[MR] Dayboard Etiquette Thoughts

[Gise]

Greetings to those who do read this missive from an occasional event steward and constant citizen of Atlantia! 


I would like to talk, my friends, about a recurring issue I've seen at events over the last two years. May have been going on before that, but I became aware of it about then.

Food put out in a serve-yourself setting ... dayboards, lunches, evening social munchies, breakfasts at some events, dessert tables at others ... are part of everyone's event gate fee. They are meant to feed everyone who wants the food. The average cost per person for such a spread is going to be $2 or $3 a person. Well, that's what it is for my events. That should be enough to sate everyone's hunger. 

There are other meals or snack tables that are stocked by pot luck food or by donated food from event staff, local cooks and your fellow attendees.

I have seen people walk away from the dayboard with plates heaping to the point of food rolling off the mount they've created. Some set the plate on their table and then come back for more. Sometimes they are taking plates to the table to be shared with several folks there. Ok, that's all good ... except often much of that food is thrown away. Or thrown on the floor by children who are not properly supervised. Or eaten by folks who have much greater appetites than the dayboard is intended to sustain.

I've had reports of gentles who've tried to pick up so many slices of pork from a serving platter the plastic tongs snapped in half. Of others filling bowls with heaps of meatballs or cheese or cherries or strawberries or those nummy fried dough things covered in honey. Things that it is intended each person take a few of so everyone gets some.

I've watched the Welcome Social at WoW with several hundred dollars of food  take hours to prepare and set up then be literally wiped out inside of 15 minutes by a small fraction of attendees. Another event that was advertised to have an all day progressing snack, lunch and dessert board that should have easily fed the 100 folks in attendance stripped of all meat and the most difficult to make or expensive delicacies before the first two-thirds of the line had gotten to the table.

Yes, the easy answer is to have servers at the table to do portion control, to have more food or to not have such food provided at events at all. But really folks ... really ... we're adults ... and this isn't the Golden Coral. As a mundane society many folks have that all-you-can-eat mentality. As SCA members our feast cooks have spoiled us by providing a seemingly endless flow of food at feasts. But feasts cost $8 to $15 a person, not $2.50. 

Folks, this isn't everyone but it's more than just a few people. I don't believe it's a matter of greed or discourteous behavior but a matter of being conditioned to think there's PLENTY of food and more to be brought from the kitchen when there's really a tightly measured amount of food. Which is why I'm bringing this conversation up. A problem only remains a problem if we don't address it. This is, I believe, a matter of education and just making people aware that it is an issue.

Our event staffs try to provide a great experience for folks at the best value price that is reasonable and financially feasible. A portion of meat for a meal is supposed to be 2-4 ounces, the size of a deck of modern playing cards. Advice followed by caterers and party organizers is to have 3 - 6 ounces of meat per person. So think about your grandmother's deck of gin rummy cards, larger for easy reading but still just a big deck of cards, not four slices of pork, a pile of meatballs, bowl of cheese cubes and two drumsticks. 

Being a long-time 4-H kid, I find they often have good resources and that is true of this topic as well. Etiquette of the Buffet Dining Experience is a straightforward read on what could be a touchy topic but is really just a matter of thinking about it.  

 http://aces.nmsu.edu/4h/documents/a204-hers20guide20to20buffet20line20etiquette.pdf

And please, I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad, I'm not accusing anyone of discourtesy. I'm just pointing out what I believe is an unconscious behavior that we should really get under control. Be a good member of the populace, be a good guest and take a ~reasonable~ amount of food ... one your grandmother wouldn't give you The Hairy Eyeball for ... Go back for seconds after everyone's eaten firsts. If you have a particularly large appetite, bring a snack in your basket or pouch. Don't take more than you're likely to eat. And thank the cooks.

In respect and service to my kingdom, my guests and my event staffs,

~gise ... often called Mama Gise ... and I suppose this is why ... =o)