How likely is it that a woman will be served first at this table?
"I don't understand why people are scared of new ideas, the old ones scare me" , JohnCage .
The scene is repeated so many times that we have ended up accepting that so are the things , but they are not. Nothing has to be what it has always been.
The scene? Couple in restaurant, sommelier approaches (diligent) and hand over the wine list to the gentleman , who, filled with satisfaction ("I'm in charge here"), accepts the distribution of responsibilities as good and prepares to choose the broth (never use the word 'broth', by the way), and that is because, in addition to being incorrect, she is a lout like herself (after a while the scene is repeated) "Has she already chosen the knight?"
I don't know about you, but it has happened to me in large and small restaurants, in gastronomic and eating houses, in the middle of the A3 and in the Barrio Salamanca. But are we still like this? Does “it has always been like this” weigh so much on common sense? Maybe it's time to pull the string.
protocollum , protos and kollom, which refers to the first pasted sheet of a book, that is, that first sheet on which a series of instructions were dictated; rules of use . An important point for the normalization of the protocol as a way to regulate "rites, habits, customs, social uses and rules of conduct" (extracted from the Code of Ethics of the International School of Protocol) is the creation of the court in the Middle Ages, that is: Kings, appointments of knights, weapons, heraldry and honor. And of those powders...
But to what we are going, the origin of the protocol in Spain comes from the time of Felipe II, "the Prudent" (read in protocol management of Raul Villanueva ) and Emperor Carlos I, but if something supposedly characterizes this set of rules that society magazines and diplodocus like Jaime Peñafiel like so much, it is the constant adaptation to the world around him. Because otherwise, what?
No, wine is not always for him and beer for her...
In that same essay, habitual by the way in catering schools, in the point 6.5, Service rules , the following indications are observed: "The ladies must be served first and then the gentlemen. When the ladies are finished, the gentlemen must be served". I do not understand anything.
We spoke with Manuela Romeralo , one of the most recognized sommeliers and room managers in the sector ( National and International Gastronomy Award and HabanoSommelier World Champion ), and an outspoken woman .
“'Who is going to choose the wine?' 'Who is going to taste the wine?' Two phrases as simple as they are unusual even among some hospitality professionals who serve their customers in the rooms. It is sometimes assumed that it will be the male side of the table that will play both roles, and the conversation around wine is localized to the men, why does such a situation occur? ".
"It is understood and accepted that women drink wine, but... do not know how to choose? don't know how to taste a wine? They do not know how to detect possible defects? don't know if you like it or not? It is possible that the assignment or assumption of roles still weighs from a more traditional point of view, but after a little reflection we will realize that it is time to put aside these types of considerations”, adds Romeralo.
And the future, Manuela? “ I have always believed in the capacity of people, in their tastes or preferences, not in those of men or women and, from my point of view, one way to demonstrate it is use the two questions that I quote at the beginning . The idea is to try to involve all the diners equally, without leaving anyone out for mere preconceived ideas”, she concludes.
Another essential voice to understand what the room means and what its present and future are: Abel Valverde, head of the room and director for fifteen years of the Santceloni restaurant, author of the book Host and considered one of the best maîtres in Spain: “In my opinion protocols need to be updated as time goes on and it is society itself, the people who evolve, because the same protocol model of 30 years ago as it is today cannot be valid".
"For example, the fact why we directly deliver the wine list to men. Is it taken for granted that it should be the man who chooses the wine? Why? Another example is the time to pass the account . When ordered, it is usually delivered directly to the man. It should not surprise us that there are women who are the hostesses and who will be in charge of organizing, choosing the wine and even paying, and For me, the most important thing is who acts as the host, be it a man or a woman. . The rights must be made by making the reservation at the establishment. He is the one we need to prioritize.”
If in the end everything should be as simple as having common sense. Stop for a moment to think. Learn to put yourself in someone else's shoes —but since that moment hasn't come, it seems that the only way is to open the windows and let this storm with a woman's name (hopefully) banish this smell of patchouli and the past. _ Future is female ._