Did you have a favorite food at the assemblies (when they sold it there)? (page 6)

nvrgnbk

This is for you Bro A, Sounds like you'll be needing it.

Nvr

ssrriotsquad

I was in the Pie Truck of the DC at Warwick Farm.

It was great! Unlimited pies to eat (because we broke them purposely) and had first selection of the other goodies that were in across the road under the grandstand's freezer/coolroom and only had to pay half price! Ahhh those jelly and custard prepacked desserts!

When it was raining or cold, the Pie truck was always warm (if not hot, approx 55 degrees Celcius on average - above 120 degrees for you northerners). When it was very hot we used to sit in the coolroom under the Foreign speaking grandstand playing cards.

However, we were invited to make those pies at Greenacre Assembly Hall, as they were having some trouble not getting any new blood in making the pies. However there were some old ducks (especially one of them) not wanting to change ways regarding on how we emptied the pies out of the trays. When we were first there, we just learned how they prepared them etc. We meet a nice old brother (I think his name was Albert) and told us his life story, which was very entertaining with some of the things he got up to, and was not follower of exactly to the letter of the law.

However when the word got around that the Society was doing away with Food Service he said that will be the one of the worst mistakes the Society will do. We asked him why that he thought of that, he said "though he understands why the Society wishing to do this in order to get out of the logistics of it all (all valid points)" he continues that it will be the downfall of it too." We asked "what do you mean by that?" He answered "My wife and I worked together for many years in some part of Food Service and that's how we had meet. Our children meet their spouses throught the Food Service as well. But what about their children? How are they going to know what their prospecteive spouses are going to be like? Look for instance, when you work in an environment like this, it is all rosy and wonderful. However at times, there may be an incident that holds some process up, or that we have an upsetting situation at a counter. If you were brother standing and watching the situation, what would you think if the sister just got upset or pushes the point too far? Or that she talks way too much and hardly lifts a finger. You would think to yourself, she wont make a suitable wife. Or how about a sister notices a brother who is in charge of some department or job. Does he let go to his head? Or does he listen and takes other peoples suggestions to heart? Not insisting that he always has the correct answer. This is the point I'm getting at. What is the other alternative we have going when they get rid of Food Service? The Fashion Show, where the girls will walk around and the boys with their tongues and eyes hanging out following them. They will be seeing the showing display, not the true personality. And vice-versa. I can see that the Society will have a lot of marriage break ups, mainly because that they will be basing the marriage on the looks, and not on the true feelings for each other. I have always said to my kids, 'if you can work with them, if you can live with them as they are, you can urely marry them'. And sadly this is true. I have been in a lot of meetings where the couple have no common ground and they based their love for each other just purely on sight, security or position." He was a wise old man, we only meet him once on our first time, as the next month passed when they were making the pies again, he sadly passed away the week before in his sleep. We were looking forward to his funny and outlandish stories. It's a pity that can't remember them now but he had us on the floor laughing in stitches.

Now getting back to the new blood, when we first started there, the brother that was in charge of the pie truck had us come in to see if we can find short cuts on how lessen the time it took for them to make them. As we learn the various facets of the process of them making them, we could only come up with area that was getting the pies out of the trays. The scrapers that we had to use were pathetic as no matter how you applied the scraper, the pie was either cut by the scraper or ripped when it was stuck to the tray. On a tray of 24 pies, you would be lucky to get out 20 in a satisfactory condition, in other words we were nearly wasting 20% of the pies made. Not only that, it took on average 10mins per tray to empty. When you are cooking about 5000 pies, do the maths. 5000 (pies) / 24 (pies per tray) x 10min (per tray) / 60mins / 3 persons = approx 12hours of work. Let alone nearly 1000 pies wasted. There has to be a better way than this. No wonder they started a 6am and didn't leave til 10pm.

So we had come up with a way to speed this up. We used the grilled tray (that the pie moulds sat on when the were stacked on a cassette that goes into the oven) placed on top to the pies, used another grilled tray underneath sandwiching the pies that were in the moulds, flipped the whole lot upside down, taken off the pie mould from the bottom of the pies, we place a frame around the pies (which we had made out of wood resembling a picture frame just thick enough not to squeeze the pies but held them in place) put they grilled tray back on and flipped it back over and "wallah" - 24 pies out of the mould with a breakage ration of 1:48 and done within 1 minute. Thus making the brothers after us have the trays to wash up for the next batch of pies ready within 15mins instead of waiting for an hour. Net result we had saved 10 hours work, 800 pies and we were ready to walk out by 5pm. They couldn't speed the pie making line to keep up with us, so we started to play cards for most of the day while they worked.

However a certain sister complained that the pies were being damaged on top because of our method and that "they" had done it before "that" (other than having the timber frame) way and was not suited to "their standards". So we told her to get nicked and go back to your section and do your job and stop bothering use with trivial things. She goes on to say "When we get the pies at the convention, the tops are broken because the brothers that cook them at the DC don't take care of those pies when packing them." We said "We are the ones that cook these pies at the DC and they are damaged before we even get to them. So it has to be before us that someone else's damages them". We left it at that. The brother who had asked us to come said "just do it their way and keep the peace." We said "That's the reason why they can't get any young blood to do that work. Having to listen to their bullcrap procedures. If they don't like it tell them to do it themselves". He just left it at that cause he knew what we had meant and were right.

The next time went, it was for 5 days work to make the pies for the convention. Having only work one day at a time, we never got to see how they packed them. So on day one we did our usual thing by doing it "our way" for which this sister got the huffs so much she called the brother who was overseeing everything to do with Food Service. He came over and had words with uswith which we told told him straight what we are doing and that it was not worth his time and effort to change things on how we do it. He went to the brother that had asked us and he plainly said "What they wish to do they will do, and as it is the best procedure I have seen and it works, I support their decision. I have seen these guys pack 480 pies that are cooked in the oven at the convention and have them packed, put into the transport boxes hot, that it used to take three packers and one deliverer 10mins, to do down to two packers and two deliverers in 3mins. The reason why there are not three packers is that there is not enough room for three deliverers. Not only that, we only have one wastage pie per oven and not a dozen, that's because they don't break any and the one that is wasted is because they stick their finger in it the check for being cooked thoroughly. That's why I asked these guys to come here. They are light years ahead of anyone else I know of." The brother from left it like that and told the sister that we will do whatever we liked. She still wasn't happy though.

The second day we did our usual thing, but this time we get to see how they packed the pies in the bags. Before we even started this sister had her brother from Bethel come over "to set us straight". We told him go and see the brother in charge of this department and "let him say to you what we have said previous to her, our head and him personally. Otherwise you are wasting our time as we have work to do." He went away and had words with the brother and so on. Meanwhile we sat down and watched how these "young" brother were packing the pies which we had frozen the day before. We have noticed that the pies were in the same condition went we put them into the freezer, so nothing was wrong there. However, we were called away to unload the moulds they were ready for use. After that we went back and watch the packers. Having been away for about an hour they had packed quite a few boxes. So as not to interupt what they were doing, we opened a packed box and low and behold, about 1 quarter of the pies had smashed tops (as we have suspected). Then we went to the packers and watched them closely, and noticing that when the pies were individually wrapped, the person packing the pies into the boxes was smashing the tops when he did so. So "hah!" we said to each other, "we now have proof where the problem lies". So we having this new found knowledge went to the sister, our head, the department's head, and the sister's brother from Bethel (who still happened to be there still) and told them to follow us. We took them over to the packers and told them to stop. They looked at us with bewilderment and stopped.

"Now!" we said, "it's not our procedure that is breaking the pie tops, for look at the pies that have been frozen from yesterday". We showed them the tray of unwrapped pies that were on the trays. "See! No broken tops! But, look inside this box! Quite a few broken tops is there now?" as we unpacked the box they were packing. "This is were the problem lies! It's not us flippping the pies over, it by these who pack the frozen pies into the boxes. When we unload the pies from the moulds, because the tops are still soft and flexible from the heat, there is very little damage to the tops. But because the pies are now frozen, the tops are hard and brittle. When they pack it into the box they smash the tops in doing so. As we have said, our procedures don't do damage to the tops, and we have also said that the pies are usually damaged before we get our hands on the at the DC. So here is your problem! Its these guys that are breaking the tops and NOT US! Neither here! Or at the convention! We think you owe us an apology sister. Find the facts out first, before you think that you are always right! Get up these ones! Not us! No wonder you cannot get young blood to help you, when you think that your way is the only way! Sometimes experience doesn't hasn't got all the answers, and us youngies do know something. At least we try to have a go! If everything was up to you oldies, we will be still in the dark ages. So what is going to be?" She just had her head down.

"No wonder that the Society is getting rid of Food Service, with the people like you trying to run it! I'll be glad when we don't have to put up with crap anymore!" The sister just turned away and went back to her work section and never ever came back. "What! No apology?" we yelled back. No answer.

Her brother just stood there amazed, the FS head was in the same position. It was though they had heard that Armageddon was postponed for a hundred years. Our boss was trying not to wet himself from laughter. His face was bright red, tears coming out of his eyes, he just couldn't keep it in. He ran outside as fast as he could and bursted out laughing.

The packers (who were mainly all young ones that pioneered) were in shock and just stood there. They could believe their eyes or ears.

The others in the kitchen that saw what had happened we either giggling (mainly the younger sisters) or were in shock or horror (the oldies). It was the funniest situation we had seen. Nobody knew what to do. They had never seen anything like this. We just looked at each other and said "A round of Five Hundred?" at the same time as if we had planned what to say at that point. We went to a table we had set up previously from yesterday and started playing cards.

Later on that day while we were on a break playing cards, the sister's brother came up and asked us if he can join in for a round before going back to Bethel. We said okay as we were playing three-handed game of Five-Hundred. We were able to play two rounds before he had to go. On leaving, he said to us rather sheepishly "I have never, ever, ever in my entire life, seen anyone put my sister in her place like how you boys have done today. It's the first time today I haven't heard a peep from her all day since then. Even her husband has never put her into her spot. Thanks boys, you have made my day!" Even the FS head brother also thanked us for putting her in her spot.

The 5 days that they had planned to cook 25,000 pies, we did 23,500 in the three days when we were there, which was actually 3,500 more than they anticipated as they factored in at least 1,000 breakages per day. They wanted 20,000, we gave more.

This is what happens when you know you are right about how things could be done, and by sticking to your guns and telling as it is. The Truth hurts, to those who wish to be lead by strict rules.

So I say bring back the Food Service! I want my pies!!!!!!!

averyniceguy

Yes, I did love to eat all the hoagies and the donuts! Yummy!

Threestars

Whoa! You guys are all so young! I attended all the circuit and district assemblies during the 1960s and all the food was pretty much hand-cooked from scratch where I lived. I used to volunteer so as to get out of listening to the boring talks and to this day I can peel a potato with one of those little peelers in about 5 seconds flat.

Once when I was about 13 another girl and I were peeling potatoes during a talk and giggling and gossiping quietly and this brother who was some big shot at Bethel came up and reamed us out. I remember how the tears welled up in my eyes even though we weren't doing anything at all wrong. He said we were being "disrepectful" to the food. I'm not quite sure why. I just remember him waving this half-peeled potato in the air under our noses and telling us that we were SOOOO bad.

nvrgnbk

some big shot at Bethel came up and reamed us out. I remember how the tears welled up in my eyes even though we weren't doing anything at all wrong. He said we were being "disrepectful" to the food. I'm not quite sure why. I just remember him waving this half-peeled potato in the air under our noses and telling us that we were SOOOO bad.

What an a$$hole!

GentlyFeral

Xena said:

Anyone remember the nasty chicken with a piece of white bread wrapped around it?

Me - and I loved that stuff.

Of course, I'm eating much better now.

GentlyFeral

penny2

ssrriotsquad, can't believe you made all those pies! In Adelaide we had hamburgers, hot dogs and sandwiches but I don't remember pies. We also had meals served on metal trays - meat, mashed potato and vegetables, plus a dessert such as cake with custard. Volunteers would go around with big pots of tea and coffee - there'd be milk and sugar on the tables.

Volunteering in the food service was hard work but a lot of fun.

needproof

Without doubt the curry. I had my first ever taste of curry at the assembly and I was a born again believer.

Jourles

Let's see....I was never a big fan of the cheese danishes. But I loved the apple danishes. I can remember peeling back the plastic wrapper and the icing getting all over my fingers. I actually liked the hoagies. I helped make those things for years in the tunnel at the old Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego(now Qualcomm). I think our congregation was specifically assigned hoagie duty every year. I didn't really care for the burritos. C'mon, when you live in San Diego you can get waaay better burritos elsewhere.

At the circuit assembly lunch hall in Escondido, CA, we had an ice cream machine in the kitchen area just behind the food line tables. I usually got stuck washing dishes at those CA's, serving ice cream towards the end of the lunch hour, or handing out food behind the table. I think our congo and another was in charge of the entire kitchen area for many years.

It's amazing how good the memories feel when you look back on the good times. I don't mind hanging on to those memories as long as I can shut out everything which was said from the platform. Which, by the way, isn't too hard to do. Especially when you drift off and daydream for most of the session.

Gill

Twickenham - chicken currys --Wow, wow, and wow again!!!!!

Did you have a favorite food at the assemblies (when they sold it there)?

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