Implications of bottomless servicewear include the residual aftermath of courses on the dining plane. The detritus left by the starter form the basis that informs the chef's decision of the next course. Building on the example here, that course is salmon as this flavour is complementary to that of the residual fig jelly.
A new plate is introduced to present the next course and build upon to continuously emerging pattern. The plates for the main course can only nest into those for the starter in way, thus ensuring registration.
The fish is also garnished with the continuation of the tablecloth pattern to indicate its placement at each diner’s position. Decoration to the prepared dish is applied with a laser cutter through a sheet of cedar veneer, which is a play on the traditional cedar planked salmon recipe that utilizes contemporary technology.
Bridging the two diners at the centre of the table is a shared vegetable dish. Introducing shared or combined courses serves to explore the choices made by individuals and the consequences these choices have on others in this enclosed system at the table. Practical notions of courtesy through serving each other or gluttony can be made apparent through diner respones to simple interventions like this vegetable dish or more eccentric ones like the wineglass.
Like all the custom servicewear, the vegetable serving dish and its matching serving spoons are produced through contemporary 3D printing technology as one piece, to be broken into the necessary constituents at the table by diners. This act of destruction highlights the materiality and ephemeral nature of all the custom servicewear.
Servers can bring this course to the table on a tray, first laying down the new plates and then, with a spatula, register the fish onto the dining plane.
