The Art of Saying Goodbye

So, I've been to some restaurants in the city. More than most, less than some, and I am generally considered amongst my prestigious and lovely group of friends and family to be well versed in restaurant culture. I understand coursing, table turns and wine service. I understand the business and I can spot an unhappy customer from twenty feet. Of the places that I have visited in the city over the past few months, I have noticed a few to have a very strange policy; the "you have used your time allotted, kindly leave, so that we can get more bums in seats" policy. Have you been privy to this odd and rather rude approach?


I am of the humble opinion that people like me and you must choose how and where to spend our precious, hard-earned entertainment dollars. I often choose a restaurant, food truck, farmer's market or gourmet store over movies, clothing or electronics. If I choose your restaurant, then my small expectation is that I be able to experience it at its best, and for as long as I like, within reason (I am not talking about 8 hour dinner marathons here). This is especially true if I have chosen your restaurant as a celebratory venue to mark a special occasion, whether with two or twenty people. 

Would you like your dessert to go?

I have noticed the "hurry up and don't let the door hit you on your way out" practice covertly printed on bills, whispered on reservation systems, and most commonly, embarrassingly voiced by uncomfortable servers. Servers who can see you are neither finished your glass of wine, nor, ready for dessert, but that are forced to muster up the courage to ask you to pay your bill. For, even though I took the time to make a reservation ahead of time, have chosen to spend my money here and am obviously not complete in my experience, there are people waiting desperately for my table. My party and I are not afforded the luxury of the thirty extra minutes, a thank you or a see you soon. 


Why do restauranteurs wish to leave the bad taste of "rushing" in the mouths of their guests? Especially when, in most cases, the experience up until that point has been excellent? In my mind, it undermines the quality of the restaurant and seriously affects whether I plan on returning or not. 


If you must run your business this way, be unabashed about it. Have your host state it when I call, let me know that we have a time limit. That way I can choose whether my money is fit for your place, and not feel, dare I say it, used. 


Ok, rant over. Love to hear your thoughts on this topic Blogland! 

Treasures

I have a treasure. It's a cookbook, and it belonged to my beloved Grandmother. It is quirky and completely retro in design and content. From Good Housekeeping in 1963, it has spattered pages and notes in the margin, showing use and love. When Grandma passed, my mom had the foresight to give this to me, although I hadn't quite realized my love of all things culinary. I can still smell her kitchen when I look at the pages.

Grandma & Her Cookbook

The recipes are actually a little bit comical now, and the tips for entertaining, directed at woman, are archaic, but I still love it. I enjoy flipping through and being reminded of an era where serving tiny, canned wieners in a sauce was considered high-brow entertaining. I rarely saw Grandma use a recipe (clearly, I inherited this from her), but her kitchen was always welcoming. Anyone could drop in for tea unexpectedly, or get in the door at 10:30 at night after a long drive, and she would pull out roasting pans full of perogies, cabbage rolls, turkey and ham. She made bread, jams, pickles and one thing that I wish I could get my hands on again; sweet relish. There is nothing quite like her sweet relish on fresh white bread with ham. It was impossible not to munch on something in her kitchen. When I was little, my snack after running in from the garden or playing in the basement was to grab a couple cold perogies from the roaster in the fridge. Marvelous! I can still hear her saying in Ukrainian, "Eat! Eat!"


Cookbooks have a way of connecting us to a different time, or memory or area of the world. Besides the retro book of my Grandmother's, I have a few other's that I treasure;  


1. Mossey River Book- a community cookbook from the area that my family is from in Manitoba. It is full of family favourites, including recipes contributed by my Grandma, aunt and other relatives. 


2. In the Green Kitchen by Alice Waters- Alice is the goddess of the Slow Food movement. This book makes me drool and desperately want to live in Berkeley, California.


3. Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver- Have you seen the show? Full of from-the- garden recipes that are not fussy, and always delicious. 


4. Williams Sonoma Complete Entertaining & Williams Sonoma Simple Classics- These two books have the best pictures! They alone inspire me to entertain more often and with more elegance. 


5. LCBO Food & Drink 2009 Holiday- Ok, so this is not a cookbook, it's a magazine of luscious, decadent recipes and wine pairings. I stole it from someone's desk, and I'm not giving it back.


Some of these books are kept not in my kitchen, but on my bedside table. I will randomly pick one up for inspiration or a walk down memory lane (better than any paperback!). What are your favourite cookbooks and how do they round out your kitchen adventures?