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RapierFugue -> RE: Behind the Scenes...Running a High Protocol event (1/22/2011 10:03:16 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: OttersSwim
Ah and we have been watching Service as well and enjoying it immensely! It is a fact that folk that work in food service really really work hard for their living and Service gives an insight into what it takes to do it professionally. [:)]
You don't have to convince me of that - I've huge respect for the good ones. As Michel says, in the UK it's not a respected profession, other than among the elite, whereas in France it’s considered something of a “posh” job, and remunerated accordingly, with high standards too.
My fave was sitting in the main square in Montpellier (a very, very large, open square in the city’s centre), at a pavement cafe-bar, with a mate, and a waiter (a fairly old, grey haired chap) coming over to take our order.
Now when I'm in France I get naturally more particular about how I like certain things, because I know they can handle it without pissing in your soup, so my friend gave his coffee, booze and pastry lunchtime order, and I waited to say what I wanted, coz he hadn’t written anything down, and was waiting on about half a dozen tables (the French don't under-staff their places, which is half the reason you get such nice service). So I waited.
And waited. And waited. The bloke just stood there, looking at me as if I was a prize chump (an easy mistake to make, to be fair to him). He eventually indicated, with a “yes yes?” curl of his hand, that he was waiting for my order. I detailed exactly what I wanted, coffee-wise, the temperature and mix of the mixed digestif I wanted with it, and then went on about a particular omelette done in a certain way. The more complex things got (in a mix of French and English, as I'm not hugely skilled with the language) the more enthusiastic he got, nodding approval and generally encouraging me to be ever more specific.
Eventually he said “merci, monsieur”, beetled off, and returned later, and everything was absolutely perfect. That doesn't sound like much, but he'd just taken in about 20 different memory elements from our table alone, let alone the other 5 or 6 he was covering, and done so with a consummate grace and charm, with that slightly rude (to the British anyway) brusqueness and efficiency that I personally love (I hate oily or obsequious waiters) and the way he handled everything was just so damn stylish to watch. He could turn picking up an empty plate into a graceful and somehow charming move.
Given that Britain has, at least in parts, taken to preparing and eating good food the last couple of decades (at bloody last!), I'm hoping we’ll start to “get” decent service too. It’s our worst catering failing, IMHO.
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