Food in museums

Simon Green <simongreen22<-at->gmail<.>com> writes

>>Paul Himmelstein <aandh<-at->mindspring<.>com> writes
>>
>>Ingrid Neuman <berkart<-at->earthlink<.>net> writes
>>
>>>I am writing to inquire if there is an extant formal list of
>>>recommended (and also therefore by extension not recommended) food
>>>items to be served in a small museum cafe.  ...
>>
>I may be a bit dim but I don't understand the question below.  Or I
>don't know why it is asked if it is a conservation question rather
>than a commercial one.

Mr. Green has asked why there is a distinction between serving food
in a museum cafe and cooking food there.  There are several reasons
why this is an important issue.  If the existing HVAC system does
not have a separate air handler for the cafe, aerosols from cooking
(especially fat/oil from frying) can be circulated in the galleries.
As anyone who has sauted an onion in butter knows, the aroma can
spread widely, even when there is a fairly good exhaust system.  The
aroma indicates the spread of aerosols.  The aerosols can wind up
coating the surfaces of museum collections.  While cooking aromas
may be desirable in a private house, museum visitors do not usually
appreciate them in galleries.

Cooking can create a significant fire hazard.  Quite a few fires,
some in museums, have been caused by grease build-up in exhaust
systems.  These systems are rarely cleaned properly.  (Many museums
find it difficult even to keep up with routine filter replacement,
let alone cleaning hidden exhaust ducts.

The light coating of fat that results from cooking (which is rarely
removed from hard to reach areas--like the tops of doors and
cabinets) can also lead to significant pest problems.

It is also very common to see substantially increased levels of VOCs
in museum cooking areas, as compared to galleries.

Please also note that a draft of ASHRAE Guideline 27P "Measurement
Procedures for Gaseous Contaminants in Commercial Buildings" is
available for public review until September 28, 2015.  It is free
for download during the review period at

    <URL:https://osr.ashrae.org/default.aspx>

After the review period there is a charge.

Paul Himmelstein


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:17
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