[Sca-cooks] OT: how NOT to run a feast

[Kirsten Houseknecht]

ok. i was recently at a feast and . well.... lets say that on the good side
you learn more from others mistakes than from their successes...... this is
NOT to say nothing went right.... some things went very well.. .. i had some
lovely dishes there, and hope to go back next year....
but
it occured to me that i have seen a number of "feasts that failed" and they
mostly had a few of the same problems....so i went over them and worked out
the ten most common TYPES of problems that i have seen that will ruin the
food at an event.  all of these are drawn from actual things that happened
at events i was at......

 but thankfully they didnt all happen at the SAME event.



1.  the cook managed to completely offend and alienate their helpers... or
the cook and their helpers are not communicating.

anyone who actually helps with the food prep (cooking the eggs, baking the
bread, whatever) is a treasure beyond price, and should be treated with
great thanks and respect
there are few enough people who help out AT the feast. ...people who help
out ahead of time are jewels...  it can be stressful planning a feast, and
tempers can flair.. but  the assistants should never be unappreciated..
likewise the helpers are not mind readers, and cant make salad dressing if
you dont tell them you need it.

2.  the day board menu was listed....  then changed........ and no one put
any notice up of changes... or the same for the feast menu

ok.. stuff happens. sometimes you meant to have something and it didnt work
out..
but it should be posted!    or people serving at the dayboard should know
what is going on!!!  when no one seems to know WHY there is a bg change to
the day board menu its bad.... and people on controlled diets are planning
their meals based on what the posted menu is..... if i think there will be
eggs on the dayboard, i dont bring a protein source for my
lunch.........(see number three)

3. there was almost no protein at the dayboard. just carbs.

 a  full dayboard with no cheese, and no eggs... is not a full dayboard.
 my hubby is a newly diagnosed diabetic. and i am hypoglycemic.. so i really
notice that!  now dayboards tend to be carbohydrate heavy... and thats just
a fact, but dayboards must be planned with a view toward feeding a variety
of people.. and some folks cant eat just carbs.... also some people cant eat
wheat.......which is why there are usually eggs, and cheese, and other
things on a dayboard.  this is triply important if it is a long drive to a
supermarket or food place.

4.   the feast itself was.. uh...lacking in vegetables.

most feasts have at least three vegetable dishes, of some sort... at least
most i have been at        again, this happens. but combined with the
dayboard itcould be a really bad issue.. another issue is if all the
vegetable dishes are the same thing : "onions with beans", "onions and
spice" and "pickled onions" are not three vegetables.... (see number 8 also)

5. most of the feast was served cold.

this is just wrong.  while some of the dishes are meant to serve cold....
not *everything* should be! unless it is being billed as a "cold dinner" or
some such. at least SOME of the meal should be served hot.

6. quality control was an issue.

some tables foods were cooked through.  ours was not.  in a cheese and
noodle dish i believe the cheese was meant to be melted... at some point...
even if it was actually chilly when it was brought to the table.  at a
different feast the fish was nearly raw.......and it was NOT Sashimi

7. if the main ingredient is supposed to be a tasy herb, the dish should
taste of it.

when a "garlic dipping sauce" is so bland that *I* might be able to eat it,
you have a problem. (my hubby is not convnced there was any garlic IN the
sauce)... i had a similar issue with a "pepper sauce" that was served at
another feast... that had no discernable pepper in it.    a friend told me
about a "rosemary dip" that had maybe a pinch of rosemary in the pot....
Now, mistakes happen...... dishes dont work out...... life is like that,
but when it is part of a pattern it is a problem.

8. every dish had at least one of the same ingredient

now if the feast has a "theme" . say "a garlic lovers feast" or something..
fine.. and make sure you SAY that garlic will be in everything... (i am
using garlic as an example because i have trouble with it)  but if it isnt a
themed dish.. DON'T put the same ingredient in everything..... because if
anyone has a problem with that one thing. they cant eat anything!  so dont
put wheat flour in everything. or rosemary   (ok.. you can put rosemary in
everything *I* eat).. or onions.. or whatever...

9.  the bread is put out first. and then there is a loong wait for any other
food

most folks will fill up on bread, especially if feast starts very late..
especially if you dont tell anyone that food will be delayed or anything.

10.  lack of communication

this pretty much covers EVERYTHING i said above.
if food has to be changed. tell people....... if there is a problem with the
stove, and food will be delayed.. tell people......most folks are a LOT more
understanding if they know what is going on....


Kirsten
kirsten at fabricdragon.com
http://www.fabricdragon.com