[Sca-cooks] feast serving

[Gorgeous Muiredach]

At 06:26 PM 1/9/2002, you wrote:
>Kael said:
> > > > Personally, I dislike this "every table must provide a server"
> > > > bit. I think it is better for the hosting group to provide the
> > > > servers. It is perhaps selfish, but I enjoy having the opportunity
> > > > to talk with my tablemates during feast. When one of them, and
> > > > sometimes as much as half the table, keep getting up to serve
> > > > the food this is disruptive.
> >
> > I have the opposite view on this. I usually find that having one server per
> > table works best, has the least disruption and has the least logistical
> > problems.
> >
> > If a kitchen can set up a staging area for the servers to pick up the food,
> > then the servers are usually only away from the table for a minute or so.
>
>How do they know when to come back to get the next course?



>What if
>each course is actually composed of half-a-dozen (or more) dishes
>that come out at seperate times?

This appears to me to go against the concept of a "course".  I would say
that all dishes for a course should go out at the same time.  I must admit,
I get a little irritated when you get a plate of carrots, then 5 minutes
later a dish of barley, then another 5, ten minutes later meat, etc.  of
course, that might be just me :-)

>If the servers are assigned to the same tables for each course this
>shouldn't happen, whether they have one table or three, unless they are
>rather forgetful or disorganised.

It usualy makes the best logistical sense to have the same server go to the
same table/section.  Worth it to actually draw a seating plan and write
their names on the area they'll be serving :-)

>This is another reason I like published menus. And my
>preferance on menus, is that if the name of the dish is in a foreign
>language or unusual words, that there be a description. This helps avoid
>the problem of "Which dish is this?

Hear! Hear!

>Either way, I think 15 minutes is well spent
>in this and could easily accept more, especially for volunteers from
>the general pool of workers rather than those drafted from the
>individual tables.

I would think drafting servers from tables is not the best option.  Unless
they are willing to attend the "orientation".  15 minutes is a must.  Tell
the servers the way things are going to be served, how, when.  Describe
each dish, explain where it comes from.  This allows the server to answer
feaster's questions, among other things.  Also limits the confusion.  If
they know what to expect from you, it goes much smoother for all.

Gorgeous Muiredach
Rokkehealden Shire
Middle Kingdom
aka
Nicolas Steenhout
"You must deal with me as I think of myself" J. Hockenberry