SC - Day Boards

[Bonne of Traquair]

>Beef Barley Stew, bread, cheese and honey butter.  My first thought
>was... how boring!

Well, it does sound like what most people would expect.  A 'period' version 
of McD's that leaves the purchasers with the feeling of, "well, it was food, 
it was cheap, it was lunch. Let's move on."

You want people to leave the dayboard feeling, "Well!  That was a LUNCH!"  
Don't talk about his proposal being boring, talk about your failure to 
communicate your vision.  He must not understand that you want something 
unexpected and out of the ordinary, and yet, documentable.  Maybe he doesn't 
understand that is allowable, or doesn't think himself up to it: let him 
know that it is, and he is. Discuss the budget, perhaps he feels that the 
cheapest meal possible is preferred (it often is on dayboards), let him know 
there is room to show off (if there is). Discuss the time factor, maybe he 
doesn't have the time to commit to more than this simple meal, maybe deputy 
cooks could be taken on to help out?

Once he understands the idea, beleives that you think him equal to the task 
and knows that you intend to support his ideas, he may be inspired.  If not, 
then what are the alternatives?  He could do lunch and someone else could do 
the spiffy bits.  Or, if you can handle the potential ill-will, choose 
another cook. Or, it may be that he does what he intends, and you must save 
your vision of the dayboard until you can volunteer for that job instead of 
the one you have.

Because, afterall, you are the autocrat and he is the cook.  You can 
encourage him to set his sights a little higher, but you can't do his job 
and shouldn't try. We have talked before of the annoyance of the autocrat 
trying to run the kitchen. Usually the problem is the autocrat wants a 
little 'less' rather than more as you do, but that doesn't change a thing.  
Past this negotiation phase, in which you will not get your own way 
entirely, you run everthing except the kitchen, he runs nothing but the 
kitchen.

Gee, that sounds huffy, but I'm defending the principle of the autocrat 
staying out out of the kitchen.  I hope you can negotiate some plan you both 
like.  But in principle, so long as he's not planning anything downright 
inappropriate, you have to let him go with his plan as you would wish to be 
allowed if the positions were reversed.

Bonne

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