PROVENDER

CLOSE YOUR EYES, Mr. Jim. (He's the one who accused me of forever mentioning food in my blog.) Today's the day I've chosen food as a subject.

Mr. Bob and I are living proof that Jack Sprat and his wife are alive and sort of well. He eats to live and I'm the other way around. Not proud of it, but there we have it.

Here at the Manor, there is food aplenty. We're signed up for two meals a day, so we have breakfast in our room. Mr. Bob has threatened to reduce it to only one meal in the dining room.  There've been several disagreements about how much food to buy at the market. Mrs. Sprat enjoys plenitude. Jack doesn't. It's that simple.

To get on with it, as we enter the dining room we see two plates, representing the choices of the day's menu. We always have a selection of two entrées and if neither of those pleases, there are some alternative selections which take a little longer to prepare. Last evening, for instance, I chose to have a cheese omelet rather than grilled cheese on wheat or turkey a la king. One can order half portions. 

Here are a few examples of our everyday menu offerings

Fish on the left; ribs on the right. Always, at dinner and supper, soup is offered. In the kitchen they do a lovely job of making soup. I ask for mine in a cup, so I can drink the broth instead of dribbling it down my front.

A variety of salads appear on the menu. The alternative menu offers chef salad, Caesar salad, or cottage cheese and fruit.



 The
 evening meal, in addition to being a lighter menu, provides a well-stocked salad bar. Not long ago, I ordered the shrimp cocktail, shown below. It was excellent.

The fare becomes fancier for our special dinners which occur at least once a month to celebrate birthdays; sometimes oftener, if there's a holiday to consider. The dining room lights are dimmed, we add a little sparkle to our outfits, accept the offer of champagne and enjoy the extra efforts of the cooks.

For marketing purposes, a lovely Sunday brunch is served once in a while, with outside guests invited and all stops are pulled out in the presentation of a tasty repast. Served buffet style, and let me say right here, that food is cooked in small batches and brought out from the kitchen frequently so there is none of that tired buffet fare that one so often encounters. There's a carving station as well as a cook who makes omelets and waffles to order and everything else one could possibly want. At the end of the meal it's time to visit the dessert table which includes all manner of sweets, including coconut macaroons, not shown in this picture. Mind you, this is just a portion of the dessert table.

Year before last, when we had a harvest dinner, this table was set up in the lounge and residents were invited to take what they wanted to their rooms. It provided our fall decor that year.

How about living in a place where once in a while this appears on the menu? I suppose it could be special ordered at any time; the aim here seems to be to please. 

Gluttony is not a secret vice.

                                                                                               ~ Orson Welles