kids in kitchen, was: SC - Worst feast ever...

[Jeffrey Miller]

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Jenne Heise" <jenne at mail.browser.net>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 3:23 PM
Subject: Re: kids in kitchen, was: SC - Worst feast ever...

> Two points: if the situation at the feast is such that you feel you need
> to be 'babysitting' someone else's kids, the tasks to be done may be
> beyond their skill level. Or you may run your kitchen in such a way that
> people with minimal cooking skills (such as kids) just don't work out,
> because they do require more feedback and supervision.

Hmmm... its more a matter of people dropping by the kitchen several times a
day and volunteering their children for duty.  The kids don't want to be
there, the parents don't know what to do with their kids, and just assume
that the kitchen is a good place for the kids to "learn what the
SCA/service/etc is about" - a valuable lesson, but one the parents should
have primary responsibility for teaching, not I.

I do actually have several sets of tasks I reserve for people with little or
no cooking skills to perform; however, I've found in general that most kids,
even when they want to be there in the kitchen, haven't shown the attention
span such that I can entrust them with a critical task (and believe you me,
in a small kitchen, with the exceptionally small staffs we've worked with,
it's -all- critical).  That said, there certainly have been notable
exceptions, and I appreciate them and look forward to having them in my
space anytime they like.

There is also an issue with what exactly they can do.  For example, I am in
no way comofortable giving anyone else's children knives, unless the parent
themselves is there to supervise.

> 2nd, having kids work in groups or at least pairs is the most successful,
> I've found, unless you have a kid who just likes cooking or just likes
> hanging with adults.

Perhaps.  I've had quite a bit of experience working with children outside
the SCA, but what I'm doing in the kitchen is WORK, not play, and unless a
child REALLY wants to be there, they'll disappear sooner or later... and if
I need those apples peeled by golly, I need them peeled! :-)

> > Hrmm... I'm more worried about handing a knife to a kid and having them
cut
> > themselves and then having the parent drag me and my shire into court.
:(
>
> Being accident prone myself (It's not a dayboard until Bunny cuts
> herself), I guess I don't take much notice, but then I'm dealing mostly
> with 12 and up who can be trusted with knives not to cut body parts _off_.
> We've had kids cut their fingers: we wash the cut out and send 'em to the
> chirgeon. No biggie.

Even 12 year olds though have parents who can sue... and yes, it IS a little
paranoid of me, but all it takes is one, and poof! ...in debt (and court!)
for the forseeable future..

All that aside... I DO try to encourage kids - the SCA is insular and
unwelcoming enough to new folks (and children) without me shooing interested
people away from my kitchen, no matter what their age.

- -j-