Book excerpt: Eating Habits Of Man Have Changed Right From The Stone Age To The Modern Age. In Ancient Days Men Used To Take Their Meals At Home, Whereas Today People Are Required To Spend Most Of Their Time In Offices And Other Establishments. This Has Created A Relative Shortage Of Domestic Help And Working Women Can No Longer Entertain At Home Easily. The Size Of Homes Has Also Become Smaller And This Has Created A Demand For Facilities For Entertaining Outside. This Demand Provided In Impetus To Catering Establishments To Extend Their Services And Provide Package Deals In The Form Of Complete Arrangements For Parties, Festivities And The Like.The Development Of The Country In Different Spheres Of Education, Tourism, Health Care, And Modes Of Travel From Road To Railway And Air Has Tremendously Changed The Requirements Of People For Eating Outside Their Homes And Has Generated The Need For Well Planned Catering Facilities. Along With The Change Inpeoples Requirements For Eating And Entertaining Outside The Home, There Has Been An Escalation In The Number And Types Of Catering Establishments. These Have Sprung Up In An Organised Manner, As Well As Unorganized One-Off Operations. In The Vastly Competitive Catering Environment Of Today It Is Imperative For One-Off Operations To Become Organised, And For Organised Establishments To Enlarge The Scope Of Their Activities In A Professional Manner.The Catering Industry Is One Of The Largest Foreign Exchange Earners For The Country, In Addition To Providing Employment Opportunities To People Of Varying Skills. The Nature Of The Industry Also Has The Potential Of Providing Avenues For Self-Employment. To Run Any Catering Establishment, One Should Have The Complete Know-How Of Catering Management To Ensure A Fair Deal To The Customer.The Plan Of This Edition Remains Unchanged And Contains Eight Independent Units Which Have Been Updated Where Necessary. The Units Cover The Complete Range Of Activities In Any Establishment. Unit I Explains The Principles, Functions And Tools Of Management, And Methods Of Optimising The Use Of Resources. Unit Ii Provides Complete Information On Spaces Like Kitchen, Storage And Services Areas. Unit Iii Discusses The Essential Equipment Required In An Establishment Of Any Size; And Suggests Methods Of Selection, Installation, Operation, Purchasing And Maintenance Of Equipment Unit Iv Explains The Characteristics Of Food And How Best They Can Be Purchased, Stored And Used For Food Production And Service. Unit V Discusses The Financial Aspects Of Management And Accounting. Emphasis Has Been Laid On Food Cost Control Measures And Pricing. Unit Vi Provides Complete Information On Personnel Management, Recruitment Of Staff, Employee Benefits And Training. Unit Vii Is Devoted To Hygiene, Sanitation And Safety Measures Necessary For Maintaining The Health Of Customers And Staff. Unit Viii Focusses On Future Trends In Catering. Appendices Have Been Provided On Different Aspects Of Catering And A Glossary Is Also Included For The Benefit Of Those Not Conversant With Indian Vocabulary.The Book Has Been Specially Designed To Assist The Managers Of Catering Establishments, Restaurants, Cafeterias, Lunchrooms And Kiosks To Operate At High Levels Of Efficiency. It Also Meets The Requirements Of Home Science Colleges, Catering Colleges And Vocational Training Institutes Offering Food Craft And Catering Management Courses. Besides, It Provides Ideas In Catering For Elf-Ployment For Enterpreneurs Or Unemployed Graduates. It Is Hoped That This Book Will Serve As A Source Book For All Those Involved In Managing Catering Establishments.