HOSPITAL COOKERY

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 62, 11 September 1945, Page 6

HOSPITAL COOKERY

Sir,—We, the kitchen staff at the Hutt Hospital, heartily agree with the views ■expressed by the Wellington kitchen staff in their letter which appeared in your paper of August 31. We also consider Miss McKenzie's report misleading in so far that it tended to convey the impression that the dietitians carry the whole weight of the work in "preparing food and getting it to the patients." Probably she did not intend to convey that impression, bui anyone reading the report of her speech could only come to one conclusion and that was that the dietitians do all the work in the hospital kitchen. In the Hutt Hospital at the present time there are approximately 430 patients and staff to be cooked for. Of this number about 25 or 30 require special diet, and these meals are cooked by the dietetic staff, of which there are three, who are assisted by one kitchenmaid and sometimes two. The preparing and cooking of food for the remainder is done entirely by the ordinary cooks and kitchen hands as follows:—The midday meal meats are prepared for cooking by the kitchen hands, but are cooked and served by the second and third cooks. Vegetables are also prepared by the kitchen hands and are cooked and served by the third cook. Sweets are prepared, cooked, and served by the first cook and one kitchen hand. Breakfast and teas are, in their entirety, prepared, cooked, and served by the cooks and kitchen hands.

We recognise that dietitians have an important and difficult task. They order all food, prepare menus, and generally supervise the work in the kitchen and we have no quarrel with them in this respect, except in the case of unnecessary interference, but they are not chefs or cooks in the ordinary sense and we hate to think what would happen to the meals in the hospital if they were prepared or cooked withiout the aid of the ordinary cooks and kitchenmaids. I Further staff is required in our ! kitchen as well as the kitchen of WelIlington Hospital, but it seems impossible to get them under the conditions prevailing at the present time, and we believe that were it not for manpower control there would be still fewer at work in hospitals. We also agree that there should be some provision in New Zealand for the training of cooks, but if this is ever undertaken it can only be successful if the instructors are drawn from cooks of proved ability who have practised their profession for many years. If, however, the instructors are those who have only theoretical and not practical knowledge then the scheme is doomed to failure at the outset. In closing we also heartily detest being classed as "domestics" and prefer to be referred. to as kitchen staff, which includes all cooks and kitchen hands. Trusting that the public see our side of the story.—We are, etc., ; KITCHEN STAFF. ! [The signatures of members of the kitchen staff have been supplied to the Editor as authority for this letter.] ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. "Crusader." —Discussion on this aspect cannot be started. \ "Nature First and Best."—Suggestion should be sent to the station concerned. "Wake Up N.Z." —General comments on evidence before the Commission are not admissible. "Enthusiastic Fan."—(l) Roddy McDowall-was born in England, his father being an officer in the British Merchant Marino; (2) he has not appeared in "William" series of pictures as far as can be ascertained; (3) atJdrcss: C/o M.G.JI. Studios, Culver City, California, U.S.A.