« Better Than Guest Soaps | Main | Flip-Flop Fiasco »

Quite often when we are hired The Client leaves the menu to our discrection, knowing whatever we pick will be wonderful. To have someone have that kind of confidence in you is awesome and very liberating.

However, in this business you really have to know your audience. Because every once and a while you gan get a group of people who sort of "miss" what you're trying to do, food wise.

I thought I had a pretty clear picture of the type of crowd we would be serving Friday night. I have served a few of them before and assumed everyone was on the same level.

Why after all these years I haven't learned to stop assuming is beyond me. You know that statement? 'When you assume you make an ASS out of U and Me?' Yeah, well. When I assume, I end up making an ass of ME and ME.

Anyway.

The Group Hostess of this particular evening (not to be confused with the lady of the house as previously discussed) gave us carte blanch in planning the menu. All she asked was that we keep the menu to finger foods and keep the items fairly straightforward. And we did. Or at least I thought we did.

I explained to the hostess what each item on the menu was and when she announced to her guests that it was time to eat, I clearly heard her describe each and every item in exactly the way I explained it to her. We also had menu place cards by each item as to further alleviate any confusion. Although even without the menu cards, you just couldn't miss what the food was.

One menu item in particular was the caramelized salmon bites in endive leaves. The endive provided a way to eat the salmon with your hands and it also added another texture and flavor element to the dish. And I mean, everyone knows the endive, right?

It displayed beautifully.

So I was going about my business in the kitchen when through the window I could hear people on the deck. A man and wife were speaking and the man said, "You took the lettuce, too?"

"No - and no. You know me, I am hungry, so I just eat."

Loud Sigh.

"Is the lettuce good? Endive - you know what I mean."

"Oh. I just thought it was a garnish."

As I peaked out the window I scanned the crowd to see if this man was the only one who felt the same way. I saw roughly 9 people eating the salmon still cradled in the endive, with the others akwardly eating the salmon just with their fingers. So I made my way to the food table and there on the platter was approximately 27 empty endive leaves. They looked like lonely fishing boats in a crowded harbor.

I shook my head and chuckled.

The Partner came out and her smile dropped to a look of astonishment. "Don't people like endive?" she asked?

Just then The Group Hostess came in to get another plate. "How many descriptions of this food - which is fabulous by the way - do people need? I just came in here to get a plate full of those empty endive leaves. Apparently someone spread the rumor that they were garnish, only. And when told differently, people who didn't take it now want it. People are idiots!"

And without prompting or planning, The Partner and I applied in unison, "Welcome to our world."

Welcome to our world.

Posted by Foodwhore at April 27, 2005 11:14 AM

Posted by: HomefrontSix at April 27, 2005 04:19 PM

Posted by: The Food Whore at April 27, 2005 05:02 PM

Posted by: Barbara at April 27, 2005 08:32 PM

Posted by: MisChef at April 28, 2005 09:07 AM

Posted by: snackish at April 28, 2005 04:35 PM

Posted by: blll at May 2, 2005 07:58 AM