Table settings (was SCA speak)

[Paul Shore]

On 11 Jul 95 at 10:54, Nancy Bradford-Reid wrote:

> >On 10 Jul 95 at 21:02, I. Marc Carlson wrote:
> >
> >> Sca-speak.
> >> Mundane Term      Jargo Term.           Other possible terms
> >
> >> ---------         Feast Gear
> >  Table setting     Feast Gear
> >
> >I was wondering lately, is Feast Gear itself period?  Should we
> >be trying to get away from the bring your own 'potluck' table settings?
> >
> How would you propose to do it?  Have every group keep track of and wash
> 200-400 place settings?

Why not?  Other organizations seem to manage to do it.  It can't be
worse than the miles of list rope that we have bought.  The dozen
pavillions, the 'loaner' armor etc.

Actually our shire has 120 trenchers which we made from wood for
just such purposes (#2 pine, roughly carved and burned with the name
of the shire, cheap to make).  I believe that it might be reasonable
to request that individuals bring their own flatware (I am told such
practice is period) and drinking vessals.  The serving bowls, 
platters, and pitchers need to be supplied by the serving group 
anyway.  (BTW, if anyone knows of a good source of CHEAP and period 
looking pitchers let me know).

As far as washing our guests table settings, we have been known to
wash all of our guests table settings anyway. It would be even
easier if we could do it at our leasure and didn't have to sort out
whose was whose.  Not to mention avoiding the ugly rush into the
kitchen by half the diners to wash their dishes.  (I do wish that 
they would let us serve the last dish first.)

> Although it is probably not period for every person to bring their own,
> it is certainly the most practical solution, short of paper cups
> and plates and plastic utensils(yack).

The better should not be the enemy of the good.


> I figure if I win the lottery I could build the dream site,
> hall, etc. and tell everyone "feast on us, don't worry about feast gear,"
> but alas....

FYI, the dream site is available up here for a mere million 
dollars... (or so the site owners tell us).


Paul Shore                       | shore at pp.okstate.edu
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