Archive for December, 2009
What is Tea?
Tea is a beverage made by steeping processed leaves, buds and/or twigs of the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, in hot water for a few minutes. There is only one true tea plant: the Camellia sinensis. There are four basic types of true tea: white tea, green tea, oolong tea and black tea. The difference is in the processing. This can include oxidation, heating, drying and the addition of other herbs, flowers, spices and fruits.
Tea is a natural source of the amino acid theanine, methylxanthines such as caffeine and theobromine and polyphenolic antioxidant catechins. It has almost no carbohydrates, fat or protein. It has a cooling, slightly bitter, astringent flavor.
The term herbal tea usually refers to infusions of fruit, herbs, leaves, roots, bark or other parts of a plant or some plants. Herbal teas usually contain little or no Camellia sinensis.
Camellia sinensis is an evergreen plant and grows in tropical to sub-tropical climates. In addition to tropical climates (at least 50 inches of rainfall a year), it also prefers acidic soils. Many high quality tea plants grow at elevations up to 1500 meters (5,000 ft), as the plants grow more slowly and acquire a better flavor. Only the top 1-2 inches of the mature plant are picked. These buds and leaves are called flushes and a plant will grow a new flush every seven to ten days during the growing season.
Tea plants will grow into a tree if left undisturbed, but cultivated plants are pruned to waist height for ease of plucking.
Two principal varieties are used, the small-leaved China plant (C. sinensis sinensis) and the large-leaved Assam plant (C. sinensis assamica). There are about six varieties grown in different areas of the world.
These types of tea are distinguished by the processing they undergo. Leaves of Camellia sinensis soon begin to wilt and oxidize if not dried quickly after picking. The leaves turn progressively darker because chlorophyll breaks down and tannins are released. This process, enzymatic oxidation, is called fermentation in the tea industry although no true fermentation happens (that is, the process isn’t microorganism-driven). The next step in processing is to stop the oxidation process at a predetermined stage by heating, which deactivates the enzymes responsible. With black tea this is done simultaneously with drying. Without careful moisture and temperature control during its manufacture and thereafter, fungi will grow on tea. This form of fungus causes real fermentation that will contaminate the tea with toxic and sometimes carcinogenic substances and off-flavors, rendering the tea unfit for consumption.
Tea is traditionally classified based on the producing technique :
Young leaves (new growth buds) that have undergone no oxidation; the buds may be shielded from sunlight to prevent formation of chlorophyll. White tea is produced in lesser quantities than most other styles, and can be correspondingly more expensive than tea from the same plant processed by other methods. It is less well known in countries outside of China, though this is changing with increased western interest in organic or premium teas.
The oxidation process is stopped after a minimal amount of oxidation by application of heat, either with steam, or by dry cooking in hot pans, the traditional Chinese method. Tea leaves may be left to dry as separate leaves or they may be rolled into small pellets to make Gunpowder tea. This process is time consuming and is typically done with pekoes of higher quality. The tea is processed within one to two days of harvesting.
Oxidation is stopped somewhere between the standards for green tea and black tea. The oxidation process takes two to three days. In Chinese, semi-oxidized teas are collectively grouped as blue tea, while the term “oolong” is used specifically as a name for certain semi-oxidized teas.
The tea leaves are allowed to completely oxidize. Black tea is the most common form of tea in southern Asia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Malasia, etc.) and in the last century many African countries including Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi and Zimbawe. The literal translation of the Chinese word is red tea, which is used by some tea lovers. The Chinese call it red tea because the actual tea liquid is red. Westerners call it black tea because the tea leaves used to brew it are usually black. However, red tea may also refer to Rooibos, an increasingly popular South African Tisane or herbal tea. The oxidation process will take between two weeks and one month. Black tea is further classified as either orthodox or as CTC (crush, tear, curl), a production method developed about 1932). Unblended black teas are also identified by the estate they come from, their year and the flush (first, second or autumn). Orthodox processed black teas are further graded according to the post-production leaf quality by the Orange Pekoe system, while CTC teas use a different grading system.
Teas that undergo a second oxidation, such as Pu-erh, Liu’an, and Liuboa, are collectively referred to as secondary or post-fermentation teas in English. In Chinese they are categorized as Dark tea or black tea. This is not to be confused with the English term Black tea, known in Chinese as red tea. Pu-erh, also known as Póu léi (Polee) in Cantonese is the most common type of post-fermetation tea in the market.
Either used as a name of special tea processed similarly to green tea, or high-quality tea served at the Imperial Chinese court.
Also called winter tea, kukicha is made from twigs and old leaves pruned from the tea plant during its dormant season and dry-roasted over a fire. It is popular as a health food in Japan and in macro-biotic diets.
Orange pekoe is a term mainly used to describe a grade of tea found in the grading system used for sorting black teas (Orange pekoe grading). The system is based solely upon the size of the processed and dried black tea leaves.
The term “Orange Pekoe” is used in the tea industry to describe a basic medium grade black tea consisting of many single whole tea leaves of a specific size; however, it is usually used in popular Western culture to describe any generic black tea, or in some cases, even a specific variety of black tea. Black teas to be graded in this system must be obtained from new flushes, which are the terminal leaf bud along with a few of the youngest tea leaves. Grading is based solely on the size of the individual leaves and flushes, which is determined by their ability to fall through screens of specific meshes ranging from 8–30 mesh. This parameter also determines loosely the wholeness, or level of breakage, of each leaf, which is also part of the grading system. Although the grading system is not an indicator of quality, the size of the leaves will, more often than not, influence the taste and clarity of the resulting brew. Black teas of the basic grade (Orange Pekoe) are highly fragrant, with strong floral and fruity aromas, as well as a pleasant woody note. The taste should be slightly bitter with no astringency, and a sweet aftertaste.
The term “Orange pekoe” is commonly misused to denote a variety of tea, as seen on this package.
When used outside the context of black tea grading, the term “Pekoe“, or occasionally “Orange pekoe“, describes the unopened terminal leaf bud (tips) in tea flushes. As such, terms such as “a bud and a leaf” or “a bud and two leaves“, used to describe the “leafiness” of picked flush, are often used interchangeably with “pekoe and a leaf” or “pekoe and two leaves“, respectively.
In the United States, most tea brewed at home and at restaurants is Orange Pekoe and is served iced. In the South, the term ‘Sweet Tea’ is common. Sugar is added after brewing but before ice is added. Usually, there are two pitchers of tea, one sweet, one unsweeetened, offered in restaurants. The server will usually say, “Sweet?” when a customer orders iced tea. In the South, also, one orders tea instead of iced tea.
Tips to Stretch Your Meat Budget
Tips To Stretch Your Meat Budget – See Website Below For Even More Tips
When families cut back on the budget, the first target is usually meat. Here are some tips to use in shopping which can give you delicious, high-quality beef, pork and chicken for a lot less money….
Beef and pork carcasses have four or five sections, called primals. Butcher shops and supermarkets break these down into the pretty (and expensive) packaged cuts you see in the market. By talking to the butcher working behind the meat counter, you can request cheaper and just as tasty cuts. You just have to know what to ask for. Most butchers will make these cuts at no extra charge. Some will add a small charge to the cost of the meat. In either case, you are still going to pay less than comparable cuts in the pretty packages out front.
RIBEYE – very popular in Southern New Mexico. Cut from the tender muscle over the backbone and ribs of beef (prime rib). Ribeyes are well marbled, loaded with flavor and grill well. Usually priced $10.99 to $12.99 per pound. ALTERNATIVE – CHUCK EYE – virtually the same muscle as the ribeye but it is the section that extends into the chuck shoulder of the beef. Ask the butcher to cut about a 4 inch roast off the front of the boneless chuck. Then ask him/her to peel out the chuck eye and cut it into steaks. Priced as low as $1.99 to $2.99 per pound.
BEEF SHORT RIBS – great for barbequing or braising. Comes from the cross rib, a section extending from the shoulder to the ribs. Lots of bone and fat for $4.99 to $5.99 per pound ALTERNATIVE-FLATIRON – from the top of the shoulder blade. Delicious but not pretty with what seems to be a thick seam of gristle going down its center. Actually, it’s not gristle but a gelatin-like substance which melts away when you cook it.
Watch for a sale on cross rib roasts then ask the butcher to carve a flatiron roast for you out of the cross rib. Have him cut the flatiron into boneless country-style ribs. More for your money, since there is no bone and at a cost of $1.99 to $2.99 per pound.
GROUND BEEF – regular ground beef is so fatty that many folks pay more for the leaner version which can cost from $4.99 to $6.99 per pound. ALTERNATIVE-BOTTOM ROUND – lean, meaty and inexpensive. Ask your butcher (he should be “yours” by now) to grind up a bottom round roast which runs $1.99 to $2.99 per pound.
PORK TENDERLOIN – the hog ‘filet mignon’ comes from the muscle inside the backbone runs about $5.99 to $7.99 per pound. ALTERNATIVE – BONELESS LOIN ROAST – very tender, from a muscle near the backbone. Your butcher can carve you an entire roast or cut it into medallions for frying, chucks for barbequeing or thin slices for stir-fried dishes. Costs as low as $1.99 per pound
ROASTING CHICKENS – really just large fryer chickens but priced at $1.69 to $1.89 per pound ALTENATIVE – WHOLE FRYERS for these you don’t need the butcher’s help. Usually priced from $0.69 to $1.29 per pound.
VEAL – meat from a male dairy calf has lighter color and a more delicate flavor than adult beef ALTERNATIVE – BONELESS PORK SIRLOIN – a tender cut from the backbone of the hog near the hip, it’s almost the same color and mild in flavor. Ask your butcher to slice the pork sirloin very thin. It makes a great substitute for veal parmesan or veal scallopini and can cost a little at $1.99 to #2.99 per pound.
ITALIAN SAUSAGE – usually around $3.99 per pound in bulk and more if made into links. ALTERNATIVE – PORK SHOULDER BUTT – from the top portion of the front shoulder of the hog. Well marbled but tougher than most because it is an active muscle.
Ask your butcher to grind it. You can season it at home with Italian or breakfast sausage seasoning. Without seasoning, substitute this for ground beef. Cost can be as low as $0.99 per pound.
For more information, checkout John Smith’s book “Confessions of a Butcher: Eating steak on a Hamburger Budget and Save $$$ or his website http://confessionsofabutchter.com
Christmas Grand Buffet
CHRISTMAS 2009 $39.95
The Famous Double Eagle Holiday Grand Buffet
Seatings 11:00 AM AND 1:30 PM
Complimentary Champagne
SALADS AND STARTERS
Crisp Greens with Assorted Dressings San Francisco Seafood Salad
Caesar Salad with Garlic Croutons Italiano Marinaded Mushrooms Creamy Cole Slaw
Relish Tray of Pickles, Olives, Escabeche Jalapenos
Creamy Potato Salad Fruit Salad Supreme Winter Beet Salad
Mexican Salad with Honey Lime Dressing Cucumbers and Onions in Cider Vinegar
SEAFOOD TABLE
Peel and Eat Shrimp Whole Champagne Poached Salmon
Green Chile Cocktail Sauce Garlic-Caper Mayonnaise
FRESH FRUITS AND CHEESE BOARD
Assorted Fresh Seasonal Fruits Imported and Domestic Cheeses
OMELETTES & SCRAMBLED EGGS MADE TO ORDER
Crispy Hickory Bacon and Country Sausage Links
Buttermilk Biscuits – Cream Gravy – Cheese Blintzes – Fruit Sauces
CARVED MEATS
Rosemary Butter Roasted Turkey Old Fashioned Giblet Gravy
Black Peppercorn Crusted Roast Baron of Beef Red Wine Au Jus
Baked Ham w/ Brown Sugar-Mustard Glaze
Cranberry & Marmelade Sauce with Port & Cinnammon
ENTREES
Salmon Crepes with Alfredo Sauce Wine Steeped Beef Bourgignon
New Mexican Pork Posole Green Chile Cheese Enchiladas
Traditional Christmas Tamales
Apple Jack Brandied Chicken with Winter Apples and Plums
VEGETABLES AND SIDE DISHES
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes Dressing with Chestnuts, Pecan and Sage
Caramel Candied Yams with Rum Raisins Green Chile & Bacon Corn Pudding
Cauliflower and Broccoli Au Gratin with Pine Nut-Bread Crumb Topping
DESSERTS
Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Whipped Cream Double Chocolate Fudge
Key Lime Pie Orange Marmalade Empanadas Warm Apple Cobbler Coconut Flan
Pumpkin Empanadas Lemon Ice Box Pie NY Cheesecake with Fruit Sauce
Coconut Cream Pie Bourbon Pecan Pie Our Famous Chocolate Fountain
Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies
Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup or brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila
Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl,
check the Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality,
pour one level cup and drink.
Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter
in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one peastoon of sugar. Beat again. At thispoint
it’s best to make sure the Cuervo is still ok, try another
cup just in case.
Turn off the mixerer thingy.
Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the
cup of dried fruit. Pick the frigging fruit off the floor.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaters just pry
it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the Cuervo to
check for tonsisticity.
Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who
geeves a sheet. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the
lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table.
Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you
can find.
Greash the oven.
Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall
over.
Don’t forget to beat off the turner.
Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish
the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the
wishdasher.
Cherry Mistmas !
What is Port
What is Port?
Port is a fortified wine produced only in the demarcated region of the Douro River in Portugal and the terms Port or Porto refer only to these wines. Just as Champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France, with everything else called sparkling wine, so to does Port only come from Portugal. A fortified wine means that brandy has been added to the wine at some point in the fermentation process.
Port is still made the same way and, in most cases, with the same equipment of over 100 years ago. While aging in wood, port wine’s fruity aroma develops through oxidation to create a bouquet of dried fruit, toasting, wood and spices. The aging process adds to its smoothness and the color become increasingly more golden with a greenish tint to the older wines.
Port takes its name from the city of Oporto located at the mouth of the river Douro or the River of Gold. Wine was produced along this river valley from before the Roman occupation and shipped downstream to be exported around the known world. In 1678, England declared war on France and the English navy was large enough to blockade the French ports. This created an instant shortage of wine. Britain was a traditional trading partner and ally of Portugal since 1373 so it was natural that the British looked to Portugal for wine.
Unhappily, wine making was not a serious art in Portugal and the quality the British desired was lacking. So, the British decided to help things out and went to Portugal to improve the winemaking. In order to stablize the raw red wines and stop any fermentation, the British took to adding “a bucket or two of grape brandy” to every barrel shipped to London. This early wine from Porto was not praised and it’s popularity depended more on availability. So, early sales fluctuated with the warming and cooling of the British – French relationship.
The early shipments to London were simply red table wine but, sometime between 1678 and the early 1700’s, someone decided to add that bucket or two of grape brandy earlier in the process stopping further fermentation and producing a wine still sweet, fruity and strong. In 1756, a new company was chartered in Portugal which ended the British monopoly. This company had broad powers to regulate production, fix prices and arbitrate all disputes. This company, the Old Wine Company, defined the wine producing regions and all vineyards and even elderberry trees were uprooted in every other part of Portugal.
?
By the mid 1850’s all the major Port producing houses had been established: Warre, Croft, Taylor, Sandeman, Offley, Forrester, Kopke, Van Zeller, Burmester, Graham, Guimareans, Cockburn and Dow.
Port is different because of its above average alcohol content ranging between 19% and 22% in volume.
Ruby – label given to younger wines that display a deep color, fairly fruity and are, on average, 2 years old, usually a blend of several years harvests, does not usually say Ruby on the bottle label
Tawny – blended wines that have spent about 6 years in cask, can vary considerably in quality, some are blend of ruby and white port but the best Tawny Ports have acquired their amber brown or tawny hue from the wood ageing. Flavor is drier and nuttier.
Aged Tawny with an Indication of Age – blended from wines of different years, expressing the nature of the wine as regards the characteristics that are given to it through aging in wood. So, a “20 Year Old” wine has the color, testure, aroma and taste of a wine that has aged in wood for 20 years. By decree, the ages are 10, 20, 30 and even more than 40 years.
Colheita – Dated Port – wines from a single year can be sold after they have aged at least 7 years but most are aged longer. Label indicates the year of bottling and should be drunk within one year of that date. Fairly rare.. These are labeled Dated Port.
White Port – made from white grapes in the same way. Usually sweet and served on the rocks or up as an apeeritif.
Vintage Character – also referred to as Super or Premium Ruby. Blended from several years harvest and aged 4 to 6 years before bottling. Characteristically have more body and fruit than a Tawny but lack the concentration and complexity of a true Vintage Port. Usually sold under brand names like Sandemans Founder’s Reserve, Warre’s Warrior, Grahams 6 Grapes, Fonseca’s Bin 27 or Taylor’s First Estate
?
?
?
L.B.V. (Late Bottled Vintage) – Port from a single year but that year has been judged to be of excellent quality but not deemed good enough for a Vintage and is aged in wood and bottled between the 4th and 6th year after it is made. Red in color, full-bodied and smooth. Usually more gentle and full-bodied than the vintage Port of the same year. Can throw sediment so carry carefully.
Vintage – wines of superior quality, produced in exceptionally great years from distinct areas or sub-zones within the region. Vintage port is kept in wood for 2 to 3 years before bottling then matured in the bottle for up to 15 to 20 years. Usually very full-bodied and deep-colored. Usually throw sediment so carry carefully. Serve with ceremony and style
Best Vintages : 1994, 1992, 1991, 1985, 1977, 1970, 1963, 1955, 1948, 1935, 1931, 1927 and 1912. Port can be very sweet, sweet, semi-dry, dry or extra dry. Sweetness is determined by when and how the wine maker interrupts the fermentation process.
Fortified Wines
Port, Sherry and Madeira
Sherry
“Fortified” means a distilled spirit is added to the wine. Some assume all fortified wines are sweet. Not true. Many are but there are many dry versions, too. In general, dry starts a meal and sweet ends it with foods as well as fortified wines.
Fortified wines usually have more body than regular wines because they range in alcohol content from 13 to 20 percent. This creates a structure which can stand up at dessert time. Chocolate’s intensity and oiliness challenges standard wines but can be easily overcome by the fuller bodied fortified wines such as late-bottled Vintage Port or a Malmsey Maderia.
Dry Maderias such as those made from sercial or verdelho seem perfect for soups.
Fino Sherry and its cousin Manzanilla usually accompany Spanish style tapas.
Sherry is divided into Fino and Oloroso. Fino is always dry (usually) and Oloroso is always sweet (usually). Fino aged long enough is bottled as Amontillado and is often sweet. Oloroso is really almost always sweet but there is Lustau’s version: think roasted walnuts.
Wine chosen for Oloroso is fortified to about 18 percent alcohol and left to age in barrels.
Wine chosen for Fino is fortified to about 15 percent and the barrel won’t be filled to the top. Soon the empty space above the wine is filled with a yeast growth called the ‘flor’, Spanish for flower. But, it looks like pond scum…. The purpose is pretty, however: it protects the wine from oxygen and adds a nutty, almond-like character. It is this light, almost delicate, character which is a favorite. No small feat at 15 percent alcohol!
A version of Fino called Manzanilla has been aged in the Portugese coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda. The nearby ocean feeds the flor like nothing else. The flor can grow here to a half foot tall or more!
Sometimes the growth of the flor is made to seem mysterious and miraculous. Actually, it is very simple: the barrels have previously held flor-laden Sherry. The barrels are place near open windows where the ocean breezes feed to flor. And, the flor grows because 15 percent alcohol allows it to while 18 percent added to Oloroso kills it.
As soon as the flor dies, the Fino Sherry begins to change. It gains in richness and becomes an Amantillado. Based on the story so far, Amantillado should be dry. Oh, if it were only that simple…. By tradition, some Amantillados are slightly sweet because a sweet wine is added made from moscatel and Pedro Ximinez grapes (PX grapes)
To make things even more complicated, instead of the sweet wine, sometimes unfermented sweet grapes will be added. And, sometimes, the grape juice is cooked down to a sweet paste which is added. AND, SOMETIMES, a small amount of that sweet paste is added to the wine to make the wine seem older and richer than it might actually be.
Olorosos, the great Sherry dessert wines, start life dry. But it is aged for years, sometimes decades, in barrels and then the sweet grapes or sweet paste are added and the wine gains outrageous sweetness as well as a dried fruit character and complexity.
For all its history, something new is afoot: Sherry has two new designations VOS and VORS.
VOS – Very Old Sherry – blended from wines not less than 20 years old
VORS – Very Old Rare Sherry – blended from wines not less than 30 years old
Sherry unlike Ports and Madeira are hardy stock and can be opened and consumed over weeks.
PORT
Old vintage Port doesn’t live as long as Madeira. Vintage Port needs twenty or thirty years to be come drinkable but, once ready, it needs to be consumed. The greatest Ports may only offer their greatness for a few hours. That fragility has more in common with wines that are not fortified. Indeed, some bars in Portugal do not pour vintage Port by the glass for this reason.
However, just like the rest of this story, there is ‘on the other hand’. Not all Port is that fragile. Vintage Port accounts for only 3% of all Port wines. A vintage Port aged twenty or more years is likely to be as fragile as any table wine of similar age.
Vintage port is aged in barrels like most red table wine – usually about a year and a half in barrels before they are bottled. Most Port spends much more time in barrels. Ports are just a complicated as Sherries. There are two broad categories: Ruby and Tawny. (Sound like dancers in a strip club?)
Ruby means it is ruby in color. Tawny Port is light brown to light orange in color.
Under Ruby, there are Vintage Ports, Late Bottled Vintage Ports and Single Quinta Ports.
Vintage Ports are aged 18 to 30 months in barrels before bottling.
Late Bottled Vintage Ports are aged 4 to 6 years in barrels before bottling making these softer and rounder than Vintage Ports and ready to drink upon release.
Single Quinta means single vineyard and is aged just like LVB Ports. The difference is that LVB Port is made from a mix of vineyards while Single Quinta comes from just one. The idea is that great LVB Ports are made only in great years, blended from several excellent vineyards. In a less than stellar year, individual vineyards may bottle on their own. It will age more quickly, cost less and offer less complexity that LVB.
Tawny Ports are the popular Ports in Portugal. Typically, they are sold by age – 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. The 10 and 20 year Ports offer a complex interlay of fruitiness and nutty, aged character. The 30 year versions are usually less interesting.
Now, the 10 year, 20 year and 30 year thing is a little misleading. There is no guarantee that the Port is actually as old as the label indicates. The 10 year old might be only 8 year old, with a little 12 year old thrown in. The idea is to match a pre-existing style and is less concerned with being able to tell someone the bottle contains a certain percentage of this vintage. Rather, the blender wants to be able to say that this 10 year old Tawny Port tastes just like the one made last year.
Each Port house fashions their Tawny Ports as a balancing act between young fruit and aged nuttiness. With 10 year old Tawnies, fruit tends to dominate. With 20 year old, the nuts seem to come through strongly.
Madeira
Madeira is usually an extravagant dessert wine. But, as confusing as Sherry or Port, Madeiras can be dry as well. Sercial and Verdelho are the grapes most associated with dry Madeiras and can be lemon tart and as racy as a green apple. Terrentez, bastardo, malvasia and especially bual and malmsey grapes are rich and sweet and provide the basis for sweet Madeiras.
Vintage Maderia can be opened and last for months, years and even decades then enjoyed glass after glass. That is not normal wine! What makes Madeira Madeira? The answer is Madeira.
Madeira is an island off the coast of Africa. Wines made from grapes grown on the volcanic soils of the island have an unnerving amount of acidity. It is that acidity that makes the wine eternal.
Madeira is a fortified wine that is then warmed up. The first exports were warmed by the long ocean voyage across the center of the globe and the warm equatorial temperatures. Often Madeira lies in barrels that are never topped up or filled to account for evaporation. For all wines but Madeira, topping up prevents the wines from spoiling due to oxygen exposure. With Madeira, however, this seems to bring forth even more fruitiness.
This wine is amazing. Once opened, a bottle of great Madeira lasts forever. What could be done to it that hasn’t already been done. Exposed to heat and oxygen, it seems to thrive. An old bottle of vintage Madeira is rarely a risky proposition. Purchasing a bottle of 1900 Vintage Madeira then selling a 2 ounce glass for $75.00 would be a great investment since theMadeira would last the year or more it would take to sell all of it.
What Waiters Say….
Every so often, articles come out showing a distinctly nasty side of the restaurant business. You’ve seen them talking about what happens to rude people’s food, supposed secrets of the business. Well, stuff like that happens a lot less than you’d expect because the vast, vast majority of restaurant staff have some self respect or, at least, a fear of getting caught at something. The first clue that there’s some spin is when the article does not use industry jargon. In the comments below, note servers are called waiters. “Waiter” is deemed sexist so the generic word server is used. But, I kept the word waiter here because that’s what they used. See if you agree with my comments.
1. Waiters are not allowed to express personal opinions about food and drink they like and don’t like. They spout the company line about what to push, especially high profit items.
Jerry: Well, restaurant operators are not idiots. Of course, we are going to recommend items which make the business money. But, we also realize that the items we push must be well prepared, of good value and will deliver the promised experience. What good does it do to push something you won’t like and won’t want to come back and buy again? So, yes, Freedom of Speech stops when waiters clock in. Come on, do you really want a 22 year old college student who has the depth of experience in travel and cuisine of a 22 year old college student to recommend their personal taste? These kids think Olive Garden is really upscale!
2. On holidays, waiters spin up tear jerking stories when asked why they are working on a holiday to rake in more tips. As in, “my brother is in Iraq and I’m saving up for a phone card so he can call Mom.” Or “My car broken down and I can’t get to class without it”
Jerry: Well, waiters are not idiots, either. It kinda boils down to – if you ask a stupid question…. Of course, the waiters are here to make money. Don’t you go to your work to make money. The big difference is that waiters only make money when people come in the door. You go fishing when the fish are biting, don’t you? The national average in 2008 for a server was $8.12 per hour worked. That includes tips and wages. And they only make that money during a 2 to 3 hour shift at breakfast, a 2 hour shift at lunch and /or a 3 hour shift for dinner time. The rest of the time they are setting up their kitchen area, polishing silverware, filling salt and pepper shakers…which is called sidework. And there are hours of sidework. So, don’t be surprised at the answer when you ask why someone is at work.
3. When you look around for your waiter and another waiter tells you he’s getting something out of the stock room, you can bet he’s out back smoking.
Jerry: Extremely doubtful. Unless you have paid and left the tip, your waiter will be paying attention to you. Are there waiters who forget you are there and simply wander off. Yes, there are but every waiter understands that most of his money comes from you. And, I am astounded at the number of people who apply for a waiter position and just don’t get how we make money. You know, being nice to people and bringing people what they ask for. These people last a few days or a few weeks until the managers figure that out. And, these people are very good at telling managers a tale of woe about the mean customers who did not really ask for the sour cream the server did not bring. The chances are, if you waiter disappears, she/he is one of the servers who float in and float out. Don’t wait till they come back, ask another server for help.
4. At some restaurants, there is a big tray of desserts and we all sample the food all night long using the same fork every time we dip it.
Jerry: Now, what operator is going to keep something they sell available to waiters to freely much on. Tostada chips and salsa? Maybe. They slip a chip and dip now and then but most food is very tightly controlled in kitchens. There is a big dividing line between the cooks and the waiters. Cooks view waiters with distain and servers view cooks as over privileged. Cooks are very likely to tell the manager on waiters who eat in the kitchen.
5. If your dessert says ‘Homemade’, it might be true but it was made in a shop 5 miles away.
Jerry: Well, now ya got me. Descriptive phrases such as ‘Homemade’ have pretty loose definitions…. It could be a Homemade recipe vs actually being made in the restaurant’s kitchen. Phrases like House made or House Recipe are clear indicators that the item was developed and is prepped in this kitchen. I once contracted for a series of cakes and pies for our Sunday Champagne Brunch. They were produced in a certified and inspected kitchen in that person’s home. So, I did say those desserts were homemade.
6. If you send your soup back because it’s not hot enough, we run the spoon under hot water to fool you into thinking the soup is hot. Sometime, customers get burned.
Jerry: Horse Hooey. Waiters do have access to very hot water, usually from the coffee maker for hot tea service. But, sticking a spoon in even hot water will not heat the spoon sufficiently to induce a burn by the time it gets to the table. Now, the waiters might believe that but it won’t work. We always preheat the china bowl and sometimes boil the soup and still get comments from people who send their soup back. Most of our customers have to wait to allow the soup to cool before they can eat it.
Spinach Stems and Customer Comments
I thought you might like to see what we think about when we get a customer comment of food preparation -
Posted for Staff Meeting Comments –
REF: Spinach and Stems
Regarding the customer comment that we should de-stem the spinach for the fresh spinach salad, I note that we have been serving the spinach salad this way for many years without one comment on the stems. Pro or con. Given that we have, in fact, had many compliments on the salad and that sales of the salad do not seem to have been affected by the stem or no stem concern. I think we will leave things alone and monitor the situation for further customer reaction.
It’s safe to say that, at home, most people de-stem their spinach for salads. While at the same time, most people leave the stems on when cooking fresh spinach.
We have chosen not to waste the stems on fresh spinach for our salads since we don’t have an active compost pile at this time. We feel the stems add a texture and a sharper flavor to the fresh spinach which would be wasted if we did de-stem. We believe that, given the carbon footprint used to get the stems from the farm to the factory to the distributor and then to us, we would be contributing to global climate change if we did not use the stems in some way.
We take this stand proudly and greenly and call upon the restaurants of the world to make this change in spinach saladry composition. Come! Join us as we do our part to change the world! Unite to stop this waste of human food while thousand are starving in Africa!
In any case, if the comment comes up again, say, ”Our Chef likes the texture and sharper flavor of the stems. He thinks it adds a little something different to the salad.” And report the comment in the Daily Log or at staff meeting.
Jerry