28
Was the Soviet catering as good as it is remembered, and what depended on the quality of food in the dining room?
There has been much debate about the Soviet past lately. One of the popular themes is nutrition in public institutions, which we have had to deal with since early childhood. People’s opinions on this matter differ significantly, and they are ready to prove their point indefinitely. And the fault is the catering worker, whose conscientiousness and skill depended on how tasty citizens can eat, for example, in the factory or school canteen and whether their plates will be sufficiently filled.
A catering worker is a desirable position for a simple Soviet citizen, to which people “from the street” were not taken. The more solid and prestigious the institution was, the more difficult it was to get into its state. Even the waiters arranged there for acquaintance, for favor or through bribery. One day, I was introduced to a guy who managed to get on a ship making foreign flights. He worked as a regular waiter, and presented himself as if he were the captain of the ship. What do you say?!
Every catering worker, from the manager to the dishwasher, was responsible for the quality of customer service, whether it was a small child from kindergarten or an advanced worker from a factory. If all members of the team worked harmoniously and performed their duties on conscience, then in such an institution the dishes were always appetizing, unsanitary conditions in the kitchen were not observed, and a pleasant atmosphere was preserved in the dining room.
But even in the vaunted USSR, there were often such catering enterprises that no one wanted to visit again. Who do you think was to blame? Right! Catering workers. These people were courted by many because they had free access to products that could not be found on empty shelves. In their skilful hands, “surplus” regularly appeared, which arose after elementary portion cuts. The bolder and more agile the kitchen staff, the fuller their bags became, which they dragged home at the end of their shift.
In the Soviet Union, all catering enterprises were state-owned, but the quality of food in them was strikingly different, although the menu could be similar. Let’s compare a university kitchen and a canteen in a large factory. Students were given food stamps, but few used them. Lunches for students were free, and products for them were imported in the appropriate category. In my student years, I once tried to eat in the dining room belonging to the school, and after that I went down there only on duty. The food in her kitchen was fresh and disgusting, and the sight of unwashed plates with a hardened combine, which was poorly washed, discouraged any desire to dine there.
Occasionally, my girlfriend and I would visit the dining room near the garment factory, which was close to our hostel. All the dishes were delicious, although they were inexpensive. It’s amazing how much difference there can be between kitchens in one city. Workers were fed better: meatballs were swimming in the soup, and there were pieces of meat in the borscht, fresh minced meat was added to the cutlets and meatballs, and chops could be chewed. And the garnish was served edible. The complex lunch cost each 60-65 cents.
Girls from our group, whose parents are wealthy, allowed themselves lunch in a restaurant for 90-95 cents. Sometimes they went to eat in the officer's canteen for 1 ruble or 1 ruble 50 kopecks. They came back and bragged about how delicious the cooking was and what a wonderful service they had. I listened and once again made sure that there are establishments in which visitors are treated with due respect, but we “prefer” those where you have to wear the tray yourself, and you can also yell. Everything depended on the catering workers and their direct management. Just like now, though. However, today the salaries are completely different and the prices are appropriate.
Everyone has their own memories of the recent past. One speaks of them with regret and the other with indignation. Also here can affect the peculiarity of a person to the perception of the surrounding world. After all, there are people who do not notice anything wrong, who even in the cemetery see only the “plus”.
A catering worker is a desirable position for a simple Soviet citizen, to which people “from the street” were not taken. The more solid and prestigious the institution was, the more difficult it was to get into its state. Even the waiters arranged there for acquaintance, for favor or through bribery. One day, I was introduced to a guy who managed to get on a ship making foreign flights. He worked as a regular waiter, and presented himself as if he were the captain of the ship. What do you say?!
Every catering worker, from the manager to the dishwasher, was responsible for the quality of customer service, whether it was a small child from kindergarten or an advanced worker from a factory. If all members of the team worked harmoniously and performed their duties on conscience, then in such an institution the dishes were always appetizing, unsanitary conditions in the kitchen were not observed, and a pleasant atmosphere was preserved in the dining room.
But even in the vaunted USSR, there were often such catering enterprises that no one wanted to visit again. Who do you think was to blame? Right! Catering workers. These people were courted by many because they had free access to products that could not be found on empty shelves. In their skilful hands, “surplus” regularly appeared, which arose after elementary portion cuts. The bolder and more agile the kitchen staff, the fuller their bags became, which they dragged home at the end of their shift.
In the Soviet Union, all catering enterprises were state-owned, but the quality of food in them was strikingly different, although the menu could be similar. Let’s compare a university kitchen and a canteen in a large factory. Students were given food stamps, but few used them. Lunches for students were free, and products for them were imported in the appropriate category. In my student years, I once tried to eat in the dining room belonging to the school, and after that I went down there only on duty. The food in her kitchen was fresh and disgusting, and the sight of unwashed plates with a hardened combine, which was poorly washed, discouraged any desire to dine there.
Occasionally, my girlfriend and I would visit the dining room near the garment factory, which was close to our hostel. All the dishes were delicious, although they were inexpensive. It’s amazing how much difference there can be between kitchens in one city. Workers were fed better: meatballs were swimming in the soup, and there were pieces of meat in the borscht, fresh minced meat was added to the cutlets and meatballs, and chops could be chewed. And the garnish was served edible. The complex lunch cost each 60-65 cents.
Girls from our group, whose parents are wealthy, allowed themselves lunch in a restaurant for 90-95 cents. Sometimes they went to eat in the officer's canteen for 1 ruble or 1 ruble 50 kopecks. They came back and bragged about how delicious the cooking was and what a wonderful service they had. I listened and once again made sure that there are establishments in which visitors are treated with due respect, but we “prefer” those where you have to wear the tray yourself, and you can also yell. Everything depended on the catering workers and their direct management. Just like now, though. However, today the salaries are completely different and the prices are appropriate.
Everyone has their own memories of the recent past. One speaks of them with regret and the other with indignation. Also here can affect the peculiarity of a person to the perception of the surrounding world. After all, there are people who do not notice anything wrong, who even in the cemetery see only the “plus”.
The younger generation does not want to work at all, let alone work as their parents and employers sound the alarm.
Loans on the card: Popular solution for urgent financial needs