silver

Food service in restaurants

/ Robert / 1 Comment

The other evening we were watching Bitter Sweet, a Starz television series, set in a fine dining restaurant. One of the themes of this episode was the heroine earning the accolade of being able to carry three hot plated meals, without a waiter’s cloth.

This got me thinking of how much food service in restaurants has changed in the 36 years since I was trained in silver service.

My studies demanded work experience. Being the embodiment of bathos, I had three jobs: function waiter at the Raven Hotel; hall porter at the Chateau Impney Hotel; and counter hand at Neptune’s Pantry, fish and chip shop.

Even at banquets with tables of ten plus people, everything was silver served. Runners, myself included, would lead by gathering a pile of superheated plates from the hot cupboard in the kitchen and stagger to the table, under the weight of the china.

The stack sat on the left forearm with one end of a folded waiter’s cloth underneath. The right hand, using the other end of the cloth polished and placed each down, from the left, in front of the seated guest.

One of the many Boadicean characters who had honed their craft year in year out followed with a silver flat of sliced meat and sauce. Behind came another runner serving vegetables. If you were unlucky the two compartment silver dish contained mashed potato in one and peas in the other. I am sure you can imagine the gloopy white and green nightmare that results from serving one then the other repeatedly, using a spoon and fork in one hand while carrying the dish with the other.

The shift started with the meat being plated then kitchens became more visible. Culminating in the presentation of the food being the signature of the chef.

Six years ago, during a sojourn in Sorrento, we were delighted to experience the drama of Crêpe Suzette in the restaurant of the Hotel Grand Excelsior Vittoria. The sauce was prepared and cooked from scratch at the table. The flambé echoed Versuvius’ antics, across the bay. It was reassuring to see that the theatre of food in the hands of talented wait staff was not dead.

Status junky

/ Robert / 4 Comments

IMG_0441.JPG
After forty years of standing politely in line I will do all in my power to avoid queuing. At first I found the random gathering around bus stops in Australia confronting. Now I welcome the opportunity to move strategically forward, without barging, pushing or treading on someone; I retain my British integrity after all!

My biggest gripe is while waiting to board an aircraft. The ‘premium’ passengers likened to jewels and precious metals are ushered quickly through the gate. The remaining colour labelled passengers shuffle along the slow lane.

On one occasion while rushing to the departure gate I failed to notice the signs. Upon reaching the front of a line I was instructed to join the correct one; a mile long snaking line of non premium passengers. This experience reinforced my dislike of being herded; even if I am flying cattle class.

The solution I have found is to travel light and be the last passenger to board the plane. I sit in relative comfort as I await the end of the meandering line. There is plenty of time for a toilet break before boarding which counteracts the low probability of being able to use the dubious in-flight facilities. Even though the likelihood of space in an overhead locker is slim I stow my carry-on under the seat in front of me.

I am a status junky, sorely tempted to fly Sydney to Melbourne return before end September to earn enough status points to become a silver frequent flyer- I haven’t, yet . . . . . .

Silver clouds and cows

/ Robert / Leave a comment

After a few disappointing exhibitions in Australia, I had low expectations of Andy Warhol at Te Papa Museum in Wellington, New Zealand. I am happy to say I enjoyed it. It was good to see early pencil sketches along with the predictable famous portraits.

The highlight for me was the Silver Cloud and Cows installation. Large helium filled rectangular shaped silver pillows gently float above and around. The pink cow head on yellow wallpaper is reflected on the surface of the inflated silver oblongs. I found the ever changing surfaces calming.

A fellow blogger has pictures:

SmARTy ART Chick

Paradise almost lost

/ Robert / 2 Comments

20130710-082817.jpg
Reading about the deforestation of The land in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa inspired me to find out more:

“Around 1000 AD, before humans arrived in New Zealand, forest covered more than 80% of the land. The only areas without tall forests were the upper slopes of high mountains and the driest regions of Central Otago. When Māori arrived, about 1250–1300 AD, they burnt large tracts of forest, mainly on the coasts and eastern sides of the two main islands. By the time European settlement began, around 1840, some 6.7 million hectares of forest had been destroyed and was replaced by short grassland, shrubland and fern land. Between 1840 and 2000, another 8 million hectares were cleared, mostly lowland or easily accessible conifer–broadleaf forest.” (1)

“One of the largest and longest-living trees in the world, New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) belongs to the ancient conifer family, Araucariaceae. Kauri’s final size depends on site and conditions, but heights average 30–40 metres and trunks can reach several metres in diameter. By 600–700 years of age, kauri reaches an average diameter of over 1 metre. Kauri can survive for 1,000 years or more (with an average diameter of 2 metres), but trees older than 1,700 years (average diameters over 3 metres) are now rare.

In just over 100 years, logging and burning transformed the northern landscape from forest to farmland. By the early 1900s, most kauri forest had been logged. Although there was growing concern for the survival of remaining native forest, the high value of kauri timber meant that the forest was still exploited. A final push to extract the last of the kauri swept through the north in the 1920s and 1930s, reducing the forest to the few patches that survive today.” (2)

The image of Queen Elizabeth II on the face of these coins link the currency of New Zealand to the UK, my place of birth. For me these metal shapes represent the destructive power of humanity over nature and their fellow human beings in seeking material wealth. They exist because man mined metal from the Earth. Gold and silver are symbolic of the Sun and the Moon all three are essential for life as we know it; what a paradox.

References
(1) John Dawson. ‘Conifer–broadleaf forests – Loss of conifer–broadleaf forests’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 8-Jul-13
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/11674/deforestation-of-new-zealand
(2) Joanna Orwin. ‘Kauri forest’, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 11-Jun-13
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/kauri-forest