Whilst eating my dinner this evening, it struck me – not that I was entirely unaware of the fact before but it had largely failed to register in my consciousness – that cabbage gets cold quickly.
When you have prepared and served a cooked meal, it’s highly likely that some components will cool faster than others while some (sausages, tomatoes) will retain their heat for longer, even to the extent that they will still be liable to burn one’s tongue when others are already lukewarm.
Undoubtedly there are sound scientific reasons for this involving surface area, thermal conductivity and the like, but that’s no help to the cook endeavouring to give the diners an enjoyable gastronomic experience. Perhaps someone should devise a thermodynamically balanced menu?
Maybe the answer is in the layout? Could this even be the rationale behind the current trend for vertical stacking of food which I mildly denigrated in a recent blog? If so, I retract my comments – except that I still don’t want warm salad in my burger!
QR's Little Morsels 
Some years ago – if I had to guess, I’d say around 1989-90 – McD*nalds briefly trialed a ‘self assembly’ product, the gist of which was that everything remained at its optimal temperature until eating, so you got a hot patty, a warm bun and cold lettuce in a complicated foldy box with different compartments, then put it all together before eating it.
I only remember seeing it on sale once – in the Villiers Street branch while on a school trip to the National Gallery -and my history teacher was the only person I ever saw eating (and assembling) one. Presumably they didn’t take off because temperature control was the least of their worries given the execrable quality of the component parts. Can’t polish a turd and all that.
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