Meal Service

For breakfast and supper we ate family style at pre-assigned seating. Each table has eight chairs. The usual seating plan at each table was as follows: two zips or sergebutts at the far end facing each other, a fish next to each of them, a pisshead next to each fish, and then tow fish on each corner of the serving end of the table.

The two fish at the serving corner ran the "hot corner". They were responsible for ordering enough of the right kind of food for each person at the table. For instance, when the waiter was coming the "hot corner" fish might want to see if anymore meat was needed.

The question would be "How many care for more bullneck?" The fish and pissheads would then hold out a finger to signify that they wanted more. The "hot corner" fish would then pass the empty bullneck platter to the waiter and request more bullneck.

The other two fish sitting next to the zips or sergebutts had a different function. Their job was to take care of the food needs for the zip or pisshead. They would ask if the upperclassman cared for more bullneck, for instance. If the answer was yes, he requested that it be passed to him and them he served it for the upperclassman.

When the question "Who cares for more (whatever the food item)", the fish was responsible for ordering enough for himself and his upperclassman.

The job of the pissheads at the table was to keep the fish on their toes. They would watch for us taking too large of a bite, for instance, and then ask us a question. It was bad news if we could not swallow immediately and answer the question.

Tom (TE) Schoolcraft