The Mind Creative
Typically Asian restaurants had been known as, basically, just a
place to eat food. You go into one of the establishments, order
whatever you want from the menu, eat, pay and leave. At least,
that had been my experience for many years. I suppose one could
say the same thing about most western restaurants too.
In 1966 my colleagues in the school (where I was the principal)
and I had to go to Edmonton for the annual convention of the
Alberta Teachers Association, and one day, one of the group
suggested that we go the Smorgasbord for lunch. I assumed
that it was the name of a restaurant. When we walked in, the
layout struck me as strange and even after we sat down nobody
appeared with a printed menu. Someone came to take the orders
for beverages and that was that. I did notice a longish table with
a glass roof over it and assorted food was kept in steaming
containers. I also saw a few people hovering around the table. I
was anxious not to display my ignorance and so I sat at the table
waiting for something to happen. Then one of them said, ‘let us
go’ and then I realized that it was up to us to go the table and
help ourselves to whatever we wanted to eat. And however much
we wanted too!
It is a bewildering experience if you have never been to one of
these outfits. Later I learnt that ‘smorgasbord’ was a Scandinavian
term meaning that food was served on a buffet or cabinet and you
helped yourself to the fare.
Smorgasbord became internationally known at the 1939 New York
World’s Fair when it was offered at the Swedish pavilion’s Three
Crowns Restaurant. The table, in addition to food, had floral
arrangements.
Decorating the food and the plate in which it is served is also a
western concept. In fact in culinary schools this aspect of the
business of serving food is paid a lot of attention. So much so that
sometimes when a dish is served, you feel reluctant to touch it
lest you disturb an artistic design! This is more evident in buffet
style service where the artists (yes, culinary artists) display their
skill to such an extent that it would appear to be a travesty to
disturb a beautifully laid out table. Look at the two examples that
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