Short Overview

Long Story

By this Thursday, one of you should send a note to the gsl mailing list (gsl@csail.mit.edu) reminding everybody that you will be doing GSL. At a bare minimum, you should mention the kind of food you will be serving everyone (like pasta or wings or whatever), where said food will be served (almost always the G9 lounge), when said food will be served (no earlier than 12:00pm and almost certainly no later than 12:30pm), and who all of you are.

Late Friday morning, you should send the message again.

If you wish to convey this information in a fanciful and entertaining manner, more power to you.

All the basic information you need to do gsl is included below. Beyond that, happily work out the details amongst yourselves. If you have any questions, email the czar.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

For lunch, the expectation is that you will make some spectacular dish. For recipe ideas, the AI Lab Working Paper 323 "The GSL Cookbook" has recipes that scale well to 90 people. The online version of the cookbook can be accessed via the GSL website. The hardcopy of the cookbook is in the GSL closet (right hand side, first drawer, next to the GSL pots). If you borrow it, please return it intact. Also, remember that the web is a wonderful resource. Many large-scale recipes can be found online, say, here or here

Or, ask around for cookbooks or recipes, or ask those who have cooked GSL before. Use your imagination, but remember that your masterpiece will be shared with the masses.

If you're driving, you can get a temporary parking pass* from Annie Lawthers in CSAIL HQ on the 4th floor.

  • As of October 2008, the CSAIL HQ no longer issue temporary parking passes. One can park temporarily by the D tower entrace and leave immediately after unloading.

GSL requires some effort to do, so there should be at least three of you if you're going to cook. Four is more than reasonable but somewhere after that we start to hear rumblings from the crowd, so try to keep the number of participants between three to five. (In order to make sure we have enough cooks for each week, we try to limit the size of any group to four until all the other days have been filled.) Of course, if you're going to need more bodies in order to do something absolutely spectacular, by all means get more folks. Feel free to discuss this with me.

THE GSL CLOSET

There is a GSL closet outside 32-D451 (4th floor of the Dreyfoos tower of Stata), by the D4 kitchen. The closet is locked, so be sure to pick up the key from the Czar(ina) by Thursday. In it you will usually find spices, pasta, pots, pans, napkins, potholders, plates and forks. You should check it out before going on a massive shopping spree. When you're done with GSL, any leftovers that can live in the GSL closet enviornment should be put there. Please be prudent about what you put in there -- restrain yourself to only those items that you really think might get used again and definitely won't go bad if they don't get used right away.

Food (supplies, prepared food, or leftovers) should not be kept in the fridge in D4 or G9 kitchenette. It makes the residents of the floors get mad, and that's bad because we want to keep them happy so we can have GSL in the future. Prepared food should be brought to the G9 lounge right before lunch. Leftover food should be split among you and your friends and/or announced to vultures at csail.mit.edu. Whatever is not consumed should be tossed.

Also, Be Blackburn, the admin on the sixth floor working for Rivest and Karger, has been known to let people use her collection of pots, pans, and hot plates, if they promise to clean up afterwards. Unfortunately, there is no full kitchen with a stove in this building, so the only option is to use an off-campus kitchen and bring food into the lab Friday. Stupid Stata.

MONEY

The MAXIMUM you can spend is $265. It is expected that ~$240 of that is food, ~$10 is cups, napkins, and so on*, and ~$10-20 is Zipcar rental and/or parking (see discussion above). But always check the GSL closet (see above) before you go shopping. You should lay out the money and get reimbursed from (the aforementioned) Joel. Be sure to save any receipts and return them. Please give your receipts to Joel no later than a week after gsl. The Powers That Be are annoyed to get requests for reimbirsements six months after the fact and may sneer at you.

  • As of Oct. 2008, we've started using reusable containers, and we have hundreds of disposable plates, forks, spoons and knives in the closet. If these items somehow run out, please inform the Czar(ina) for replenishment.

MIT doesn't have to pay sales or restaurant taxes, so make sure to use the tax exempt number 042-103-594 (the Lab isn't allowed to reimburse you for these taxes). The permit can be printed online from: https://vpf.mit.edu/site/content/download/1812/6428/file/taxexempt_st2.pdf and https://vpf.mit.edu/site/content/download/1813/6433/file/ST-5%20Sales%20Tax%20Exempt%20Purchaser%20Certificate%20MA.pdf Alternatively, Joel in room 32-340, or the Czar(ina) can give you a photocopy of the permit/form that you will bring to show when you spend out-of-pocket so that tax will not be charged. Joel will process your reimbursement (that will take about a week and a half) and you should discuss any other reimbursement details with him.

SHOPPING

You should probably shop at the grocery store of your choice. Star Market frequently provides home delivery if you lack a car.

Always check the GSL closet for things before you shop!

QUANTITY

Food: You're trying to feed 70-90 persons. It's okay to make too much, but it's pretty embarrassing to make too little. Ask others who have done this for advice. Oh, and remember that some of those 70-90 persons are vegetarians. Always provide a vegetarian option! And vegetarian-acceptable food is a proper subset of all food, so more veggies are always safe.

Drinks: You need 10-12 half gallons of beverages, which can be soda, juice and/or milk. For some meals various juices are more appropriate than sodas.

Dessert: That's a very nice touch. Ice cream sandwiches, fruit and the like are welcome.

Napkins, cups: Provide plenty. But check the closet first -- these are very commonly leftover from previous weeks.

Paper plates: Please grab some (~40) from the GSL closet, as most of us will be using reusable containers.

ACCESSORIES: Paper Plates, Napkins, Serving Utensils

As mentioned above, ALWAYS check the GSL closet for plates, napkins, cups, and utensils. As of Feb. 2008, we've started using reusable containers, and we have hundreds of disposable plates, forks, spoons, and knives in the closet. If these items somehow run out, please inform the Czar(ina) for replenishment. If you then have leftovers, leave them in the closet. Also don't forget about the large garbage bag. Remember: The price of supplies is included in the $265.

Don't forget serving utensils. You should find some in the GSL closet. Otherwise, check with the Czar(ina).

CLEANUP

** Remember to bring a large black garbage bag for the GSL eaters
plates so that you do not overflow the G9 garbage can. **

You should clean up when the GSL is over. Email stata-custodial at mit for removing the garbage (don't simply leave it at the G9 lounge!!). A good rule of thumb is to leave the room the way that you found it. This means resetting the G9 lounge to a socializing area, making sure all trash is removed, and wiping down the tables.

THAT IS IT

Go cook, you crazy kids.

History

By Charles Isbell with appropriate thanks to Tao Alter. Revised by Mark Foltz 2/99. With a couple of things added by Christine Alvarado 9/99. Tweaked again by Todd Atkins 10/2001. Updated for CSAIL/Stata by Meg Aycinena 1/2005, 9/2005, and 9/2006. And updated again by Chih-yu Chao 9/2007, 2/2008, and 1/2009 (due to budget cut). Updated by Alex Cornejo to conform to restructuredText spec to compile to html.