A Lot To Digest

Another typical day off for me – catching up on sleep, relaxing, doing yoga, watching some cooking shows, reading, connecting with family members, visiting locals, going for a wander in the countryside, and eating staff meals (same lunch of roasted potatoes, but with Cajun this time, same penne with sauce, same garden salad – only here could a garden salad be too salty, chicken and sausage and beef leftovers, and same chicken curry with rice and chips for supper). 

A picture my parents sent me from back home - homemade strawberry rhubarb pie with fresh rhubarb from our garden. I must admit, I am drooling and more than  a bit jealous!

I will finish my little rant from yesterday by now listing the remainder of my responsibilities on the starter section of the bar.

Mise En Place
• Refrigerated case: barbecue ribs, feta cheese cubes, diced red onion, capers, pitted black olives, red pepper relish, lemon wedges, lemon slices, crab claws, shelled and deveined crevettes, sliced smoked mackerel, smoked salmon slices, prawns bound in Marie Rose sauce, chicken salad mix, egg salad mix, cheese slices, ham slices, chicken wings, diced iceberg lettuce, herb salad, salad mix, salad greens. 
• Refrigerator: blinis, whitebait, plain chicken, battered cod, garlic butter, garlic purée, grated Parmesan cheese, diced bacon, gluten-free white bread, gluten-free brown bread, sausages, back-up/extra of everything in refrigerated case.
• Sauces: garlic chive mayonnaise, coriander lime yogurt, horseradish crème fraiche, tartar sauce, Marie Rose sauce, hot sauce, French dressing, balsamic dressing, Ceasar dressing, mayonnaise, red pepper essence, smoked paprika oil.
• Side Table: sliced wheaten bread, garlic croutons, softened butter, sandwich picks, fish and chip papers, paprika, white bread, softgrain bread, brown bread, plain flour, crisps, salt.
• Walk-In Refrigerator: chips, onion rings, gaufrette potatoes, straw potatoes, garlic potatoes, veg of the day, cos lettuce leaves, back-up/replenishment items.
• Freezer: chicken fingers, vegetable spring rolls, battered squid rings, garlic bread, back-up of meats and seafood to thaw.

Dishes
• For service: small plates, large bowls, martini glasses, grey salad bowls, white salad bowls, white ramekins, grey ramekins, grey starter bowls, square plates, rectangular plates, wooden boards, fish and chip baskets, side cups, side saucers.
• For preparation: numerous steel bowls, milkpan, small oval baking trays, small rectangular baking tray, small round baking tray, tongs, plastic containers, cutting board, knives, spoons, butter knife, glass.

Sure, some of it is simple prep – such as taking olives from a can, or finely dicing red onion. But some of it requires a lot of advance preparation – such as cooking, cooling, and dicing the chicken for the chicken salad, and combining it with the rest of the ingredients. Others require advance planning – thawing enough crevettes to last through a busy day, but not too many that you end up throwing a bunch out. And keep in mind they also need to be shelled and deveined, which takes time. Theoretically, the dishwashers and kitchen helpers are supposed to restock my dishes for me, but I cannot rely on them. They are busy people too, with many responsibilities, and as they do not make the dishes, I cannot expect them to remember exactly what dishes and how many of each I will need. They certainly aren’t responsible for providing my preparation tools, and during a busy service, they need to spend all their time washing dishes so customers have a clean fork to use.

Needless to say, I will be glad to give my brain a wee rest and have a break from the starter section for the week. I change scenery again and am working in the castle at wedding functions for the remainder of the week, where there is still a lot to be done, just a lot less direct pressure on me!