glory comes without pain"
>
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