Went to the Philadelphia Car Show a few weeks ago and ended up at Reading Terminal, a huge indoor market with all sorts of food. It was lunchtime on a Saturday, so it was understandably packed. Lines for all the major counters were long, and my stomach was growling.
Now, it dawned on me that the indoor market is very much like a "pay by the plate" buffet (which I have yet to do a full review on), only instead of the food being all in one section, it's housed all in one room. When this hit me, it occurred to me that I needed to abide by the fundamental law of running the buffet: Walk the Buffet First.
That's when another idea hit me. The rest of my party was standing in line at our favorite place to get roast pork, a Reading Terminal delicacy only enjoyed after the car show (see photo of Tommy DiNiC's)... while I was walking I thought of the "pre-lunch snack."
I stopped at Franks-a-lot (clever name for a hot dog place?) and got a hot dog, to tide me over for the wait for the pork sandwich. Knowing that the rest of my party was in line, it would be selfish to get only one hot dog, and I brought the idea (and the dogs) to the attention of my fellow eaters.
I realized that I just "worked the buffet." But "How does this relate to the standard buffet," you ask...
Advanced Technique: next time you hit a buffet with a long line, take your first item for your dish and start snacking on it while in line. This appeases the growling stomach (to help you be more level-headed when building the rest of your plate), and also allows for more room on your plate by the time you get to the later stations.
