[Ansteorra] Tavern food suggestions

[Michael Gunter]

>We do the modern foods during the day for breakfast and lunch because so
>many people want and request them. Let's face it, a business owner who
>refuses to give his customers what they ask for can also be described in a
>period term....... ( Broke )

I understand the thought that people want modern food and if you don't
provide it you won't sell. But I feel that realistically it wouldn't be that 
way.
Peri-oid foods don't have to be weird or unappetizing. And people will
buy food that tastes good, especially if they don't have to go off-site or
prepare their own.

Examples for breakfast:

Breakfast tacos. Sweet buns. Fried pies. Beef stew thickened with oatmeal 
(the
original gruel), Sausages, Funnel Cakes, Quiche, a pancake "cake" made from
stacked pancakes cooked together with holes poked in it and a mixture of
honey and butter poured in, fresh fruit, dried fruits, scrambled eggs with 
stuff
mixed in, etc..., French toast.

Lunch thoughts:

Go ahead with hamburgers and grilled chicken but put them in pita halves 
instead
of buns, shish kabobs or brochette, salads, cheeses, hummus, meat pies 
(nothing
more complicated than sautee'd meats and/or veggies and some cheese with
refridgerated biscuit dough and baked. They're good cold or at room temp as 
well.
Ploughman's lunch of cheese, fruit, bread and maybe meat, sausage on a 
stick,
grilled chicken legs, quiche again, flatbreads with olive oil and herbs 
brushed on
and grilled, soups, dolmas.

Dinners:

Think of a stew or braised meats served over couscous. Roasted or grilled 
chicken,
salads, roast beef, pasta with cheese and spices, ravioli in a sauce of sage 
leaves
cooked in butter, grilled mushrooms, tarts, cook some chicken thighs and 
wrap with
limply cooked bacon then sprinkle on a bit of sage. Wrap this in a simple 
dough
and deepfry or bake. Terrines are easier to do than you think and neat. 
Steamed
meats and veggies. Stews and soups. Corned beef.

Sweets:

Fried pies are period, tarts, fruits, stewed fruits over biscuit, rolls 
stuffed with honeyed
nuts, gingerbread, candied peels, fruits dipped in batter and roasted or 
fried, custards.

Drinks:

Instead of the usual iced tea and lemonade or sodas maybe grab some bottles 
of fruit
syrups at the local ethnic market, my favorite is the Black Currant, or make 
your own
then just add water to taste. These were drunk either warm or cold. A type 
of egg nog
was also enjoyed.

I don't think people would turn their noses up at most of this and I think 
would be
within the parameters of your facilities. Not all of these are documentably 
period but
not far out of the realm. Think 10 foot rule.

And I do fully understand the irony of eating a periodish meal off a paper 
plate with
a plastic fork. I'm not advocating total period ambience. But getting people 
to appreciate
the little things is one step closer to actually getting there. Personally, 
even in my
"period food sucks" days I was always a little more delighted with having a 
roast chicken
and cheese and rolls than a hamburger anyway. It made things just a weensy 
bit
more real.

Baroness Xene came up with some great suggestions as well, some of which I
evilly stole for my own ideas.

Oh, and as for gargoyles, small fountains were used at many grand 
feasts...so nyah!
Of course it will be a bit more difficult to explain them spewing kamakazi's 
and
chocolate martinis. But for that you need to blame Duke Miguel because he's
the Porto-party-planner and can beat me up.

Yers,

Gunthar
Gunthar