University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

Catering Supervisor Defends Potato Process

Concerning an article which
appeared in the C.D. on February
24 about mashed potatoes, I have a
few things to say. It seems like the
author, worker though he be for
Food Service, apparently knows
very little about what goes on
around him and knows just as much
about journalism as well. I enjoy
reading a good satire, and if that is
what said article is supposed to be,
it is in poor taste. If it is meant to be
serious, Heaven help us. Mr. Weir's
article appears to be a desperate
attempt, a final thrashing around
for some kind of "story" with
which to fill up space.

For one thing, it (the article) is
so elementary in nature. Mr. Weir
sounds like a little child describing
a tour he took through some kind
of factory. The part about the
whirly machine is a real scream.
Anybody with any kind of sense
knows that all it is a mixer on a
somewhat enlarged scale. His
"shovel" is nothing more than a
dipper, a flat, circular piece of
perforated metal about 8″ in
diameter. Describing melted butter
as "yellow excrement" is in very
poor taste.

His other description, that of the
process involved in making mashed
potatoes, also shows "imagination"
to say the least. No special
ingredients are added to the mashed
potatoes, and the cook does not
hover over the machine to keep it
out of the view path of anyone
watching. The cook has nothing to
hide. Water, salt, and the instant
potatoes are blended together to
produce the finished product. It is
as simple as that. Mr. Weir's
statement, "We are not allowed to
watch the entire process. That, we
are told must remain a cook's
secret," is an outright lie. No one
has ever told him he was not
allowed to watch because the cooks
could care less. If he is supposed to
be working, no one but his
conscience tells him not to watch.
From the way he describes the
mashed potatoes, Mr. Weir must get
his second-hand from the trays of
dirty dishes as they come into the
dish room where he works.

The main point Mr. Weir seems
to fail to see is that instant potatoes
are used because they are more
practical and faster to make. Sure,
real mashed potatoes taste better,
but trying to estimate what
quantity of mashed potatoes to
make for each meal is not always a
sure thing. Consequently, if mashed
potatoes do run out, it is much
easier and faster to whip up a can
of instant mashed potatoes than it
is to peel, cook, and then mash
regular ones. For one meal at the
cafeterias it would take roughly
250 lbs. of real potatoes to make a
sufficient quantity of mashed
potatoes. I suggest that if Mr. Weir
wants the aroma and taste of real
Idahos, then he come in well in
advance and peel the potatoes, just
to see what would be involved from
the labor aspect and not even
considering the financial aspect.
The Food Service Manager, the
cooks, and especially his fellow
students would be glad to have him
do it.

One final point — just what in
the heck do State U-ism and
mashed potatoes have in common?
The use of the latter in no way
leads to the former. Many people
use instant potatoes at home for
expediency's sake so why not at a
university? If this article is the type
of material of which Mr. Weir is
capable of producing, I suggest he
divert his talents elsewhere. There's
a fashion show coming up in the
Ballroom on March 4. We could
always use a professional potato
peeler in the kitchen, too.

Non—Events

I was intrigued by your reply of
February 25 to the letter of the
Young Republicans who
complained about not receiving
enough coverage for their
write-Hanoi-to-free-the-U.S.-POWs
drive. In your reply you said that
when one of your reporters called
up one of the Y.R. officers, he
learned that their letter writing
campaign was disorganized and that
there would be a meeting about it
that night. Therefore you said you
did not want to be bothered with a
non-event. This position seems
rather incongruous, because so
much of your reportage are
non-events.

If the Young Republican
meeting had turned out to be a
non-event you could have simply
reported what went on at the
"non-event", and then made a
cutting remark about it to elicit an
outraged reply. After all, reporting
on a Y.R. "non-event" would help
fill up some of your double spacing,
blown up pictures, and the like.

'Bare Earth'

I must applaud the student
body's unstinting efforts to prevent
the greening of the Lawn and the
grounds. The hog wallow effect
achieved in many areas excites my
daily admiration. A bit more
diligence and we should all be able
to celebrate Bare Earth Day this
spring.