Serving and dining

Question

This piglix contains articles or sub-piglix about Serving and dining

Answer 1

Patravali

Patravali or Pattal or Vistaraku or Vistar or Khali is an Indian eating plate or trencher made with broad dried leaves. It is mainly made from Sal or Banyan tree leaves, in circular shape, by stitching 6 to 8 sal leaves with tiny wooden sticks. It is popular during traditional meals, festivals and in temples. It is a cottage industry in India where women work on weaving them at home in spare time.

It was used extensively in the ancient times by Hindu sages for its purity. It was a custom to serve food in a patravali for guest meal or celebrations, temple prasadam.

Patravali is made from wildly grown plants like sal tree, fodder, pala tree, jack fruit etc.

The plates are popular villages in arid region in India like parts of parts of Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka, Telangana etc. The banyan tree, Butea monosperma, amongst others provide leaves that are used either with many pieced together or singly (only in case of a banana leaf) to make a leaf-plate for serving a meal.

In olden days, until a century ago, a would-be son-in-law was tested on his dexterity in making a patravali plate and bowl (for serving more liquid parts of the meal such as daal or stew) before being declared acceptable by the soon to be father-in-law.

The plate is made by machines with silver foil cover at the bottom and with border for better form. And the traditional patravali is back because of its environment-friendly nature and biodegradability.

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Answer 2

Picnic basket

A picnic basket or picnic hamper is a basket intended to hold food and tableware for a picnic meal. Picnic baskets are standard equipment at many picnics.

While the basic concept of a picnic basket is quite simple, some picnic baskets sold by gourmet stores are quite large and elaborate, with insulated compartments to hold hot and cold foods, and dishware including wine glasses and porcelain plates which are secured in pockets along with items of cutlery, condiments, corkscrew etc. Many modern picnic baskets also have a special storage section to hold a bottle of wine, the traditional beverage brought along to intimate picnics. Some modern picnic baskets come with detachable blankets (to sit on) as well.

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Answer 3

Placemat

A placemat or table mat is a covering or pad designating an individual place setting, unlike the larger table cloth that covers the entire surface. Placemats are made from many different materials depending on their purpose: to protect, decorate, entertain or advertise. Materials and production methods range from mass-produced and commercial, to local and traditional.

Their primary function is to protect the dinner table from water marks, food stains or heat damage. They also serve as decoration, especially placemats made from lace or silk. In restaurants they can be used to advertise menu items, specials, local businesses or games for children.

Higher end placemats, made from vinyl or leather, are used by hotels and organizations for meetings as they provide a writing surface, and give an area on which to lean comfortably and to place objects on the table with minimal noise during meetings.

Contemporary opinion on the usefulness of placemats is mixed. Cloth placemats are commonly considered to be unnecessary and require excessive upkeep - compared to the surface of a table which can be easily cleaned, a stained placemat must be run through the washer and drier before it can be used again. Moreover, plastic placemats have drawn criticism on environmental grounds.

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Answer 4

Plate lunch

The plate lunch is a quintessentially Hawaiian meal, roughly analogous to Southern U.S. meat-and-threes. However, the pan-Asian influence on Hawaiian cuisine, and its roots in the Japanese bento, make the plate lunch unique to Hawaii.

Standard plate lunches consist of two scoops of white rice, macaroni salad, and an entrée. A plate lunch with more than one entrée is often called a mixed plate.

Although the exact origin of the Hawai'ian plate lunch is disputed, according to Professor Jon Okamura of the University of Hawai'i, the plate lunch likely grew out of the Japanese bento, because "bentos were take away kinds of eating and certainly the plate lunch continues that tradition". Its appearance in Hawaii in recognizable form goes back to the 1880s when plantation workers were in high demand by the fruit and sugar companies on the islands. Laborers were brought to Hawaii from around the world, including from China, Japan, Portugal, and the Philippines. Kaui Philpotts, former food editor of the Honolulu Advertiser, notes that the laborers "didn’t eat sandwiches or things like that; it was leftover rice and a lot of things like canned meat or teriyaki or cold meat or maybe scrambled eggs or pickles, and almost no salad or vegetable." Later on, macaroni salad was added to the plates, as it seemed to bridge national tastes and also mixed well with gravy-covered slabs of meat. Some locations also include the traditional Korean side dish kimchi.

As the days of the plantations came to an end, plate lunches began to be served on-site by lunch wagons to construction workers and day laborers. Later, local hole-in-the-wall restaurants and other stand-alone plate lunch restaurants began popping up, then plate lunch franchises. Eventually these made their way to the U.S. mainland, beginning with the L&L Drive-Inn chain in California in 1999. At that time, L&L founder Eddie Flores rebranded it "L&L Hawaiian Barbecue", explaining that "When we went to the mainland, the name 'Hawaiian' is a draw, because everyone just fantasized, everyone wants to come to Hawaii."

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Answer 5

Plated ware

Plated ware refers to articles chiefly intended for tableware consisting of a base metal or alloy covered by one of the precious metals, with the object of giving them the appearance of gold or silver. Historically, the standard amount of precious metal used was an ounce of silver per square foot of surface area (2.8cL per 930 cm²). Although items hand-plated with metal leaf date back to ancient times, large scale production dates to 1742 when Thomas Boulsover, of Sheffield, England developed a process by which silver plates were fused to base metal (generally copper) ingots by heating them in a furnace with borax. The ingots were then rolled down to a sheet, and from these sheets silver-plated articles were made.

Large articles such as dish covers were originally only silver-plated on one side, and after being worked into shape were tinned inside. The process varied regionally; in the West Midlands, bar-copper was the base metal used, which when bare of silver appeared dark red, whilst in Sheffield copper mixed with brass, an alloy of copper and zinc was used. The Sheffield process resulted in a harder and stronger end product ("Sheffield plate") and was consequently more popular, and Sheffield became the world's leading producer of metal tableware and cutlery. Following John Wright and George Elkington's development of commercial electroplating in 1840 (the process still in use today) the traditional method of production fell into rapid decline, although it continues to be used for some items subject to very heavy wear (notably buttons).

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Answer 6

Platter (dinner)

A platter is a meal or course served on a platter.

In restaurant terminology, a platter is often a main dish served on a platter with one or more side dishes, such as a salad or french fries.

Notable platters includes the Colombian bandeja paisa, Indian thali or Arabic mixed-meat platters.

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Answer 7

Porringer

A porringer is a shallow bowl, between 4 and 6 inches in diameter, and 1½" to 3" deep; the form originates in the medieval period in Europe and they were made in wood, ceramic, pewter and silver. They had flat, horizontal handles. Colonial porringers tended to have one handle, whereas European ones tend to have two handles on opposite sides, on which the owner's initials were sometimes engraved, and they occasionally came with a lid. Porringers resembled the smaller quaich, a Scottish drinking vessel.

One can discern authentic pewter porringers in much the same way that silver can be authenticated from the touch marks that were stamped either into the bowl of the porringer or on its base. Wooden porringers are occasionally found from excavations; e.g. 16th-century example from Southwark and 11th century from Winchester.

The most famous colonial porringers are probably those made by Paul Revere.

In more modern times, some manufacturers of porringers have produced them without handles. These types of porringers appear to be deep bowls, with the sides being nearly totally flat. Porringers are also used less and less, as a bowl will suffice for most people; porringers, however, are still circulated, mainly as a Christening-gift.

A second, modern usage, for the term porringer is a double saucepan similar to a bain-marie used for cooking porridge. The porridge is cooked gently in the inner saucepan, heated by steam from boiling water in the outer saucepan. This ensures the porridge does not burn and allows a longer cooking time so that the oats can absorb the water or milk in which they are cooked more completely. Also the porridge does not need stirring during the cooking process, which means the oats maintain their structural integrity and the porridge has a better mouthfeel and texture. The lower heat may also degrade less of the beta-glucan in the oats, which gives oats their cholesterol-lowering properties.

Porringers were also made out of red earthenware clay in a type of pottery that is called "redware" today but called "earthen" during colonial and Early America. These would have the typical, strap or pulled handle that is familiar on mugs and cups today.

Some collectors or materials historians also call what resembles the pewter porringer a "bleeding cup".

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Answer 8

Potluck

A potluck is a gathering where each guest contributes a dish of food, often homemade, to be shared. Synonyms include: potluck dinner, spread, Jacob's join,Jacob's supper, faith supper, covered dish supper, dish party, bring and share, shared lunch, pitch-in, bring-a-plate, dish-to-pass, fuddle, and carry-in.

The word pot-luck appears in the 16th century English work of Thomas Nashe, and used to mean "food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot." The sense "communal meal, where guests bring their own food," appears to have originated in the late 19th century or early 20th century, particularly in Western North America, either by influence from potlatch or possibly by extension of traditional sense of "luck of the pot".

Potluck dinners are events where the attendees bring a dish to a meal. Potluck dinners are often organized by religious or community groups, since they simplify the meal planning and distribute the costs among the participants. Smaller, more informal get-togethers with distributed food preparation may also be called potlucks. The only traditional rule is that each dish be large enough to be shared among a good portion (but not necessarily all) of the anticipated guests. In some cases each participant agrees ahead of time to bring a single course, and the result is a multi-course meal. Guests may bring in any form of food, ranging from the main course to desserts. In the United States, potlucks are associated with crockpot dishes, casseroles (often called hot dishes in the upper Midwest), dessert bars, and jello salads. Traditionally, potlucks were a simple combination of dishes brought together by event attendees without a general theme. However, recent times have seen the growth of themed dinners for parties or special occasions.

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Answer 9

Safetray

Safetray

Safetray is a brand name for a retractable finger receiver incorporated into the underside of a round wait staff tray to assist in handling the tray when carrying food and drinks for service in the hospitality industry. The handclip design provides leverage, helping to prevent toppling. The Safetray, invented in 2009, is now sold worldwide by Edinburgh-based Safetray Products Ltd.

Wait staff trays are typically large circular disks used to serve drinks and/or food to people in restaurants, bars, and other hospitality industry businesses. The waiter or waitress carries the tray with the open palm of one hand placed underneath, in about the center of the tray, relying on dry friction between the hand and the smooth metal or plastic undersurface of the tray to retain control of the tray. Occasionally, the tray may slide from the waitperson's hand, and the contents crash to the floor. In a May 2012 survey of food industry servers, those responding revealed nearly 25 percent of staff that work or have worked in the hospitality industry have suffered an injury as a result of a toppled serving tray. Of those people questioned, 23 percent had burned or cut themselves while trying to serve drinks or food from a serving tray.

Different devices have been developed in an effort to assist waitstaff in stabilising the service trays. Inventors have tried techniques such as attaching finger knobs/hubs (1998) and removable hand posts (2010) that protrude from the underside of the tray. They also tried the use of finger insertion holes in the tray to stabilize the tray. To restrain the hand to the underside of the tray, inventors have looked into devices such as a hand panel allowing insertion of two fingers of a hand (1985), a separately-fingered digit forward-retention device (1999), and a stretchable strap that forms a loop into which the user's fingers are inserted (2003).

In December 2009 Alison Grieve, a 32-year-old waitress and event manager from Bruntsfield,Edinburgh, witnessed a waitress drop a tray full of glasses of champagne at a corporate event for a delegation of international lawyers. To address how a tray could right itself at the moment of impending tilt, Grieve, a first-time inventor with a university background in 'History of film and photography', developed a finger receiver attached to the bottom of a wait tray based on first-principle physics, load dispersal, and counter movement. In a closed position, the finger receiver lays flush with the bottom of the wait tray so that the tray can sit on the surface of a bar or table without wobbling and can be stacked onto other trays. When the device is open, two slots can be accessed into which a waitperson may secure their two inside fingers, similar to how a flip-flop structurally attaches itself between the toes of the foot to counter the large stresses place upon it. The Safetray product's arrangement creates a strong cantilever advantage for the waitperson to allow them additional control over torque caused by items placed in various locations around the tray. The stability achieved with the Safetray product allows a waitperson to place a bottle of wine right at the edge of the tray while still keeping the tray in a horizontal position by reacting instinctively against the bottle's off-balance downward force.

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Answer 10

Salad bar

A salad bar is a buffet-style table or counter at a restaurant or food market on which salad components are provided for customers to assemble their own salad plates. Most salad bars provide lettuce, chopped tomatoes, assorted raw, sliced vegetables (such as cucumbers, carrots, celery and green or red bell peppers), dried bread croutons, bacon bits, shredded cheese, and various types of salad dressing. Some salad bars also have additional food items such as cooked cold meats (e.g., chicken, ham, or tunafish), cooked beans (e.g., chick peas or kidney beans), deviled eggs, cold pasta salads, corn chips, bread rolls, soup, and fresh cut fruit slices.

The concept has been extended to "hot food bars", which offer a selection of hot foods in a similar fashion. When sold by weight, the hot foods are often assessed at a higher charge than foods from the "cold foods bar".

There was a dispute over which restaurant first introduced the salad bar. The Freund's Sky Club Supper Club in Plover, Wisconsin is believed to be the very first salad bar. According to Russell Swanson of Swanson Equipment, In 1950 in the small town of Stevens Point, WI who had specialized in the manufacturing of bars for taverns had said "I'm most proud of designing and building that first salad bar." The Sky Club is still managed by Eric & Patrick Freund. Also, a 1951 Yellow Pages listing refers to the "salad bar buffet" at Springfield, Illinois restaurant The Cliffs. Hawaiian restaurant Chuck's Steak House claims to have had the first salad bar in the 1960s. Rax Restaurants – a Midwestern fast food chain similar to Arby's – claims to have pioneered the salad bar in the mid-1960s.

The New York Times claims that salad bars first began appearing in the late 1960s "in midprice restaurants like Steak and Ale, featuring bona fide salad fixings to keep customers busy and happy until the real food came. " Restaurant entrepreneur Norman Brinker has been credited with inventing and popularizing the salad bar. Other accounts, however, have the Salad Bar making its debut in 1964 at Andy's Mini-Diner, a South Florida Seafood restaurant. Owner, Angelo "Andy" Gangi claimed to have come up with the idea for the salad bar while observing military men in the chow lines at the officer's club of the Homestead Air Force Base, an eatery Gangi managed during the late 50's.

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