Trouble is once fixed it will breakdown again when they catch up with the backlog and try to wash all those paper plates :)

Anyone want to take a bet that the dishwasher is GFE and therefore not the contractor's responsibility?

I'm still betting that the Paper Plate issue is a direct result of not being able to use a Dishwasher to "sanitise" kitchen equipment (including eating irons, plates etc.) under current UK Food Hygiene legislation. Yes ... conventional washing up would be OK ... but if ISS rely on the use of a Dishwasher under their kitchen staffing model with no contingency (less staff ... higher profit margin) ... Paper Plates it is :(

It's laughable ... but truly pathetic :mad:

So out of interest how do they wash the pots and pans?

Not a bl00dy clue mate (never flown a kitchen) ... you see ... it's going to be something that any right minded chap will think is completely barking daft !!!

I remember attending a mess meeting at Catterick in 1965 when the main item on the agenda was the purchase of a washing machine so that officers could do their own laundry. Up to that point you left your dirty washing in the linen bin, the batman took it away, sent it to the laundry and after a while it came back laundered, pressed, collars starched (remember separate collars anyone?) etc. This of course went on your mess bill and was a bit of a drain on a PO's salary.

Naturally the idea of a washing machine was popular among the junior livers in, but some of the older senior officers were against it, with the PMC stating that doing his own laundry would be "detrimental to the status of an officer" a phrase that immediately entered our vocabularies!

What the heck that chap would have thought of paper plates I don't know, but I'm damn sure the situation wouldnt have lasted two days. Funnily enough we had contract catering at Catterick even that far back, but the difference was that if they didnt shape up they were out on their backsides and a new lot bought in, which did in fact happen while I was there.

Oh yes - we did get our washing machine, much to the detriment of our status, but to the benefit of our pockets!

Spot on Shytorque; my mind was made up when it became a business rather than a service.

What compounded it was the lack of spares availability for a very large aeroplane (which has officially retired today), on the grounds that "This item is not considered economically viable as standard stock, so LPO or transfer from centrally bonded stores will be required."

Tell that to the poor fekker with no legs and his balls in tatters desperate to get back from somewhere hot and sandy... :(

Did I mention that the man in charge received a QC that year for "Exemplary budgetary control"? :sad:

I seem to remember the pots and pans being washed in a big hot steaming set of sinks...... A well known restaurant round these parts made the local papers some ten years back because the pot washer was found masturbating into the said pot filled sinks.... Beats a fly in your soup lol

Was that the same chap who was caught with his dick in the baconslicer?
Apparently they both got the sack!

Lol almost as bad as this

Self-castrated man delays wedding

Sounds like he was packing something of considerable size:

Not any more though.

So it wasn't one off the wrist?

load of balls if you ask me.

Maybe he was trying to do a "self vasectomy" ...

Just saving his wife-to-be the trouble.

What's wrong with finding an LAC/SAC and charging him = JANKERS!

as in janking, having a jank, for example.

Massive thread drift, all dirty fun BUT

best plan for Waddo is to invite a Royal, surely?

Mind you, then the urinals would be out of bounds no doubt.

The last two times I stayed in the Waddo OM paper plates were the other of the day. The first time I thought we were having tea and biscuits the plates were so small.

... indeed TTN.

Even better is to imagine the reaction of a WW2 warrior, Gibson perhaps or (especially!) Bader, neither of whom suffered fools gladly. :E

Elements of the Mess Membership are certainly fighting a war .......

Prior to the Queen Mum's visit to Scampton in '59, the Royal protocol guys turned up in force to check out the routine and facilities for the day. In the OM there was a toilet at the end of a passage way which was designated the Queen Mum's toilet, if required. With the door shut a protocol chappie stood over the toilet and poured in a jug of water, meanwhile another chap slowly walked away from the toilet until he could no longer hear the running water. At this point a white line was drawn across the width of the passage way, over which, should the Queen Mum be in-situ no one was to cross.
Apologies for thread drift but I just wanted to illustrate that, even during 'The Cold War', we still stuck to our standards!