[Ansteorra] More on "period"

[Sir Lyonel Oliver Grace]

Salut cozyns,

His Excellency's rant reminds me of another aspect of re-enactment that I've 
not seen mentioned. We need to ask ourselves the question, "Is this a good 
idea?"

Laszlo made the point of Don Maelgwyn's approach to convincing others to try 
period methods. I've seen others (Earl Brion, Sir Alexis, and Sir Gaston, to 
name a few) who also teach by example. When these gentles demonstrate a 
period method for doing something, they are actually showing several things 
at once:

1) What an appropriate re-enactment looks like (frequently shaming the 
faux-period re-creations around them)

2) That they can be done without breaking either the bank or one's back

3) That many of rediscovered Medieval and Renaissance techniques are just as 
effective (occasionally more so) than our modern attempts to mimic them.

Sir Alexis's tempered fine gauge steel armor and Don Maelgwyn's coeur 
bouille armor are great examples.

On the other hand, I've hand-sewn garb, and I'm not planning to go back to 
that. Of course, I was using stainless steel needles and cutting the cloth 
with hinged scissors, so maybe that was the source of my trouble (as if).

Ultimately, I think being authentic in one's re-creation efforts has to end 
at a point of diminishing returns. It's rather like cooking from scratch. I 
make pancakes, crepe, sauces, vinaigrettes, marinades, and soufflees from 
scratch, but what constitutes "scratch" for me might be taking shortcuts to 
some. I make my own Hollandaise, for example, because it's quick and mine is 
much better than the prepared crap in the stores. On the other hand, I've 
never mixed my own mustard. Grey Poupon works quite well in my sauces, so 
why put in the extra time to work out the proportions and whip out the lumps 
when what I want is right there on the shelf?

Similarly, I have yet to meet the armorer who makes all his own sheet metal 
from the pigs.

lo vostre per vos servir
Meser Lyonel
_________________________________
Micel yfel deth se unwritere.
		--AElfric of York




>From: "Michael Gunter" <countgunthar at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: "Kingdom of Ansteorra - SCA, Inc." 
><ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org>
>To: ansteorra at lists.ansteorra.org
>Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Good idea Let us share info
>Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 11:18:39 -0500
>
> >The one thing I still haven't been able to solve was my cooking over an
> >open
> >fire not being period, was it my method or my equipment tsk tsk maybe 
>I'll
> >never know.
> >Regina
>
>Well, the spit you use isn't what is seen in the period woodcuts of camp
>life. They were rather like sawhorses with various tools for leveling and
>basting of foods and hooks on the legs for lesser spitting.
>
>You cook with cast iron which wasn't invented yet. A proper camp kitchen
>used ceramic, tin and forged metal cookware.
>
>You aren't using the proper camp tools such as flesh hooks, skimmers,
>tasting
>spoons, etc...
>You don't pound your spices and rubs in a proper mortar and pestle.
>
>The dishes you prepare aren't documented as being period.
>
>See? You horrible modern person you! I'll bet you even sometimes rely on
>that devil's tool.....the....(shudder!)....Co-Co--COLEMAN STOVE!
>
>Basically, if someone really wants to be anal they can rip apart any 
>attempt
>at period. You perform a wonderful service for anyone in camp and I'd 
>rather
>have your wonderful cookware and spits in my camp roasting meats and
>creating dinner than a coleman stove. One of the reasons we call this ugh,
>The Dream (tm, pat pend) is that we don't adhere to strict recreation. We
>ignore eyeglasses and obvious modern items like nylon tents. But we can
>also take baby steps along the way and inspire others to become a little
>more
>period.
>
>Take cooking, since we are on the subject. It wasn't too long ago when a
>"period feast' meant no tomatoes or potatoes. Now documented food is
>on tourney feasts as often as not. People have discovered that period
>cuisine
>actually tasted good. No, we don't cook in period kitchens but that doesn't
>mean we can't have someone taste a period dish and have them get excited
>about it.
>
>The way you correct non-period behavior is to get the person excited about
>the "right way" of doing it.
>
>Gunthar
>
>
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