sca-cooks Transport of Foodstuffs

[Mark Schuldenfrei]

  First, let me say that I by no means intended to open a authenticity VS
  non-authenticity debate, nor did I expect (or apreciate) any of the
  acromony that made its way into my e-mail box.

I hope that the following is taken as reasoned discourse.

Part of the answer to the question "what should we do" is based upon "why
am I cooking this food"  If you are serving a meal at an Eastern event, a
period meal tends to be an optional but authentic part of the event, and if
you don't want that part of the event, you go out to eat, or bring your own
food.  At times like this, authenticity is the pull, and that frames the
question.

Or, you could be in Meridies, where they appear to provide food as part of
the event, so that no one has to leave some of their more remote sites.
In cases like that, food that does not appeal widely is not an option, and
that helps frame the question.

If you are like me, you cook for the sheer joy of learning and having fun.
And authenticity of medieval cookery is your only goal.  Because I don't
cook feasts.

People are fussy about food and what they eat: more so than the clothes they
wear.  One of the best SCA and modern cooks I know is involved with a man
that won't eat cheese on his burgers: too fancy.  Go figure.

Once you know your goal, and your audience, you can answer the question.
Personally, I am FIRMLY on the side of the "No New World Foods" portion of
the dogma: I think that, for the very largest part, the attempt to introduce
New World into cookery, is so that people can make modern foods without
guilt at events.  The "all I want is an excuse to feel good about pizza"
crowd.

This crowd is so prevalent, that most of the time when people ask about New
World Foods, they get lumped into the apologist crowd.  If for no other
reason alone, that is a good reason to avoid New World Foods.

- -------

For cookery purposes, the SCA's time cut-off is a poor one: the age of
exploration was well underway, but the adaptation and rise of the more
modern cuisines had not made its way clear.  Most of the documentable forms
of New World Foods had not (to my knowledge) been really considered part of
the corpus of every day foods and meals, for at least another 100 years.

With a few exceptions.  My research into modern "turkey" (what they might
have well called Coq de Inde) is that it was a very popular fowl, and was
well accepted.  At least within the period of study.
  
  One thing I do disagree on is corn - recent research has turned up
  references to it in 13 and 14th century Chinese and Indian texts about
  the medicinal and nutritional values of different plants and animals -
  that's certainly not enough to include corn tortillas at a Saxon feast,
  but it was around in some places besides the Americas.

[Authenticist alert] We don't do Asia: we do Western Culture.   But I
digress.
  
  
  I bet you'll find it amazing that I agree with you.. but I do believe a
  balance must be struck between plausible medieval dishes, that is,
  dishes of quasi-medieval nature prepared in a medieval way, and those
  that are truely authentic that everyone at a feast will turn their nose
  up at. Educating 150 feasters would be wonderful, but I'd also like to
  feed them.

I dare say that, with the exception of fish, I think you will find that you
don't ever have to choose between pure and authentic meals, and meals that
people will adore.

What you may have to choose between, is providing a wonderful new
experience, or providing a purely familiar dining experience.  My
personal bias allies with the local one: feed them good and wonderful
medieval foods, which is quite accomplishable, and yet do so without
always challenging them.  If your wonderful feast includes a Roast
Port, or a beef stew like Bruit Vergay, or a salad with dressing or
broccoli with garlic and lemon (Castelvetro), then the side dishes can
be neat and interesting.

So, Eogan, the sad truth is that while I would love to see everyone come to
agreement (even more if they agreed with me... :-), I must say that the true
answer is "it depends".

And, if your true justification for asking about New World foods is to
"placate the hungry masses" by feeding them familiar foods, then while the
tone of the responses you got was horrid, they were on target: Just tell
them that Domino's delivers only to the back of the hall, and spend your day
feeding good medieval food to those that want to learn something.

Or not.  Given the effort it takes to feed a large number of people, you
might as well enjoy yourself and do what makes you happy.

	Tibor