What does Silver Service exactly mean?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_service

Hi,

As far as I am aware, there are a few other etiquette things that the interior staff are always striving to demonstrate.

If you are the one employing the crew why are you worried about Silver Service?

I've also heard silver service reply to a full set of silver silverware and fine china as in "I keep a full silver service in that bank of cabinets" but that might not be correct.

silver service

I grew up in the UK and silver service was just that, all flatware was solid silver not silver plate and all china was real fine china, tea was served in solid silver tea pots as were the milk containers and sugar bowls.

If you ever stayed in the Banff fSprings Hotel back in the "early days" you would find silver service, same as on the trains back in the 50's and 60's in Canada.

Both are correct. "Your silver service" is your flatware (sterling) that you take out on special occasions including teapots,trays,etc.. "Silver service" is the manor of serving (serve from the left/ retrieve from the right, etc.) It's nice to see that either is still remembered today. Even in some of the finest restaurants lately, proper serving technique is rare. When I was first married my wife threw our silver service in the trash because she wasn't going to polish it.

As an ex-steward, may I add my ten cents to this point.

We used to break service down to 4 levels.

1. Plated service.

This is were the plates are prepared and decorated in the galley by the cooks and then taken 2 by 2 to the table, one in each hand (not 9 balanced up each arm and on your head, looks cheap)

2. Family service.

This is were the food is set-out on the table on platters and the guests help themselves, mostly used at lunch on the aftdeck. A lazy-susan (a large rotateing disc) can help.

3. Silver service.

The classic restaurant service, the steward places the food on the guest's plate with spoon and fork from a platter.

4. Butler service.

The Old School service. This is were a roast joint or whole fish is presented to the table then cut-up at a side table and put on platters. The platters are then presented by the stewards for each guest to help themselves to as much or as little as they like.

A blend of any of the above can be modified for each boat or owner as required.

Fish

I was always under the impression that butler service was a step below silver service.

I also feel like a total goof for having forgotten the word flatware; oddly enough I only once heard another person use that term, and that was this past summer, Alaskans clearly are a bunch of backwater folk.

Butler service isn't really a step down, but is the traditional Sunday service. When all other house staff have a day off (religious tradition, I suppose), the butler, valet, or steward would be a single person serving... so he will bring the tray to each diner and serve individually.

Hi,

I also came across this which expands a bit in Fish's description in his Point No 3.

A method of serving food in a restaurant, etc, in which the waiter or waitress uses a spoon and fork held in one hand to transfer the food from the serving dish to the diners' plates.

I am sure he just forgot to add the importance of using a breath freshener after your last slurp of your palate cleansing cocktail just after you had stubbed out your between course cigarette on the side deck outside the galley door, prior to returning to the table with the better known tools of the Stewards trade proudly displayed

Years back, at the old Sonesta Beach in Bermuda I ran across something I'd never seen before nor since. When waiters entered from or returned to the kitchen they always carried 13 plates (with covers) on the tray/ 3 stack of 4 and 1 centered...of course balanced on 3 fingers.

Unfortunately in todays yachting world they think of silver service as setting the table properly and setting and clearing the plates from the right direction. Fishtigua is right, proper "Silver Service" is the server plating your dish at the table from a tray.
I bet if you asked 90% of the stews out there today what silver service is, they will reply with the first description.
In almost 20 years at this I have had just one stew know how. The stew schools are not even teaching it. If this what you need look for an English trained stew.

You're right, of course. At the risk of offending traditionalists, silver service is a dinosaur. It is impractical because it is slow and awkward. Our standards are plated service or family style. We generally mix it up a little depending on the guests. The benefit of family style is that people can take what they like and how much of it they like.

Wasn't too long ago that the skill mentioned was common. Bumble bee landed on a flower arrangement and before anyone noticed the waiter deftly removed said bee, using his fork and spoon.

I can remember back that far. I recall staying at a fine hotel with my parents on vacation where we took all of our meals in the hotel diningroom, we dressed in coat and tie for dinner and the waiters all wore formal attire. Too bad that type of service is no longer in fashion. It was grand.

Ah, life before Micky D's. Now the boats and hotels are bigger and you grab your food off the tray. Luxury?

I'm afraid K1W1 knows how we work too well, a quick ciggie by the galley door is a ritual mid-service, its part of any good stewie's life.

When I think of the hours we used to work and the level of stress when guests are aboard, no wonder most stewards are a bit strange.

6.00 Clean dineing room, saloon, bar area and pantry plus any other stuff left from the night before.

7.00 Prepare breakfast, fill jam pots, curl butter. Lay tables, tea & coffees on trays prepared for cabins, feed kids (while chatting-up the au-pair), wipe Coco Pops off deck before the bosun sees it and starts shouting that they've just cleaned it.

7.30 Trays to cabins while not looking at naked bits or ignoring farts. A happy 'Good Morning' with a smile.
Squeeze au-pair's bum, she slaps hand away.

8.30 Breakfast service that drags on for hours as they all drift on deck at different times. Try and get an idea of what they want to do for the day. Then go and tell the Mate they want all the toys all day, who then tells you half the jetskis are broken from yesterday and the dive compressor is dead. Relay joy to the guests.

10.30 Guests decide on a beach BBQ, prep everything to cover any eventuality, make 12 gallons of rum punch, pack suncream and towels, ice the beers,wines and sodas. Run the icemachines empty, so make use of the extra ice you had stored in the freezer the week before and cheffie had moaned about. Chill cheffies salads with said ice.

11.30 Set up bar and all the usual stuff, play with kids and naughty au-pair in a bikini, hand slapped away. Again.

12.30 Clean the wounds and cuts of various guests, lay out salads and make ready for chef's steaks.

12.35 Stop chef's tears and tell her they don't mind waiting for the steaks a little while.

1.30 Serve steaks with wilted salad and luke warm wine. Everyone happy (see above rum punch). Top up au pair's drink frequently, hand slapped away.

3.00 Clean up crap as fast as you all can as the anchor is being lifted and its going to be a bit rough to the next anchorage (the bridge normally does not bother to pass on this information).

4.00 Sleep/ Shower/ get ready for evening.

5.00 Feed kids, fondle au pair, set up Disney DVD, fondle, hand slap.

6.00 Set up bar for cocktail hour, some are going down for a rest and a shower as other are comeing up, this could drag out.

6.30 First guests now are getting lonely and bored, thus start makeing up their own cocktails to try.

7.00 Drop anchor, put back all the picture frames and flowers that were stashed earlier.

7.30 Re-anchor in the anchorage, no better. Clean up broken glass. Dust-Buster dies.

8.30 Finally all the guests are assembled and are feeling a bit groggy and sunburnt, all they want is a quick pasta.

8.35 Wipe tears from chefs eyes as she eff's about how long she has spent on those ****ing guest's dinner. Dodge the odd knife.

9.00 Serve pasta with lots of garlic as revenge.

10.30 The girls drift off to bed (except the strange 2nd wife) and the guys settle down for a game of cards.

1.30 My head is sort of wobbleing fore and aft to stay awake, 'Goodnight Sirs).

Now repeat for the next 2 weeks.

Would you like to be a steward?

Oh and the au pair ended up sleeping with a deckie as they had time to spend together.

Fish

I was at a Diner last week, and asked the waitress for a serviette, as the dispenser was out.
She looked at me funny while walking away, and then I overheard the cook telling her “paper towel you idiot”.

Isn't B.C. still in the english speaking part of Canada? You'd have gotten the same look here, but the cook would have taken a beating.