Ship Steward’s Handbook | The Hollywood Waiters of the 1950s
‘The Hollywood Waiters’ of the 1950s…Ship’s Steward’s Handbook…the essential reading bible on how to be a good ‘Winger’!
Perhaps because I am a former Merchant Seaman myself (Engineer Officer) I was extra intrigued when a review copy of the Ship Steward’s Handbook landed on my desk
There is plenty of nostalgia and even a history lesson or two but more importantly lots of good advice that can even be still applicable today – Something different for a Christmas Gift this year – especially if any of your friends / family have served at sea. A Recommended Read From Dine Online
From The Introduction by The Rt Hon John Prescott MP:
‘A Steward will meet interesting people on his table – from migrants to Sir Anthony Eden. He was an ex- Tory Prime Minister who sat at my table, and prior to being Prime Minister, had been Deputy Prime Minister – a job I was to hold forty years later … so great opportunities can come from being a Steward!’
The Rt Hon John Prescott MP, who served as a ship steward on the great Cunard Liners between 1955 and 1964
This charming little handbook was first published in the 1950s as an aid to stewards in the Merchant Navy. With an emphasis on pride in one’s work, and a thoroughness and dedication to the highest level of service, it sets out precise instructions on a steward’s duties from table etiquette to cabin service and is packed with all sorts of fascinating facts, tips and hints. Evoking the heyday of the passenger liner and the emerging cruise industry, there are authentic examples of breakfast and dinner menus for first class and tourist class, definitions of French terms, sauces to accompany meat dishes, basic cocktails, through to the practicalities of-getting a drinking glass sparkling clean, and even how to lay a table in rough weather!
Advice Like:
There is too much noise in the world as it is. Do not make matters worse. Go about your job
quietly … there is no such thing as being a good noisy steward. (Personal Appearance and Behaviour).
Remember, tattoos do not make you a sailor! (Personal Appearance and Behaviour).
Glasses should be washed in warm water … rinsed … and dried with a linen cloth (linen does not leave fluff on the glass … ). If water jugs have a “waterline”, clean off with potato peelings. (Care of Equipment).
The dumb waiter is often referred to as the table steward’s best friend, the reason being that if it is looked after, kept clean and tidy during and after meals, it will assist greatly in carrying out his job in an efficient manner.
To lay the table in rough weather, spread the cloth in the usual manner, sprinkle lightly with water, adjust the fiddles, then proceed to lay up in the normal way.
Sauces are semi-liquid foods devised to make other foods look, smell and taste better and hence more easily digested, and more beneficial to the body.
Dress shoes. Lightly smear with Vaseline, polish with a linen cloth.
Officers’ blue uniforms. Pour a little stale coffee into a deep-bowled plate. Dip the clothes brush, lightly, into the coffee. Brush the uniform with the damp brush. Be careful of decorations, since the coffee would stain them.
Relevant to any service industry and workplace and not just the Merchant Navy, many of the instructions in this handbook will be just as useful today as they were 50 years ago!
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