Ode to the Buffet

[QUINNSCOMMENTARY]

So that we are all on the same page here is the definition: buffet, a meal at which people serve themselves from various dishes set out on a serving counter or table.

Watching people at a buffet recently I am glad that they are serving themselves and not serving me. It seems to me that there should be some kind of organization to even a buffet, you know like a logical progression from say a salad or appetizer and all the way to desert. Actually there is, at least on the serving line, but that does not appear to be how people see things.

When I was a kid my cousin had to have his plate so that the vegetable were not touching the potatoes and the potatoes were not touching the meat and he ate things in order, a little weird for me, I don’t care what touches what and I like to take a fork full of peas and then pick up some mashed potatoes. I like some meatball along with salad, again perhaps a bit weird, but neither of these habits comes close to the buffet aficionado.

There is no rhyme nor reason to what is eaten and how and it is as if one has to fill the plate to overflowing in the unlikely event that the buffet will disappear before you finish your plate and get back for more. Do people not understand the concept of “all you can eat?” After all I have never seen a sign that reads “all you can eat if you jam it on one plate.” As a result the salad is buried under the stuffed cabbage, the gravy is generously poured over the bread, and the meat is snuggled along side the rice pudding and the shelled shrimp are sprinkled among the macaroni and cheese. An educated guess tells me that one plate leaving the typical buffet contains sufficient calories to sustain a person for about eight days, but they will be back for more. Is such gluttony really necessary? What’s wrong with a reasonable size plate of food repeated three or four times, after all don’t you get the same result, 12,435 calories?

There is a more sophisticated and organized approach to all this, the Smörgåsbord.

(From Wikipedia) This is a type of meal served buffet-style in Swedish cuisine. It is typically a holiday feast at which the family and guests can help themselves to whatever takes their fancy from a range of dishes laid out for their choice.

A traditional Swedish smörgåsbord consists of both hot and cold dishes. It is customary to begin with the cold fish dishes which are generally various form of herring, salmon, eel and so forth. After eating the dishes, people usually continue with other cold dishes, and round off with hot dishes such as Swedish meatballs (köttbullar), and other specialties like Janssons frestelse. Dessert may or may not be included in a smörgåsbord.

See, there is a logical approach to eat at a smörgåsbord. Being part Swedish my grandparents used the term freely, but in most cases if was in reality only a buffet, but organized. So the next time you approach a buffet remember, somebody is watching you (likely me) and thinking to themselves, does gravy really taste good on top of cherry Jell-O? Doesn’t that guy know he can come back for more? And here is a tip; rarely can any one person eat enough to get his or her money’s worth at a buffet…that’s why they have them.

But hey, they are still fun.

[abbey]

Good post QC.

[petunia]

LOL the wedding I attended this past weekend was buffet-style dinner. This totally fits that

[Nomad]

Im all about the buffet....except Ive never been to one that was good. I mean really well prepared tasty dishes. It always ends up tasting like institution food.
Still searching......

A buffet, in my humble opinion, allows "grown-ups" to behave like children, hence the coronation chicken on the pavlova or whatever. Maybe this isn't a bad thing ... once in a while?

[Lon]

The Japanese Buffet that I regularly frequent has turned the buffet into a real art form. For a measly $14.95 you have a wide choice of sashimi, sushi, soups, oysters, clams, mussels, Alaskan Crab Legs, teriyaki beef and chicken, tempura veggies, coconut shrimp, fresh fruits, teas, cakes, salmon a plenty and much much more. With the price of salmon as high as it is, I don't know how they can put on a buffet like this for such a price.

[qsducks]

Originally Posted by Lon

The Japanese Buffet that I regularly frequent has turned the buffet into a real art form. For a measly $14.95 you have a wide choice of sashimi, sushi, soups, oysters, clams, mussels, Alaskan Crab Legs, teriyaki beef and chicken, tempura veggies, coconut shrimp, fresh fruits, teas, cakes, salmon a plenty and much much more. With the price of salmon as high as it is, I don't know how they can put on a buffet like this for such a price.

The salmon is probably that farm raised stuff and it is cheap.

[QUINNSCOMMENTARY]

Originally Posted by Nomad

Im all about the buffet....except Ive never been to one that was good. I mean really well prepared tasty dishes. It always ends up tasting like institution food.
Still searching......

How about a buffet for $55.00 that is five star quality and gormet food. All the lobster, shrimp cocktail, clams and oysters on the half shell you can eat, plus tons more of stuff? The desert tables includes a big bowl of fresh whipped cream that you can add to anything including the fresh rasberries.

Of course, eating $55.00 (plus tip and drinks) worth is a challenge and jacket and tie are required.

The Manor

[sunny104]

I love buffets!

[Carolly]

I go to aot of Buffets and love them.I have learnt though that if I go lunch time its half price for the same food then evening time.I go to a great Indian Restaurant where there is a choice of about 60 dishes and desserts all for £6.50 for a lunchtime and a chinese with about the same number of dishes for £4.50.I also can go to a carvery of a lunchtime and have a great meal with lots of whatever I want for £3.50.Silly thing is if you go and buy a sandwich or something in this area it would cost you that and also sometimes at these prices its cheaper to eat out