Hello, all,

 

I was just wondering if others here have shared a similar experience to mine
last night. What's with thinking there has to be a "one size fits all"
dinner option for anyone with any dietary restriction?

 

I attended an organizational "Annual Dinner" last night at a nice conference
center. When first seated, one of my table companions asked how I was able
to be there, and I explained that I'd been talking with the kitchen staff
for a week in advance. The organization had been kind enough to request that
there be no cheese served at the buffet line (an original plan for dusty
Parmesan in the room--destined to become airborne--would have kept me from
attending at all). I told my acquaintance that I was actually looking
forward to the dinner, because I'd spoken in detail with tonight's chef.

 

Laughing, I explained that, all too often, convention-style meals like this
led to the kitchen staff wanting to send out the same exact plate: plain
grilled chicken breasts often so dry they were almost jerky, plain green
beans, a plain potato with nothing on it, and out-of-season fruit for
"dessert." Looking at a plate like that when others nearby are enjoying a
luscious buffet can make be hard. Fortunately, though, tonight I was looking
forward to a nice eggplant entrée and the tasty sides we'd planned in
advance. 

 

Apparently, having this conversation right before the food appeared jinxed
that plan, though. My plate arrived ... with a stack of plain leathery
chicken breast "tenders", plain green beans, and a plain baked potato that
looked like it came straight out of the ground. My table companions looked
at it for a second, as stunned as I was, and then we all had to laugh.

 

(continued next post)