Excellence in foodservice is essential to the health, morale, and efficiency of all Navy personnel.

Good foodservice begins with you as the MS in the galley. The food must be properly prepared to look, taste, and smell good. It should be brought to the serving line in appropriate containers and be served in attractive portions by properly trained, neat, and clean foodservice personnel. The serving lines and all the serving operat ions should be arranged so foods are served at the proper temperature.

One of the most important traits that you, the MS, should have is a genuine feeling for people and a sincere service-oriented attitude. Good customer relations start with you. You should have a positive attitude toward your job and the customers you service. Attitudes have a major influence on people. A poor attitude will destroy all the hard work that has been put into the preparation and service of the meal. The key to good customer relations is to treat a customer the way you would like to be treated if you were a customer. The way you conduct your.self can make or break the meal regarding customer satisfaction.

Always remember that the MS rating is a people-oriented rating and customer service is of the utmost importance.

GENERAL MESS

General mess (GM) foodservice begins in the galley with the preparation of the food. It is equally important that food be properly served. The guidelines for attractive food presentation and serving techniques in the GM are geared to cafeteria and fast-food operations. Wardroom styles of food presentation and serving techniques are discussed later in this chapter.

APPLICABLE EQUIPMENT

Foodservice equipment used for preparing food was discussed in c a ter 4. We will now address the equipment associated with serving food.

Steam Table Pans

To make sure an appetizing appearance is maintained, use shallow steam table inserts for serving both vegetables such as mashed potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower and meat items such as breaded veal cutlets or baked pork chops. If french-fried eggplant is stacked in a deep insert, the first few customers served will receive acceptable portions; everyone else will be served a soggy portion. If the eggplant is spread loosely in a shallow insert, you will know that all the customers served will receive an appetizing, palatable portion.

Standard-sized inserts can be used to serve items such as fried chicken, baked potatoes, and macaroni. If foods require cooking in larger pans such as roasting pans or sheet pans, food items should be transferred to an awaiting insert on the serving line. Lasagna should be prepared in full-sized shallow steam table pans to prevent destroying the appearance and to increase the overall acceptability of the product. All food items should be covered to prevent shriveling or drying out, Many recipes are prepared in steam table pans thus eliminating the need for transferring the cooked food into steam table pans on the line.

Serving Utensils

Serving utensils and serving techniques go hand in hand. You cannot serve properly without the right utensils. Using the right serving tool for each dish has several advantages. It simplifies foodservice, exercises portion control, reduces food waste, and maintains a more appetizing appearance of foods in pans on the serving line.

Portion sizes appropriate for each meal is the responsibility of the galley watch captain. If the menu features two vegetables, preparation of full portions of both may result in plate waste. The portion size shown on the recipe card is a guide, not a rule. Appropriate portion sizes are shown on the food-preparation worksheet. You should periodically check excess tray waste. Portion sizes should be reduced if there is food waste. The patron who desires more will request larger portions. If the portions are hard to control, use ice-cream scoops.

Mashed potatoes, rice, bread dressings, and baked beans are easy to serve with a scoop and portions are easier to control. When you are serving bulk ice cream, scoops and dippers should be rinsed between servings or placed in potable running water. Bulk ice-cream products are not authorized for self-service.

Use a food turner for lifting steak scrambled eggs, or other similar items. For mashed potatoes or items of similar consistency, use a serving spoon or a scoop. Use a basting spoon or other shallow spoon to dip sauce or gravy from a shallow pan. Use a ladle to serve food from a deep well. Some foods, such as peas and cabbage, should be served with a perforated spoon, so the liquid drains back into the serving pan. Fried chicken, asparagus, broccoli, and corn on the cob should be handled with tongs. If more than one serving line is being used, be sure the same item is being served in the same portion on each line.

Serving Utensils for Salads

An adequate number of the proper serving utensils for the salad bar will promote good sanitary practices and keep the salad bar in order during self-service. The most useful utensils and the food with which they can be used are as follows:

Tongs-for relishes and green salads-such as carrot sticks, celery, pickles, olives, lettuce and other salad greens

Perforated spoons-for salads mixed with thin dressings-such as coleslaw, fruit salad, and cucumber and onion salad

Basting spoons or scoops-for compact foods and salad mixtures-such as potato, ham, fish, cottage cheese, and macaroni salads

Small ladles-for thick and thin salad dressings Lighting

Foods appear more attractive under warm, natural light. Use incandescent or warm white fluorescent bulbs to give natural warm colors to the serving lines. If colored lights are used, be careful to use the correct color to achieve the desired effect. Red lights will give roast beef a warm, rare, and hearty appearance. Test the color lights needed for your particular layout. Position light correctly on the food so the customer and the server are not blinded. Lights over food also should be adequately shielded.