Week 27: more food costing and looking for distraction

I am not sure why I got up at 5.30am on the Tuesday after Waitangi day to fly over for two half days  (which turns out to be about 3 hours one day and one hour the next) of food costing. Other than adding in GST and looking at how to do per head cost for set menus or banqueting, we cover nothing more than we did in week 14 - see Weeks 13 and 14: Wake up and smell the baking, for details on how to cost dishes.

This continues to be challenging for many in the class. Jiggly guy keeps complaining it is doing his head in, and reckons if it was ounces, grams and tinnies he'd do it easily. I point out it is exactly the same skill and calculation - broadly speaking. Yes, he's still in class, still doing counselling and has passed  his drug tests - as in being drug free, at least from meth.

When I am not helping out those who have difficulty with calculations, I mostly amuse myself by playing Bullshit Bingo - a new variation of the game I first learned about when I was working in an unnamed Government department.  If you don't know the game, the traditional version goes like this.  Before each meeting or conference call make a grid - 4 x 4 or 5 x 5 and fill in appropriate jargon words. You know what I mean, words and phrases like:

• Reinvent[ing] the wheel
• At the end of the day
• Moving/Going Forward
• Strategy
• Synergies

Mark off each block when you hear these words during a meeting or conference call. When you get a line  horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout BULLSHIT!!!  Or shout  silently to attract less attention (see http://bullshitbingo.net/cards/bullshit/)

My variation is based on our tutor's hackneyed phrases:

• out in industry
• you guys need to remember this
• fortunately or unfortunately
• that's just the way it is (often followed or preceded by "out in industry" and/or preceded by "fortunately or unfortunately")
• this is so important
• coin (as in making or losing)
• just be aware of this/that

OK, so I don't stand up and shout Bullshit! - I just count the number of repetitions....

Apologies for the banal blog but that was my week.  Coming up this week, fish - filleting and culinary exercises thereafter.