Re(2): Saracen Sauce

[Sue Wensel]

> 
> I guess the real question is, what is the role of the cook at an event. In
> some places, it is to feed everyone, no matter what, no questions asked.
> Around here it appears to be to provide an authentic medieval dining
> experience that will satisfy the senses and nutritional needs of the guest.
>

I'm of the "feed everyone" school myself.  Although I stress period materials
and cooking styles, my first concern is to make all the diners happy.  I enjoy
adapting modern recipes and giving them a more medieval feel and conversely taking
period recipes and converting them to modern tastes.

My shire believes in not charging a feast fee.  We look at it that you pay the 
site fee and we feed you for free.  That gets around having more diners than 
feast tokens (that happened to me once, very embarassing) or arguments about who
gets what.

> 
> On the other hand, anything and everything feasible should be done for those
> that plan ahead.  My wife once made kosher versions of a feast for a table
> of observant Jews, except for the chicken: she asked them to purchase a
> kosher chicken, and furnished recipes to them so it could be cooked in
> advance: and included their costs in the feast budget, in fairness to them.
> 

Y'know, I've never thought about the deep details of kosher.  As I stated earlier,
I try to avoid pork (or at least have a substitute ready) for Jewish and Muslem
restrictions, but never the real nitty-gritty of it. 

There's an idea for a feast...


 	Tibor	(Whose dietary restrictions are legion, so I no longer eat
> 		feasts)

Gunthar (who will eat and probably has eaten just about everything.)