Miscellania of a busy weekend

[snousle]

The party at the Eagle went flawlessly - I was very, very pleased. It didn't seem like all that much work. Shopping Friday morning, 4 hours of prep in the afternoon, another 3 in the evening, and five more in the morning. I generally schedule in about three hours of slack time for either showering and relaxing, or failing that, at least freaking out in a more leisurely manner. Some of that time got filled, but I still got my shower and some rest before heading out. The only thing that didn't get done, to my regret, was I didn't get the menu printed. People are very curious about exactly what they are eating and it saves time later not having to answer the same question fifty times!

John was there to explain the food and help take in empty appetizer plates. Gypsy helped me with some dishwashing for the plates that had to go back out. He's surprisingly thorough, and actually bleached the entire kitchen before we were out the door. They helped make the event extra easy, but I'm pretty sure I could do it on my own if I had to.

The flaws were relatively minor. As trivial as it seems, I neglected to include contrasting colors in the different kinds of sushi, so that the salmon and cucumber looked exactly the same as the carrot and green onion, potentially confusing any jumpy vegans that might have sued me for accidental ingestion of protein. And my scheme for having nice fresh nori proved unworkable, so I lived with the slightly rubbery but nonetheless acceptable texture that you get after a few hours. I have mixed feelings about sushi anyway; no matter what you do with it, it's so compromised after four hours in a cooler that perhaps it's best to save it for other kinds of events.

We were pretty successful in controlling the tornado-in-a-trailer-park look of a picked over buffet. And my strategies for steering people to particular portion sizes were way more successful than I'd expected. I was worried that this event would be misinterpreted as "dinner" rather than "snacks" by waves of party crashers and that the food would be scarfed up within minutes. But choosing just the right plate and spoon sizes resulted in everybody getting as much as they liked, everything getting eaten at the same rate, and nobody missing out on anything. Better yet, we were left with nothing but a small bag of hummus and half a log of goat cheese at the end. I hate wasting food, so that was a beautiful thing to see.

This event was roughly half price because it was a club thing, but if I can get clients for parties like this at just $10/head it's obvious that this is a good and workable way to make a living. Market rates are often $25/person or more for this sort of thing so there is much opportunity here.

Question: The fingers thing? Some types of chefs touch their food, others wear plastic gloves. Despite my furriness, I'm aiming for an ultra-hygienic image along the lines of a sushi chef, vinegared rag and all. It goes without saying that my coat is spotless and I wash my hands about fifty times an hour. Still, can I have clients see me touching their appetizers? I actually brought plastic gloves but they seemed so wildly unnatural that I didn't even open the box. Particularly when using a knife, they seem nastier than skin itself. The food safety guide says you have to wear them for ready-to-eat food, so I find myself incredibly ambivalent. The best solution might be a no-touch approach where I don't wear gloves but only touch the food with instruments. Now that I think of it, I don't see any reason that can't work.

In other news, we rented a skiploader last week, and through a combination of timing and mechanical failure (requiring a visit from the mechanic), we were able to keep it for six days for the price of two. Our neighbor Ron is a master of this sort of thing, so he helped us groom our driveway area and borrowed it for some work on his own property as well.



Quite a lot of earthmoving got done, with three of our neighbors being really happy with us. A fourth started yelling at Bill about something this morning and claimed we'd cut his phone line, but both his numbers are picking up (answering machine and fax, respectively) so frankly I think he's just trying to fuck with us. Many years ago he said to Bill that "the only thing fags are good for is squeezing money out of" so it seems like he's hostile, crazy, or both. We shall see.

Catering an event seems to put me into high gear, and put me in the mood for more hard work, so I've spent much of the past two days with a fireman's rake doing fine grooming around the house. Our drainage should be much improved, along with the camping areas. The soil here is ridiculously heavy, so it has to get done before the rain saturates it again.

The boys that built the oven came by again and made pizza. Their latest thing is pizza with an egg baked on top. I have to say, it's delicious:



Maybe not as luscious as the chocolate and pear pizza but it was sure a lot more photogenic!

Overall, being away from Perlegen has been extremely liberating. I feel much freer to get useful work done, and I've been doing quite a bit, evidenced by the recent paucity of time spent with LJ. ;-)

Comments

[danthered.livejournal.com]

We were pretty successful in controlling the tornado-in-a-trailer-park look of a picked over buffet [...] choosing just the right plate and spoon sizes resulted in everybody getting as much as they liked, everything getting eaten at the same rate, and nobody missing out on anything.

Interesting! Social engineering meets catered cuisine. Can you elaborate, or are these trade secret-y kinds of things?

[sfbootdog.livejournal.com]

The food was great! Particularly the orzo and the...um...beef on the baguette slices (Captain Eloquent has stepped out for a moment). What on earth was under that beef, and can I arrange to be smothered by it should I ever be forced to choose the manner of my own death.

Num num.

[snousle.livejournal.com]

I didn't see you there, I had my eye out for you! Guess I didn't recognize you without the dog nose. ;-)

The beef was BBQ tri-tip, and underneath was basil and garlic cream cheese and pickled red onion. The cream cheese actually has some sour cream in it so I can pipe it more easily, and since it's made up just the day before with fresh basil it has a lot of zing. A little FruitFresh (which is just vitamin C) keeps it from turning brown.

[snousle.livejournal.com]

There has been a lot of research on the subject. The book Mindless Eating brought it to my attention. It turns out people are very easily led by cues suggesting "appropriate" portion sizes, and in the short term at least it has a much bigger effect on how much they eat than their sense of satiety. One experiment, with a soup bowl that was secretly engineered to refill from the bottom, showed this to particularly amusing effect.

This, of course, explains how people end up eating 2500 calories when they go out to dinner. In my case, just targeting 100x the amount of food that "naturally" fits on the plate, and choosing a spoon that makes it easiest to dispense a salad in 100 portions, works like a charm.

[danthered.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, the soup bowl experiment! I have read and heard about that one. Very interesting to see a practical application like this what you describe at the party.

[darkphuque.livejournal.com]

Except for sushi chefs, the Japanese are mighty particular about touching food. I have taken numerous Wagashi making classes and discovered that I had to beef up my chopstick abilities. Pushing something into Agar with one's finger is a definite "no no" even with impeccably clean hands. Now I am fairly good at moving things with chopsticks. There are surgical rubber gloves that fit so closely that they are almost like a second skin. They have to be surgical quality ti be that thin. Tongs work well too.
Using your bare hands in front of guests, may create problems....

[snousle.livejournal.com]

This is what makes it possible to serve the very best things. I blanch at the cost of some ingredients, but it's not all that expensive if you don't have any waste, and it ends up looking more professional while reducing the guests' anxiety at the same time.

I just can't believe it works so easily and so accurately.

[snousle.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty good with a pair in each hand. You can do quite a bit of fine work when you have four points of contact!

Ai Karamba!

[darkphuque.livejournal.com]

A left hand with chopsticks? That would destroy the whole Japanese concept of "WA"... no one in Japan is ever allowed to grow up left handed!!!! *chuckles*

[dhpbear.livejournal.com]

Leftover cheese? It's my experience that cheese is the first thing to go. Maybe because I wasn't there :) You're to be commended, Tony. You must have this down to a science!

[allanh.livejournal.com]

You obviously did not realize the full impact of my comments to that evening, or in my LJ.

I ate sushi ... and I liked it. I went back for two more pieces.

Randy nearly had a cardiac arrest. We go to fabulous sushi places, and he orders up exotic stuff, the LEAST exotic of which is blowfish. He loves crunching deep fried ama ebi heads between his teeth. I...order something teriyaki in a bento box.

You Made Me Eat Sushi And Like It.

If that doesn't prove you're destined to be an incredible caterer...

[theotherqpc.livejournal.com]

i don't know how this goes with offsite catering, but in California, at least in restaurants, bare hand contact with food is perfectly permissible. as long as there's a proper handwashing station nearby...

next time you're out to dinner at a place with an open kitchen or pantry, take a look at the salad station - salads are generally tossed in bowls with bare hands.

[qnetter]

Then we're a perfect foursome for Japanese food.

Where's Randy from, btw? Just a theory.

[snousle.livejournal.com]

Not perfectly permissible:

CURFFL Section 114020 was expanded to more fully address the need for protecting food from
contamination from employee hand contact. It is very specific as to how and when hands will be
washed. It delineates when sanitary gloves are to be worn. It states that "Employees serving
ready-to-eat foods shall use gloves, tongs, or other implements to place food on tableware or in
other containers."

So do fancy restaurants get a free pass on this? Or do they have a HACCP plan that allows bare hands?

[snousle.livejournal.com]

Oh, I should have read further:

Changes
in this section made it necessary to alter the wording, but limit the intent to prevent bare hand
contact to "serving" only. Serving is separate from food preparation. Serving is the direct
placement of unpackaged food into or onto a container that will be then conveyed or given to the
consumer. CURFFL Section 114020(b) specifically separates "preparing" from "serving" by
stating "preparing, serving or handling food". CURFFL Section 114020 does not prohibit all
bare hand contact with food. In the food preparation area, employees who place foods onto
trays, assemble sandwiches, prep foods, etc. are not required to wear gloves unless they have "any
cuts, sores, rashes, artificial nails, nail polish, rings (other than a plain ring, such as a wedding
band), uncleanable orthopedic support devices, or finger nails that are not clean, neatly trimmed,
and smooth."

So I guess salad prep is OK then. But not serving!

[darkphuque.livejournal.com]

Allen.... I am very curious, outside of Japan what is more exotic than Fugu? Even in Japan I think the most exotic sushi I ever ate (other than Fugu) was whale and sea turtle. Actually, I would love to find a place in the bay area that serves Fugu and things more exotic. Both my partner and I love the crispy heads from Amaebi... mmmmmm tentacles and bulging eyes!

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Whoops. Sorry, meant to type "sea urchin", not "blowfish".

But trust me, if fugu was available, Randy would order it.

Bleah.

[theotherqpc.livejournal.com]

clicky.

so you can touch the food as you make it, but serving it is iffy. mayhaps a self-service buffet?

[snousle.livejournal.com]

Amaebi heads have got to be the most delicious thing in the world.

Isn't there a South Bay restaurant that serves fugu now? I read a review but forget what it said.

I bet post-fugu sex is really hot. Perhaps a little numbing as well. ;-)

[snousle.livejournal.com]

I get it - it's about the woman at Subway who has to make a sandwich immediately after handling money. If you are in a controlled environment where your hands aren't getting recontaminated all the time then it's OK.

[darkphuque.livejournal.com]

Fugu is very good. I have only had it once in a very expensive NY Japanese restaurant. Its the only restaurant that served Fugu in the states, to the best of my knowledge. I am sure that Randy and I would get along famously!!!

At least you were game to try the pieces that Tony put out. Not all sushi is intimidating, as there are a lot of vegetarian styles that, while not exotic, are very delicious.

[darkphuque.livejournal.com]

As I mentioned to Allen, I have only had Fugu once and it was everything it was cracked up to be. I haven't heard of any restaurants in the bay area serving Fugu. I think half the adventure in eating Fugu is its deadly potential. I definitely had numb and tingling lips and tongue after the meal was over. Even the flesh contains minute amounts of the toxin, its just not enough to kill you.

The Glove Issue

[chef2b.livejournal.com]

I've worked in one commercial kitchen and spent time in two others. No ONE has ever worn gloves to prepare food. We wash our hands. In fact, one of my instructors said that using gloves is the fastest way for folks to get lazy about sanitation practices.

That being said, I seem to see them just about every single time that food is being served (not by wait staff mind you, just catering, etc.). So it appears that folks seeing their food handled by bare hands is off-putting.

Good luck figuring out the utensil thing.