Keepers Allstate

[msmemory_archive]

The Keepers Allstate banquet kicked off the festivities tonight. Such a scandal, too. They set up 24 tables of 8, plus a head table, and dinner was served buffet. They ran out of food slightly more than 2/3 of the way through!! The hotel staff scurried to go cook more, but the last 6 tables to be served had to wait some 45 minutes or so while more fish and chicken were defrosted and baked. They also ran out of the chocolate cake that was the principal dessert (and for that there's no excuse: I didn't see anybody taking more than one slice), so besides making more entrees and soup, they had to defrost some carrot cake and spoon up some chocolate mousse to make up the rest of the dinners. The banqueting manager's head will roll over this one.

Entertainment was a skit that was probably the most fun for the people who were in it, but at least they all seemed to have enjoyed themselves. And somebody has gifted Frank F with a really lovely, slightly used, SCA-legal helm. What he'll ever do with it, I have no idea, but it made a dandy head table centerpiece, with a crest of blue flowers.

Comments

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

food: how unusual for a professional place!

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

Wow - someone had a massive Fail over the food planning!

[calygrey.livejournal.com]

Good God. How could they?!

There is no crime greater than not enough food.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

Any SCA cook would not have had this problem. If I do say so myself. The organizers are blaming the hotel, and I tend to agree: I suspect they thought that a bunch of little old ladies would take *either* a 3" square of baked haddock, or 1/2 a boneless chicken breast Marsala, not both. Plus the fact that we aren't all either old or ladies.

People have been sidling up to Joan, Diane, and Natalie, whose turns it will be to chair the thing in upcoming years, and asking "We aren't going to have buffet next year, are we?"

[baron-steffan.livejournal.com]

Well, I suppose not getting any food is indeed the worst outcome, but I've seen a few runners-up in my rubber-chicken-eating career. Rather memorable is the charitable event (with appropriately jacked-up price) where the steaks were all done medium, because that's easier for the kitchen. Except that every diner wanted either weller or rarer. (I'm the former). Walked into the kitchen in a tux with my slab of raw meat in hand and told 'em to cook the damn thing. Unforgiveable. (And if anyone gets all "Rare-ist Nazi" on me, been there done that, and I will get medieval on you, I swear).

[ladymacgregor.livejournal.com]

Lesson for the rest of the week: get in the meal line EARLY.