As I hid in the ladies room, I promised myself I would never again judge a contest.
I hadn’t wanted to judge the Preteen Dandelion Princess Pageant. I was asked to step in at the last moment when the original judge suffered an attack of good sense.
I should have realized there’d be trouble when the runway for the candidates turned out to be a flatbed truck situated in the hotel parking lot. Little girls in fluffy dresses ran around screaming and fistfights broke out among the mothers even before I submitted my decision by dropping the ballots on the tarmac and walking rapidly backward to hide out for an hour in the ladies room. At least I thought at the time it was the ladies room.
While I was hiding, I promised myself that I would never make this mistake again. There are plenty of mistakes to choose from and I’m just not judge material.
But years passed, the pain faded, and then this year I was asked to be one of the judges for The Puyallup Fair Plum Pie Baking contest. Of course, I’ve never tasted a plum pie but I didn’t hesitate a moment before saying yes. I was honored! I was thrilled! Besides, there are three judges for the pie-baking contest so I imagine I could hide behind my fellow decision makers in a pinch.
I was fine until last Tuesday when a letter came from Sue Horton, Home Arts Contest coordinator for The Puyallup. It contained the contest scorecard and I started getting worried. After all, I haven’t baked a pie from scratch for a long time. Would I really be able to recognize the perfect Plum Pie: the proper presentation (10 percent of score), appearance (10 percent of score). Texture is worth 30 percent. Tender, flaky crust, tender fruit in the filling. Flavor and aroma are a whopping 40 percent and 10 percent for originality. Would an original pie be square?
The guide sheet recommends bringing a cookbook for reference. I looked for my cookbooks, but I haven’t used them recently. I guess that’s because they’ve disintegrated. What I’ve got are two plastic bags filled with crumbling bits of pages from the Betty Crocker Cook Book, 1942, original Joy of Cooking, reprinted 1946, Better Homes and Gardens, 1953. Well, why shouldn’t they be disintegrating? I certainly am.
Clearly, this is the time to seek expert help, if not Divine Intervention. Originally, the judges for Puyallup Fair events were trained by Washington State University Extension Service and retrained regularly. One of the judges for our contest is a veteran of this training, so I contacted Marlene Angell along with Sharon Campbell. Both have been food safety advisers, judges and 4-H leaders in the Home Arts Department of the fair for many years. Both carry stacks of books and information and, like Mary Poppins, can dive to the bottom of their stack to produce just what is needed.
“It’s important to remember that the contestants may be watching you for reaction. So always look pleasant,” Angell told me. I smiled pleasantly. “Your critique should always begin with a positive remark. She gave me a sheet with suggestions of 100 positive phrases like “Keep on trying” and “That’s the best you’ve ever done” as many contestants enter many times.
The gorgeous canned and baked goods might seem to belong in a ’50s musical but both Angell and Horton caution that today it’s more important than ever to know as much as possible about the food you are eating and serving your family.
“Read the labels on the food you buy,” Angell said. “Be sure you understand every ingredient. And be sure you have the latest information,” Campbell added. A good place to find that information is the WSU Extension website: foodsafety.wsu.edu where you can get all the latest information and food safety tips.
“The joy is seeing someone try and try again, and finally win a ribbon,” said Angell.
“It’s the young people, when you work with them you see how great they really are,” said Campbell.
It’s enough to keep them — and us — coming back year after year.
Easy as pie.
See Dorothy with her phone problems at www.itsnevertoolate.com or on YouTube at DorothyWilhelm NTL. Dorothy Wilhelm is a professional speaker, humorist and columnist. She can be reached by e-mail at Dorothy@itsnevertoolate.com
See Dorothy judge
What: Plum Pie contest
When: 10 a.m.-noon, Sept. 20
Where: Puyallup Fairgrounds, Exhibition Hall, second-floor Home Arts Kitchen
