Archive for the ‘General Comments’ Category

At the end of Part 1, I was in my office centering my zen around the sight of the Organ Mountains purple majesty as I zeroed in on an intruding fly buzzing my office.  The fly was bouncing against the glass of a framed lithograph showing some horses.  I assume the horses drew the fly as they always do.  I think its all the hair…I could be wrong.

I pull myself together and re-focus on the fly.  My tiny visitor will feel my wrath this day! 

I ease within range working not to disturb the air currents which would alert my little friend to his danger.  The fan of death is cocked and ready.  The wrist snaps forward and back quickly into place as if there had been no movement at all.  Death in the afternoon.  

A smile returns to my face.  My tense muscles relax and I move quickly back into my chair to resume my work.  I quickly forget the intrusion the fly has made on my day.  My efforts to eleminate the distraction have been a success.   I feel good. 

My daily rounds of death dealing before we open at 11:00 AM are bearing fruit.  My kill ratio is down to three a day with the staff on notice that if I don’t kill anything before 11:00 AM, I get a little cranky, irritable, snappy,as they say.  Some might use other words but these will do fine. 

Fly season is drawing to a close as summer bids welcome to the fall.  I am proud of my accomplishments this summer.  Fewer customers are waving away pesky intruders at their tables and shooing some flys away as well.  Surely, as nights cool, the fly eggs go dormant waiting for the heat of next summer to awaken them for their short, voracious lives.  And, don’t call me Shirley….

Sometime in mid-September I will retire this season’s fan of death.  The ceremony is short but heartfelt as I commend my swatter to it’s inevitable doom.   And, so the circle of life goes.   Next year, I will be searching for a new swatter -new, better, different.   I will confront the minute pests each day and hope I live to swat another day.

Are You Smarter Than A 5^th Grader…or A Fly? Part 1

 I am beginning to wonder.  Not about you, about myself….

 Of course, in Southern New Mexico, in July, fly season springs upon us with the start of monsoon season.  Large – not as large as a Horsefly but not as small as a Tsetse fly (which spread malaria in Africa) – flys begin knocking at doors and windows and any other space they can crawl through to get to the good stuff….spill a grain or two of sugar this morning getting it to the coffee?  Fly bait.   Spill a drop of soda?  Fly bait.  Sitting quietly at your desk typing on the computer?  Fly bait.

 During July, part of my job description means that at 10:30 AM, I take my fly swatter and go to the Patio.  Yes, it’s enclosed but that’s where THEY gather drawn by the moisture of the fountain and the light of the sun roof.  I pause a moment to gather myself, center myself, calm myself and prepare.  I move into my Ninja stealth mode and ease onto the Patio, careful not to cause a ripple in the air.  My swatter is already cocked and ready.  I mustn’t carry the swatter at my side and then raise it for the kill. No movement must be discerned by the fly or he lifts off, moving about searching, searching.

 My swatter is state of the art.  Clean, unpainted aluminium wire with the traditional double twist. It’s doubled into twin wires with four turns above.  Four turns below.  The top turn opens to allow a spacious open grip.  The bottom turn spreads into a large Y allowing the actual killing area known as the fan to be attached to the handle. No plastic here. My fan is a large rectangle of tight metal mesh with an edging of brown paper sewn onto the edge with cotton thread.  The mesh is a weave of thin metal wires with a spacing of less than .5 millimeter – not even the Tsetse can escape me.

 My slow movements belie the swift shifting of my eyes. Only moving the eyes, not the head, I slip into the Patio’s space and time.  Yes, the fly may have 1,000 eyes and I only 2 but mine are very sensitive to color and shape. I look for the black dot where it doesn’t belong. 

 I tense.  Spotted.  I don’t stop but do slow down. I focus. It’s only a nail in the table. I move on. Slowly, swatter cocked, eyes shifting, shifting. There!  On the back of a chair.  Oh, damn! In my disappointment at the nail, I relaxed and lowered my weapon.  Now, here’s a fly and I must raise the swatter before attacking.  I try to do it slowly but the fly feels the shift and buzzes off.  I know that buzz.  Snickering at me. He buzzes my head in triumph. He has won. This round, fly, this round. 

 I take a second and re-compose myself.  I am in position.  Swatter cocked. I move back into the hunt.  Soon, another target presents itself.  It could the the snickerer or it could be another fly.  Hard to tell.  I’m not being racist in saying they really do all look alike.

 I slip into range and with the snap of my wrist. I release. The fly crumples.  I’m a two swat man, myself, so I always follow up with a second hit.  The coup de grace’.  While I intend the mercy of a swift death, it has happened that after one blow, the fly with one good wing and three good legs left attempts to lift off but only manages to limp in a circle – a macabre dance which always ends with the second blow.

 Do not think this unfair as for example duck hunting in which a hunter armed with massive gunpower sits and waits for the casual traveler to breeze by overhead then springs the surprise of tiny BBs zipping through the air. No, no, the fly and I are more evenly matched.

 Sitting in my office, I hear the distraction of the buzz of a fly announcing his arrival.  I slowly move to grasp my swatter – always handy – and cock the weapon.  The fly immediately takes flight and leaves the room.  I pause, then lower the swatter and resume my review of last night’s Log.  The buzz returns. I hear the bump, bump, bump of the fly hitting the glass of the outside window, confused that he cannot move into the beckoning beyond.

 Again, I move to my swatter and, even more slowly raise the fan of death. Again, the fly realizes my intentions and flees the room.  I lower the swatter and move back to reading.

 Again, the fly returns.  This time drawn to a lithograph of the open New Mexico desert apparently by the horses in the scene.  Flys do love them some horse.  As the fly bounces against the glass, unable to comprehend why he can’t get to the horses, I move to my swatter.  Slowly, steathyly as an experienced old hand at this game of death, I ease my swatter into position.  One of us will surely die today, fly. 

 I take my eyes off the prize (I don’t recommend doing this for amateurs) and look out my window to the Organ Mountains.  I breath slowly and think to myself,”Yes, it’s a good day to die!”

 I find my target again and he lifts off and zig zags across my vision and out of the room.

 You can see we are more evenly matched here than any other game sport. The fly knows.  I know he knows.  Now, he doesn’t know I know but I know he doesn’t know.  That should be clear to anyone.

 TO BE CONTINUED….

Shoofly Pie

Supposedly a Southern specialty from Kentucky…all those horses, all those flies…it’s really an Amish dish from Pennsylvania.  Some recipes use molasses but these days corn syrup and brown sugar are more useful and usable in the kitchen.

Crust:           2 cups all-purpose Flour            1 tsp Salt                    ¾ cup Shortening                       5 Tbsp Ice Water

In a food processor measure the flour, salt and shortening, cover and put the processor bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour.  Pulse process till coarse crumbs form and then add cold water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing till dough forms into a ball.  Remove from processor bowl, flatten slightly and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 thickness, fit into a 9” pan.   Or just use store-bought pie crust.

Preheat oven to 350F

Filling:         ½ cup Dark Corn Syrup   ¼ cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)                   1 large egg, beaten           ½ tsp Baking Soda                    ½ cup hot water

In a bowl, combine corn syrup, brown sugar and egg.  Dissolve baking soda into the hot water and stir into syrup mixture.  Pour into crust.

Crumb Topping:    1 cup all-purpose Flour              3 Tbsp Shortening          2/3 cup Light Brown Sugar-packed               Pinch of Salt                 Pinch of Cinnamon

In a food processor bowl, measure the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and cinnamon, pulse till combined.  Sprinkle crumbs evenly over syrup mixture.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes depending on your oven.  Done when crumb topping is a deep golden brown.  Cool on wire rack one hour before serving.

I thought you might like to see what we think about when we get a customer comment of food preparation -

A customer was shocked, shocked to discover we do not de-stem our fresh spinach leaves when we make a spinach salad.  He let us know that we were total idiots for do this and he failed to understand how we could possibly stay in business which such a practice going on…..

Posted For Staff Meeting Discussion

 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 probabaly 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

Huevos Rancheros- Who knew?  

  Huevos Rancheros was the first ‘Mexican’ dish I remember eating.  I remember 2 corn tortillas soft fried then dipped into red enchilada sauce and laid on the plate with just an inch of overlap on the tortillas.  Two eggs cooked together sunny side up were put on the tortillas.  More red Enchilada sauce over that.  Sprinkle of chopped onions.  Sprinkle of shredded cheese. Plate on the table.  Dig in.  Beans were nowhere near.  Our beans were red beans and came with sausage over white rice on Mondays.

 I was raised in southern Louisiana so this was VERY exotic. Turtle, alligator, various types of duck, Canadian goose, deer, oysters, crawfish, catfish – all these were no surprise to find on the supper table.  But, Huevos Rancheros sounded like something a bullfighter would eat before facing the bull.  We kids would stomp the floor and snap pretend castanets – which would shake the whole house since it was wood frame set on concrete piers – till Mom would give us ‘that look’ indicating her patience was gone and we should stop ‘acting the fool’ and sit down.  Which we did with swirls of our pretend capes.

 It was even more fun when we found out this was a breakfast dish.  Breakfast for dinner.  Man!  We were living on the edge!  Who knew it would be so hard to add HR to the Double Eagle/Peppers Cafe Menu?

 Actually, it WAS on the original Peppers Café menu when we first opened Peppers and the sales were poor so I eventually took them off and put something else which would sell better.  Other items like banana enchiladas or green chile cheese stuffed wontons proved more popular than the Huevos which were on every Mexican joint’s menu from Texas to California.

 About January, 2010, John Ritter started mentioning that people were asking about Huevos Rancheros and I started warming to the idea of having them back onto the menu.  Simple dish.  Good food costs.  Easy to make.  No extra items needed. And, there’s that breakfast-for-dinner excitement thing!

Plus, I considered it ‘ligher’ fare,  in calories at least.  That seemed to be a trend for our area.

 So, without any testing or tasting or even much discussion, since everyone had heard of Huevos Rancheros.  Everyone knew what they were, how to make them.  No problem.  No worries.  I published the new menu sheets, mentioned the change to Chef – again, no problem – changed the cash register and instructed the Servers.  And, bid Adios, Muchachos!

 The next morning I find news in the Daily Log that there had been some discussion among the dinner cooks as to what was Huevos Rancheros when the first order came it.  The cooks sent out their version which the customer reported as strange.  So, the next order, the cooks tried something else.  Again, the customer reported “how could you screw up Huevos Rancheros?”

 Of course, I immediately went to Chef Campos.  Chef was baffled.  Chef had instructed all three evening cooks in what to do.  How could they screw it up?   Sure, enough, when the evening cooks come it, Chef and I were at the back door waiting.  Seems the cooks all know different versions and argued among themselves totally ignoring Chef’s instructions.  Talk about steamed clams!  Chef was furious.  Long discussion about following instructions, the importance of consistency, customer satisfaction is the key to success – all out usual buzzwords.

 So, I started researching Huevos Rancheros.   Turns out, HR is a Mexican dish based upon a Spanish dish of baked eggs.  But, as always in cooking, regional differences based upon item availability takes the lead in the evolution of recipes.  I didn’t look further than the northern Mexican states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Nuevo Leon and the American Southwest.

 Here is what I found as regional recipes for Huevos Rancheros.

 All the Mexican states use a rough chopped cooked red salsa of tomatoes and peppers – the peppers may differ but the basic idea is visible pieces of tomato, peppers, sometimes some onion and always garlic.

 Baja California Norte

Smear of mashed beans (black or pinto) under two soft fried corn tortillas, two soft cooked eggs,  hot salsa, sprinkle of local soft white cheese.  Spoon of beans on the side.  Sometimes chopped avocados are added right before the hot salsa.

Baja California Sur

Smear of mashed beans (black or pinto) under two soft fried corn tortillas, two soft cooked eggs, hot salsa, sprinkle of local soft white cheese.  Spoon of beans on the side.  Sometimes one tortilla is laid down, some kind of seafood – cooked shrimp or cooked fish or drained ceviche – topped with another corn tortilla then the eggs, salsa and cheese.

 Sonora

Smear of mashed beans (always pinto) under two soft fried corn tortillas, two soft cooked eggs, hot salsa, sprinkle of local soft white cheese.  Spoon of beans on the side.  Sometimes a green salsa (no tomatoes)  is made with chopped roasted pork or shredded pork  (Think ropas viejos)

 Chihuahua

One corn tortilla dipped into the hot salsa and laid on the plate, smear of mashed beans or whole beans, second corn tortilla dipped in the hot salsa, two soft cooked eggs, hot salsa – red or green, sprinkle of local soft white cheese.  No beans on the side.

 Nuevo Leon

Smear of mashed beans (always pinto) under two soft fried corn tortillas, two soft cooked eggs, hot salsa, sprinkle of local soft white cheese.  Spoon of beans on the side.  Sometimes the tortillas are stacked and have chopped beef or ground beef between them.  I suspect this is a recent (last 30 years) development taken from the Tejas border recipes.

 American Southwest

California

Smear of mashed beans (black or pinto) under two soft fried corn tortillas, two soft cooked eggs, hot salsa – red or green, almost always including cilantro, sprinkle of monterey jack cheese.  Spoon of beans on the side.  Sometimes there are slices of avocado inserted between two stack tortillas.

 New Mexico – South

Smear of mashed beans (almost always pinto) under two soft fried corn tortillas, two soft cooked eggs, hot salsa – red or green sometimes with cilantro but never with cumin, sprinkle of Monterey jack cheese and yellow cheddar cheese.  Spoon of beans on the side.

 New Mexico – North

Two soft fried corn tortillas, two soft cooked eggs, hot salsa – red or green, always with cumin and sometimes cilantro, sprinkle of shredded Monterey jack and cheddar cheese.  Spoon of mashed or whole pinto beans on the side.

 Texas

Two soft fried corn tortillas, two soft cooked eggs, hot salsa – red or green, sprinkle of yellow cheddar cheese.  Spoon of beans on the side.  Sometimes the tortillas will be stacked and stuffed with ground beef. Sometimes they use flour tortillas instead of corn.

 These are general findings and variations abound.  Just order Huevos Rancheros in every Mexican restaurant you enter and find your favorite combination.

 Who knew?

Tourism Advertising by New Mexico “On a Shoestring Budget”

At least when compared to our competitors: 

Colorado   $15 Million

Arizona      $6 Million

Texas         $24 Million

Utah            $7 Million

New Mexico   $2.6 Million 

And that $2.6 million is to be cut in the just approved budget (March, 2010) by $700,000 for fiscal 2011.  

A number of old sayings apply here:  You don’t ask.  You don’t get.   *  Squeaking wheel gets the grease.   *   Don’t ask.  Don’t tell.   Well, maybe that last one doesn’t quite apply but you get the drift.    When money is spent on tourism advertising, there is a return on that investment.  Every study on tourism advertising spending shows the same thing.  When you spend $1.00, you are gonna get about $40.00 in economic activity and about $3.00 back into the state’s treasury. 

Now, we go the Santa Fe every year and say to the Legislators, if you spend $1.00 in tax money, you will get $3.00 back into the Treasury plus it puts people to work in tourism related jobs – either new jobs or more hours of work for existing jobs. 

I’m not a math wizard but, if I had a dollar and handed it to you and you give me $3.00 back, I’d say that’s a good thing.   You’d be my new best friend. We’d be BFFs  (Best Friends Forever)   But, to the New Mexico Legislature, you’d think we were speaking in tongues.  They just look at you like they’d look at an elderly aunt who just keeps telling the same stories over and over.  “Oh, you dear sweet heart, just sit quietly out of the way.  We’ve got some legislatin’ to do, hon.” 

When you use logic to prove the irrefutable point, we get that look:  you poor soul, you are so cute.  Trying to think and everything!    We get the verbal ‘pat on the head’. 

Now, the state will authorize millions in tax refunds and even direct investments to bring film production to New Mexico. And, that’s wonderful.  A good concept.  Brings a lot of money to the state.  Good, high paying jobs on the film crew.  

But, ask for millions for tourism adverting?  “That just promotes burger flipping jobs.”  It seems that every Legislator graduated from high school and went directly to a CEO position.  None had to work their way through college.  None had to be hired in some small business as a counter clerk or an office runner or a receptionist.  According to the National Restaurant Association 7 of 10 working Americans have worked in a restaurant….you know, flippin burgers or waiting tables or dishwashing or cashiering or cooking on the line.   

Those burger flippin jobs, according to the US Travel Association in 2007, brought $5.7 billion to the state and $700 million in taxes.  That makes tourism New Mexico’s second largest private industry and the largest private sector employer.  But, we don’t get any respect. 

Santa Fe is at a pretty high altitude.  Air is thinner up there.  I think it’s the last of oxygen.  Legislators from the plains and valleys go up there and it just affects them.  2 + 2 no longer equals 4.  

More money for tourism advertising will generate more tourism.  More tourists spending money means more in taxes for the state, more jobs for more people.  It seems simple enough, doesn’t it?

Myths and Folklore of  Foods and Beverages Known As Aphrodisia 

 Aphrodisia – Yep, it means what you think it means….  A recent edition of Wine Enthusiast had an article about what and why people say about food and beverages and the art of making love.  With apologies to the author, I’m gonna share some info here.

 Apple –  OK, so it didn’t start out with the best of reputations.  Remember, Adam and Eve and the Snake, Flaming Sword, chased out of Eden….   The Latin word for apple comes from malum or bad.  Something changed however.  And,  by the time Ancient Greece rolled around, the apple was a symbol of sex.  The beautiful, athletic Atalanta vowed to marry the man who could beat her is a foot race.  Hippomenes (I’m not making these names up!) fell in love with Atalanta and ask Aphrodite for help.  The Goddess of Love gave him three golden apples and instructed him to throw them onto the track.  Atalanta got distracted and lost the race. 

 Artichoke – Often depicted as a symbol of the female sex because those darn Greeks told the story of Cinara.  Cinara was a nymph who was turned into a thorny flower by her lover’s jealous wife so that he could never touch her again.  Ah, the course of true love never runs straight and easy.  Think of the tasty surprise waiting for you to peel the layers away. 

 Asparagus – Can you believe it?  Yep, they push their way up, up through the earth with their heads and grow and grow.  So, the man who eats many asparagus…well, nuff said.

 Basil – From India to Italy, basil is a bold ingredient in many foods.  The brilliant, sharp flavor is a stimulant said to promote passion in those who eat it.  In Sicily, a woman who places a pot of basil in her window is inviting her lover to visit. 

 Chile – Chile is the correct spelling – chili is the Tex-Mex dish of ground beef, onions and red chile powder.  Hot peppers release endorphins to block pain and cause a sensation of pleasure.  A chile’s spicy heat, bright color and suggestive shape make them a popular aphrodisiac.  Familiar side effects after you eat one – sweating, blushing and a racing heart – reinforce the lovemaking association.

 Chocolate – Delicious, dark and delectable.  Chocolate contains small amounts of serotonin, the soothing chemical released by the body when we fall in love.  The calming, comforting feeling serotonin induces is similar to a lover’s arms wrapped tight around you.

 Garlic – Not just for vampires any more.  One considered a cure for impotency.  Do you think they rubbed it on or tied it on whole or what?  Garlic does contain antioxidants and essential oils with antibiotic affects.

 Honey – Not just because you drizzle it on and lick it off. Bee stings were thought to be tiny wounds from Cupid’s love spiked arrows.  A dab of honey on the wound sealed it and honey’s own antibiotic properties promoted quick healing including reduced swelling.

 Lemons – It became a symbol of eternal love and faithfulness in marriage because it blooms many times during a year.  That’s what the article said.  No other explanation.  Do you think they just threw that in to screw with us?  I mean if they’d told a story about a sour lemon caused a young nymph to pucker up and be kissed by her lover Acidopholus I’d go for it.  But, blooming a couple of times a year?  I’m missing something there….

 Oysters – All seafood was once considered aphrodisiacs because seafood was associated with the birth of Venus, Goddess of Love.  Ok, now get this – the phallus of the heavens fell from the sky and landed in the sea (the womb of Mother Earth).  So, this big phallus is standing around heaven minding it’s own business when it trips (??) and falls from the heavens into sea.  Poof, thousands of species of fish are created and the ocean births a daughter, Venus, by willing it to be so.  Venus arises from the ocean scantily clad in strategic seaweed and popping out of clam shell.  What more do your need? 

 Mushrooms and Truffles – Some mushrooms have mystical powers.  Remember the Hippies of the 1960 chewed mushrooms and spread love, joy, peace and happiness.  I suddenly feel like singing Kumbahya and swaying hand in hand with my brothers and sisters all over this land.   Truffles, on the other hand, have a distinct, powerful pungent perfume making them delicate and irresistible at the same time.  And, you’ve all heard the stories about female pigs being used in France to sniff out the truffles.  But, did you know it’s because the truffles smell like male pigs.

 Nuts – And the same to you, buddy!  The hard, protective shells are a symbol of longevity and marriage.  The almond, in particular, is associated with fertility because almond trees are among the first to bloom in the Spring each year.  Chestnuts (from the word ‘chaste’) symbolize virginity and feminine virtue because a second shell and a spiky casing protect them.

 Pasta and Breads – Anything made from grains are associated with Ceres, Goddess of Agriculture and Fertility.  Apparently, Fertility was a big thing back in Ancient Greece and Rome so they would work at convoluted logic on anything which might help.

 Pomegranate – With Pomegranate juice selling so well, alone and in mixtures with other juices, you know this had to be included.  Known as the ‘apple of love’, the Greeks made a special wine and peddled it as an aphrodisiac.  It is often associated with unity, friendship and brotherly love since it carries so many seeds packed together in small chambers.

 Meat – Rabbit is suggestive because to the ease with which it reproduces. 

 Saffron – the Queen of female aphrodisiacs!  Associated with female homosexuality because it’s named after Sappho, the Greek Poetess who was born on the isle of Lesbos.  It was believed to strengthen the uterus as well as stimulating the libido.

 Wine – Of course.  The ultimate love potion.  Bacchanalian rites and hedonistic cults used wine as the basis for their orgies.  The word “Vino” come directly from Venus and we all know about HER!  Today, we associate this seductive inebriant with moderation, good company, good health and, yes, a way to break down barriers while establishing a romantic connection.  How is that for polite language?

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.

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