SC - Serving question
CBlackwill at aol.com
CBlackwill at aol.com
Tue May 9 13:34:22 PDT 2000
In a message dated 5/9/00 6:07:51 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
catwho at bellsouth.net writes:
> I think that in period if a noble were to have a pot set in front of
> him that he would be screaming for the steward or pantler's head!
> Why such a shortage of serving apparati and servers?
Why such a shortage of apparati and servers?? I would hazard a total guess
and say: "They don't have enough of either! It may be a shock to some
Society members to learn that not all Baronies, Shires and Cantons are
chock-a-block with wealthy members, who can afford (either in money or time)
to run out and buy dozens of serving platters and feasting utensils whenever
the need arises. When I ran one particular feast, I had absolutely nothing
aside from the dishes I used to prepare the courses themselves, and had to
miss two days of work to get the job done to boot. All of my servers, with
the exception of one, were "borrowed" from the attendees (who did not
complain in the least, and were very gracious and willing to help). Barony
members sent out a message prior to the event, asking certain individuals to
bring along one serving platter, spoon, etc... They all did, and there was
no problem with this. I have a keen insight into the problem discussed in
the original post, having been in the situation myself. I have found (both
as a feast cook and attendee) that folks are generally willing to lend a hand
when asked. This is, after all, (generally) a very helpful and Chivalrous
Society.
As for the number of servers required to serve a feast, I would suggest one
server per 25 guests if the server is experienced, and one per 15 if not.
When I am preparing modern professional Banquets, I use one server per 3
tables (of ten). Therefore, a Banquet for 300 would have 10 servers, plus
the usual bus persons. I have only ever strayed from this once, when I
prepared a meal for 400 on top of a parking structure in our city's
"downtown" area... In that case, I used 20 servers, plus 5 cooks (we had one
hour to plate and serve the entire 6 course meal, from salad to breath
mint...). We did it in 45 minutes (though, due to a lack of supervision on
my part, we ran out of lamb at the last two tables....next time I'll slice
the meat myself...we live and learn) I, personally, am not a fan of the
"serve 'em and shove 'em" style of Banguets, but I had time constraints out
of my control. I prefer a nice, leisurely pace when someone is paying $75
dollars per cover for a meal.
Balthazar of Blackmoor
Jesus died for my sins....I'm just giving him his money's worth!
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