Willie's Diet

[Alondra]

Ok, in watching the early Barnabas/Willie storyline a question occurs to me that has occurred to me before. When Willie went to live at the Old House with Barnabas, we know that Barnabas did not install electricity so Willie only had that 1795 kitchen to cook his meals. I imagine that Willie probably subsisted on canned foods like chef boyardee canned spaghetti, ravioli, campbell's soups, and dinty moore beef slop I mean stew, chips, hot dogs, things like that. He may have been able to fry a couple eggs and bacon for breakfast and maybe he had a cool place to store things like milk so he could have cereal. But these are not foods that Barnabas would have eaten had he been human. A man like Barnabas would not want to eat this kind of fare so when Willie went to the grocery store and purchased these items, people would be wondering why he was buying such things for a man such as Barnabas Collins to eat. To the outside world Barnabas Collins was a man who lived in an old house with a manservant who was doing restoration and keeping things running. They must have assumed that Willie also cooked Barnabas' meals. If Barnabas had been human he would have eaten much better fare than this.

Alondra

[Brandon Collins]

You raise a good point, Alondra.

But I'm thinking that when Willie went shopping that if anyone DID see him and actually questioned it, they probably just figured that he was buying those items for his personal comsumption, and that Barnabas didn't eat it. Or that possibly Barnabas didn't really eat too much at home because he was always out of town on business. And we know that he liked takeout anyway. *wink*

But, Willie's diet seemed to get better over the course of the series. When we first see him he's skinny, or thin would probably be a better description, and he probably did each canned foods much of the time given the arrangements of the kitchen, like Alondra pointed out. But as we move further along, Willie starts to plump out. You have to realize--he stayed a Windcliffe where I'm sure he recieved sufficient portions and basically did nothing (well, not the strenuous type of work that he did under Barnabas' care), and later moved out of town to be on his own, where no doubtedly he ate numerous different things, not just canned goods.

In related news: Last night I was watching some episodes, and I think it was episode 1069 or 1070 where we see Trask in the PT Collinwood's kitchen sharpening a knife and talking with Amy, then later in the same episode we see Elizabeth and Roger (I think) talking in the room. And the kitchen is also used to roll the credits.

[Nelson Collins]

hmm, I guess when he then would have had to go to the necessary house in the garden to take care of his "other business."    Unless Barn did allow one concession for modern conveniences and had willie convert a couple of the rooms for a bathroom and WC.

I wish we could have seen what the Old House kitchen looked like.

I am picturing Willie trying to learn how to cool on an old wood burning stove.  It's a wonder he didn't burn the place down!

[loril54]

The kitchen or food was hardly ever used.  Just a lot of Tea that was used as alcohal. Ane coffee speaking of things on the set a little off topic, how about the cigs in the bowl. I don't think we see that again. Very little cig smoke in the Bar.

[Alondra]

hmm, I guess when he then would have had to go to the necessary house in the garden to take care of his "other business."    Unless Barn did allow one concession for modern conveniences and had willie convert a couple of the rooms for a bathroom and WC.

I wish we could have seen what the Old House kitchen looked like.

I am picturing Willie trying to learn how to cool on an old wood burning stove.  It's a wonder he didn't burn the place down!

I've just seen in the early episodes that [spoiler]when Jason came to the Old House to find out what Willie was up to just after he came to work for Barn, Willie said he was doing some carpentry and plumbing. I hope that meant he was putting in a bathroom, so he didn't have to use an outhouse all the time.[/spoiler]

As for him burning down the house, wellllllll..... I should imagine that Barnabas might really cane him for that. Unless of course he was in his coffin at the time and then he went poof himself. Hmmm....

Alondra

[adamsgirl]

There had to have been some kind of working kitchen. Remember the scene where [spoiler]Barnabas invites his "Josette," the poor kidnapped, brainwashed Maggie, down to a romantic dinner? Willie was serving it. We never saw the food, but there was a beautiful table setting and wine. One assumed there would be a wonderful meal served. As for Willie's culinary skills, well, who knows? All I know is, that scene spelled out that there had to have been a working kitchen.[/spoiler]

[Nelson Collins]

As for Willie's culinary skills, well, who knows? All I know is, that scene spelled out that there had to have been a working kitchen.[/spoiler]

True, and there was [spoiler]that impromptu dinner party that Barn threw to draw Nicholas away from his house so it could be searched.  Hopefully by the time Barn became human again, he updated the kitchen somewhat.  I can't imagine how he would have managed otherwise. and of course, with the family staying at the Old House after Quentin drove everyone out....[/spoiler]

I don't know why but now I am picturing Willie as a prissy master chef screaming at Barnabas to get out of his kitchen and crying over souffle falling and quail being charred.

[Alondra]

There had to have been some kind of working kitchen. Remember the scene where [spoiler]Barnabas invites his "Josette," the poor kidnapped, brainwashed Maggie, down to a romantic dinner? Willie was serving it. We never saw the food, but there was a beautiful table setting and wine. One assumed there would be a wonderful meal served. As for Willie's culinary skills, well, who knows? All I know is, that scene spelled out that there had to have been a working kitchen.[/spoiler]

Either that or the meal was catered, and all Willie had to do was heat it up. Even if Willie had learned how to cook well enough by this point that he could have made a delicious meal for himself, I just see Barnabas being selfish enough to not want his servant to eat that well, so he would have subsisted on the canned gak that I mentioned earlier. I sense that Willie would have to beg for money to buy food (and maybe a pack of smokes every now and then) and Barn would throw him a twenty and tell him to get what he needed. I could be wrong though, since Willie had to work hard to restore the place, it's possible that Barnabas was a bit more generous with his food and he was able to eat better. Things like this would be a matter of each viewer's perception.

Alondra

[Alondra]

True, and there was [spoiler]that impromptu dinner party that Barn threw to draw Nicholas away from his house so it could be searched.  Hopefully by the time Barn became human again, he updated the kitchen somewhat.  I can't imagine how he would have managed otherwise. and of course, with the family staying at the Old House after Quentin drove everyone out....[/spoiler]

I don't know why but now I am picturing Willie as a prissy master chef screaming at Barnabas to get out of his kitchen and crying over souffle falling and quail being charred.

That scene was after Barn was human again. I think things probably changed considerably at that point. First [spoiler]Willie was released from Wyndcliff to help take care of Adam, and resume his old job at the Old House. Since Barnabas was human he was eating food again and at this point Willie would have been called upon to cook meals for him, or him and Julia. Maybe Julia helped with the cooking since she was always there.[/spoiler]

When [spoiler]the family all had to stay at the Old House during the time Quentin drove everyone out, Mrs. Johnson also came, and can you imagine her wanting to take over Willie's kitchen? If he was a prissy master chef as you say, that kitchen would soon be the scene of WWIII LOL![/spoiler]

Alondra

[loril54]

As for him burning down the house, wellllllll..... I should imagine that Barnabas might really cane him for that. Unless of course he was in his coffin at the time and then he went poof himself. Hmmm....

But can a Vampire go poof?? There was interview with a Vampire.  

[Nelson Collins]

Maybe he opened a fancy bistro in Collinsport after the show went off the air.  "Mr. Willie's"!

[adamsgirl]

Either that or the meal was catered, and all Willie had to do was heat it up. Even if Willie had learned how to cook well enough by this point that he could have made a delicious meal for himself, I just see Barnabas being selfish enough to not want his servant to eat that well, so he would have subsisted on the canned gak that I mentioned earlier. I sense that Willie would have to beg for money to buy food (and maybe a pack of smokes every now and then) and Barn would throw him a twenty and tell him to get what he needed. I could be wrong though, since Willie had to work hard to restore the place, it's possible that Barnabas was a bit more generous with his food and he was able to eat better. Things like this would be a matter of each viewer's perception.

I thought about the catered angle, but it doesn't make much sense. It seems that whenever anyone ate out, they went to the Blue Whale -- I mean, really! What did they eat? They were always ordering steak, it seemed, although burgers were more apropos for that venue. The only other place? The Collinsport Inn -- and that would have been so ironic, given that Maggie had been a waitress there.

[spoiler]Since Barnabas was recreating 1795 when he and Josette were engaged, it would be logical to assume the food would be appropriate to that time. So, what could that be? Mutton? We know that Barn had English roots. However, Josette was of French descent, so what would be served? Some sort of rotten meat with some gelatinous, gloppy sauce to cover up the rottenness of it, as was common practice in France?[/spoiler]

As you said, Alondra, this is up to the viewer's perception, but it's delightful to conjecture about!

[Nelson Collins]

It's funny, I was just watching the 91 series for the first time since it was aired and Willie, by the 5th episode, has become "rather a good cook" according to Barnabas!  At least with breakfast food.  You know, re: 91 Willie, you'd think Barn would encourage and/or pay for Willie to get some major dental work done, and encourage a bath once in a while. ick.

[Alondra]

It's funny, I was just watching the 91 series for the first time since it was aired and Willie, by the 5th episode, has become "rather a good cook" according to Barnabas!  At least with breakfast food.  You know, re: 91 Willie, you'd think Barn would encourage and/or pay for Willie to get some major dental work done, and encourage a bath once in a while. ick.

Well I never think of the '91 Willie Jim Barney Fyfe. Though he brought something to the role that JK never did, (goofiness) I will always prefer JK as Willie, to me he IS Willie. I did like the concept of [spoiler]Mrs. Johnson being his aunt though, and since she was played by Julianna McCarthy who was in another soap I watched for 10 years the Young and the Restless, I enjoyed seeing her again. Of course I hated her as Abigail.[/spoiler]

Yeah, though our Willie (JK) had to live in such primitive conditions, he kept clean and had nice teeth. He also had a beautiful forelock, cute dimple in his chin and sweet earlobes. LOL!

Alondra

[BuzzH]

Yeah, though our Willie (JK) had to live in such primitive conditions, he kept clean and had nice teeth. He also had a beautiful forelock, cute dimple in his chin and sweet earlobes. LOL!

You forgot the HANDS Alondra!    And the buns.....yummmmmmmmm!