In my current job I am exposed to buffet tables multiple times a week. Great for my wallet, not so good for my stomach.
For years I have been annoyed by the convention of setting a buffet table: plates, napkins, silverware, then food, and lastly drinks.
Does nobody else see the inefficiency in this??When do you ever use your silverware before getting your food?
I have almost never experienced a time when I needed a fork and knife to serve myself eggs, bacon, potatoes (cubed or mashed), salad, vegetables, meat, bread, or anything else. Each dish on the spread already has a serving utensil. Instead, I end up fumbling around trying to hang on to the cutlery that I will not need until I sit down at the table. Even worse is when I am carrying a full plate of food with a bread roll doing its thing, a napkin, a set of silverware, and then I have to add a glass of pink lemonade. A recipe for spills and awkwardness. I have made it a practice to place the napkin and silverware in my shirt or trouser pocket until I have successfully navigated the smorgasbord. But even this isn't the best solution.
Ideally the fork and knife should be waiting at the dining table, but even when that's not possible, they should wait at the END of the buffet table so that I am free to gather my food with both hands.
*sigh*
Just another example of people doing things the way they've always been done, even though it makes no sense.