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Today's exercise was to prepare a time-planned meal, on time (the roast vegetable stack starter is shown on the right). Basically, this means being told what we are cooking, and what time it has to be ready, sitting down to plan in detail each task involved, write it all out as a line by line plan, then execute the plan.
Graham (big Graham, my partner for the week) and I got as far as the "what time it has to be ready" bit. Graham then scribbled down a couple of things on his own bit of paper (rather than our time-planner form), and set off to collect the ingredients. I hauled him back.
"Lets just take a minute to think about this."
"I've thought about it," replied Graham, setting off again.
"Well let's just write down what we're going to do," I said, hauling him back again.
"I know what we're going to do," he said, over his shoulder.
"But the exercise is all about time-planning," I pleaded.
A few minutes later Lizzie sidled over to see what the fuss was all about. Having already been collered by her by the bay tree, while she'd slipped out for a fag and I was snipping a few leaves off, she already knew what the fuss was all about.
"Is that a time-plan?" she said to Graham, pointing at his scrabby bit of paper.
"Its a kind of plan. And its got times on it," he replied bluntly, staring her in the eye.
Graham is of such a size that there comes a point where, rather like David Attenborough whispering with the gorillas, you think he might accidently kill you with a playful swipe. I decided to cut my losses, shrugged at Lizzie, and went off to gather together some vegetables.
So, compare and contrast with my previous role, in IT project management. Well, on the one hand, the correct way to plan a project is to consider everything that needs doing, think about all the risks, consult, discuss, bang it into a Gantt chart, agree it with everyone, then execute the plan. Until it all goes horribly wrong, when everyone goes into panic mode and runs off like headless chickens doing whatever they feel like. The only difference here is we cut out the first few stages and cut to the chase.
It's very interesting seeing how people behave in the environment we've been thrown into. There are people who don't know how to work in teams (Click being prime among that category, I'm sad to say), people who are used to getting their own way (several names spring to mind), and people who have never made a plan in their life. I guess the disciplines and formal training people in IT receive and work to are very different to those you get in catering, butchery, prep school, Kenyan farms, reflexology and the various other backgrounds the students have come from. For those of you who know TDF, there is a good proportion of big D behaviour (I'm a big F), or for Myers Briggs fans, there's more E's than I's (I'm an I - albeit a socially skilled one, according to Margaret - I've still not worked out whether that is an insult or a compliment).
We cooked a three course meal, ate it at 1.30, bang on, and were unable to move for the rest of the afternoon. The gorgeous Alana, from the garage, who had come to pick us up (no, I've not struck lucky, my car had been back in the dealers for a minor fix) was unimpressed when I told her we'd been cooking roast chicken.
"Isn't that quite straightforward?" she asked, slightly sneeringly. I thought about going into a prolonged explanation of how it had all been about time-planning, and detail, and coordination, but in the end I just smiled weakly, drooled a bit more, and let it go.
Graham (big Graham, my partner for the week) and I got as far as the "what time it has to be ready" bit. Graham then scribbled down a couple of things on his own bit of paper (rather than our time-planner form), and set off to collect the ingredients. I hauled him back.
"Lets just take a minute to think about this."
"I've thought about it," replied Graham, setting off again.
"Well let's just write down what we're going to do," I said, hauling him back again.
"I know what we're going to do," he said, over his shoulder.
"But the exercise is all about time-planning," I pleaded.
A few minutes later Lizzie sidled over to see what the fuss was all about. Having already been collered by her by the bay tree, while she'd slipped out for a fag and I was snipping a few leaves off, she already knew what the fuss was all about.
"Is that a time-plan?" she said to Graham, pointing at his scrabby bit of paper.
"Its a kind of plan. And its got times on it," he replied bluntly, staring her in the eye.
Graham is of such a size that there comes a point where, rather like David Attenborough whispering with the gorillas, you think he might accidently kill you with a playful swipe. I decided to cut my losses, shrugged at Lizzie, and went off to gather together some vegetables.
So, compare and contrast with my previous role, in IT project management. Well, on the one hand, the correct way to plan a project is to consider everything that needs doing, think about all the risks, consult, discuss, bang it into a Gantt chart, agree it with everyone, then execute the plan. Until it all goes horribly wrong, when everyone goes into panic mode and runs off like headless chickens doing whatever they feel like. The only difference here is we cut out the first few stages and cut to the chase.
It's very interesting seeing how people behave in the environment we've been thrown into. There are people who don't know how to work in teams (Click being prime among that category, I'm sad to say), people who are used to getting their own way (several names spring to mind), and people who have never made a plan in their life. I guess the disciplines and formal training people in IT receive and work to are very different to those you get in catering, butchery, prep school, Kenyan farms, reflexology and the various other backgrounds the students have come from. For those of you who know TDF, there is a good proportion of big D behaviour (I'm a big F), or for Myers Briggs fans, there's more E's than I's (I'm an I - albeit a socially skilled one, according to Margaret - I've still not worked out whether that is an insult or a compliment).
We cooked a three course meal, ate it at 1.30, bang on, and were unable to move for the rest of the afternoon. The gorgeous Alana, from the garage, who had come to pick us up (no, I've not struck lucky, my car had been back in the dealers for a minor fix) was unimpressed when I told her we'd been cooking roast chicken.
"Isn't that quite straightforward?" she asked, slightly sneeringly. I thought about going into a prolonged explanation of how it had all been about time-planning, and detail, and coordination, but in the end I just smiled weakly, drooled a bit more, and let it go.
PRAWN AND LENTIL SALAD
Tea tonight. All ingredients bought from Waitrose, but it looks good, doesn't it?
100g cooked peeled prawns
Mixed salad leaves (spinach, watercress and rocket)
1 hard-boiled egg
diddy tomatoes
lentils with roast vegetables
dressing
chilli sauce
croutons (optional)
1. Layer everything up as shown in the photo, and eat.
My brother has had no formal training, never seen him WRITE a plan but you can see from watching him he knows exactly how he is going to cook 15 different dishes across 3 courses for specific times even down to sending the waitress (his wife) out to check how far through each course the guests are and when he can start the next course. He does make comments along the lines of "this crowd are slow eaters" and "come on people eat up, soup should be out in 5 minutes....." in the privacy of the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about those big Ds Frank - we Fs know how to deal with the big bullies!! Talk to them.....
ReplyDeleteTake them to lunch, Gina!
ReplyDelete