ANST - Stargate Steak Feast

[Margo Lynn Hablutzel]

Gunnora Hallakarva wrote:

> Y'know, I can't sit here and let this go completely by without
> comment.  My duty as a Laurel and all that.

And I thought the duty of a Laurel was to gently teach, not publicly
castigate.  Silly me.

I think this falls into the "why not" category of cooking.  We know they
roasted meat and sliced it mainly because we have the sauces to pour over. 
Why assume they did not cook steaks?  Why assume that "roasted meat" meant
only beef roasts?  By this interpolation, we should question the existence
of bread in period because recipts for same are so scarce, and also we
should assume that they ate a lot of corn in period because that was the
word commonly used for grains at certain times.

For many years, Duke(^2) Master(^2) Cariadoc claimed that the only medieval
desserts were cookies, and perhaps a few custards, because those were the
only recipts he had dedacted.  I did some investigation and pointed out
that the "To make a fine brede" receipt has a result remarkably like
angelfood cake.  He was not happy to hear it, but the proof was in the, um,
cake.

So I don't think that we can assume that steaks were not eaten in period.

And yes, it is nice to have a feast cooked entirely from period recipts,
and preferably also receipts from the same book and appropriate in time and
date to the remainder of the event.  However, this is not always practical.
 At some point, the cooks have to determine what works best for themselves
and their kitchen, and what is most likely to be appealing to the diners.

Frankly, I would rather have a nicely-done steak, plain, than a lot of the
silly oversauced inedibles I have stared down at too many feasts in the
past.

Gunnora continued by saying:

> The kingdom's best cook, Mistress Meadbh, comes from Stargate, and I
> imagine that she cringes to see menus like this from a region that
> she lived in for so long.

My feeling is, the cooks have responsibility for their menu.  If Mistress
Meadbh wanted to be in charge of the menu, she could be the head cook.  If
she has chosen to avoid the position (and most of us do get weary of
cooking for 200 now and again), then neither she nor you have any right or
responsibility to castigate the cooks for their menu choices.  I suppose if
she really cared, Mistress Meadbh would offer her knowledge and assistance.

> There should be no reason to not strive for more authenticity for
> next year's feasts -- so start mulling the idea over.

You assume that the same people will be cooking the supper next year.

> There is so much talent available in the Greater Stargate Area,
> I'd like, for one, to see you all showcase some of your local
> talent and show us the best you can achieve.

So encourage someone else to do it.  If you have such a strong opinion, get
an apprentice in the area and have him/her cook the feast under your
supervision.  But it ill behooves a Laurel to publicly denigrate the
efforts of anyone brave enough to cook a feast -- especially prior to the
event, and based only upon such a sketchy menu as was offered on this list.


                                ---= Morgan (not a Laurel, have far
                                        too much attitude for that)



           |\     THIS is the cutting edge of technology! 
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           |/   Morgan Cely Cain * Hablutzel at compuserve.com
                     Barony of the Steppes * Ansteorra
                          daytime: margolh at nt.com

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