[Ansteorra] Call for Papers: The Alexandrian Company Symposium on Food and Festivals in the Middle Ages 8/25/01

[C. L. Ward]

The Alexandrian Company is pleased to announce The Fourth Alexandrian
Symposium, to be held Saturday, August 25, 2001, in San Antonio, Texas.

The theme for the 4th Alexandrian Symposium is FOOD AND FESTIVAL. This
includes such various subjects as feasting, fasting, holidays, Lent/Mardi
Gras, food in religion and ritual, food in literature, the politics of food,
period food sales and merchanting, spices, table manners, eating habits of
various cultures and any other subjects pertaining to the cultivation,
consumption or restriction of food prior to 1600 AD. As this is a scholarly
lecture and presentation symposium, classes will NOT include cooking
workshops. Instructors, however, are allowed to bring appropriate samples of
period food for their classes -- as long as they bring enough for everyone!

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL CALL FOR CLASS PROPOSALS!!!

Topics we would like to see classes on include: Lent and its history; foods
mentioned in period literature; the influence of food on politics and
history; the effect of New World foods on European cooking and cuisine; how
period festivals were celebrated esp Easter, Christmas, Mardi Gras/Carnival,
May Day, etc; Jewish food & festivals; Muslim food & festivals; period
cooking methods and utensils; a survey of period bread; presentations on the
techniques of recipe redaction, to include information on locating the
medieval recipes and the research techniques needed to transform this into a
modern recipe; classes discussing the research and archaeology for early
period foods; symbolic food - how food is used in an art-historical sense in
the medieval "language" of paintings of the saints etc.; and anything else
you would find interesting and entertaining.

Submit class proposals or ideas to Karen Moon, 114 Conway Dr., San Antonio,
TX 78209, or via email to karenmoon at msn.com.

Questions? Write Carolle Ternus at cternus at texas.net or see the Alexandrian
Company webpage at http://www.vikinganswerlady.org/alexandrians/