A Leisurely Restday Breakfast
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Jane
Date Posted: 21st February 2007
Characters: Swift
Description: Swift works during the restday breakfast
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 2, day 14 of Turn 4
Breakfast on a restday was a more leisurely meal than most. No apprentices rushing off to chores and classes, no journeymen and women keeping an eye on the time so they weren't late for their duty, whatever it might be. It was also a time when families dawdled. Mothers had time to do more than just get their children fed and out of the hall, families often sat together.
And everybody ate more.
Swift was supervising the serving, and it was his job to make sure that people could eat at their slower pace but avoid the kitchen staff over-producing when the eating rate started to slow down. It wasn't a job for a novice - unless one wanted a lot of waste or hungry people.
Some of the areas were easy enough. Dry cereals in decorative canisters on each table would just be returned to the store room. Whole fruit similarly returned to the cool store. Stewed fruit would be re-presented the next morning, too, or sometimes incorporated into the evening's sweet course. Sliced fruit needed a little more management and care needed to be taken to make sure it was delivered to tables in small amounts and kept chilled before-hand.
"Swift? Need another batch of sweet rolls?"
The kitchen hand let his gaze wander over the crowd in the hall, mentally reviewing which tables were still eating, and which were now just socialising with a few nibbles while they talked. The apprentices were always still eating, but they had already worked their way through more baskets of rolls than even growing boys could justify.
"No. Thanks." The dough would be left in the cooler and used the next day.
"Anything else from us?"
Swift grinned and shook his head. "No. We're done for this meal." The staff working as bakers would now have a break before starting the midday meal preparations. The woman grinned back and disappeared back into the kitchen while Swift helped one of the serving staff to heft a platter of smoked meats for a table that had just settled in.
He handed a pitcher of klah to a bleary-eyed dolphineer who looked desperate for something to settle his stomach - not that Swift was sure that klah would help the young man who went to sit with similarly ill-looking friends. The kitchen hand nodded at one of the staff who was on the prowl with new pitchers of chilled milk, water, and juices on trolley The table where the young man had settled were getting through drinks this morning at the same pace they had last night.
Drinks service ran on long after people were finished with the food but they were easily supplied and needed little forward planning, only keeping the ice fresh around the pitchers and clearing away the empties.
Another round of klah would be needed soon. He stuck his head into the kitchen and informed another of the kitchen hands, grinning at the man as he did so. All those who could be in charge of the meal service liked to do so because it gave them the opportunity to order others around, something that was a bit of a joke among them. Tomorrow morning the man heading off to fill the klah pitchers would be the one telling Swift what to do.
That was part of what Swift liked about kitchen work - there was a variety of positions and work. One day it was vegetables, the next meats, or baking. Sometimes he was just another pair of hands peeling vegetables, the next he might be making specialty rolls or supervising the meal service for a formal meal when there were visitors at the Hall.
"Klah, as ordered."
Swift and the other man positioned the pitchers over the small heating pads to keep them warm before they were delivered to the tables.
"Do you think we're nearly done?"
Another person wanting to get onto their next task.
"I can handle everything from here, at least."
Soon he and the table staff would begin clearing the tables of everything but the drinks and then the Dolphin Hall's leisurely restday breakfast service would be over for another sevenday.
Last updated on the February 24th 2007