sca-cooks Feast size?

[Philip W. Troy]

Michael F. Gunter wrote:
> 
> I've noticed people talking about the size of the feasts they have done and I'm
> curious.  How big is the typical feast that you have headed?
> 
> I've been twitted a couple of times by a gentle joke I made earlier about the
> hazards of mental health of SCA cooks.  I will admit to having mental gymnastics
> whenever I do feasts but maybe it's because of the size of the meals I have been
> involved with.  I have either been head cook or assistant head cook of several
> feasts for over 350 people and my last feast was for 500.  Whenever I get to cook
> for a nice intimate gathering of 150-200, it's usually on a site with no kitchen,
> water or electricity.
> 
> I'm hoping to put in for our Kingdom's next Laurel's Prize Tourney so I could
> finally have a nice kitchen and only cook for around 200-250.
> 
> Once again, how large are the typical feasts for you folks?
> 
> Yers,
> 
> Gunthar

For my part, at small local events we generally serve about 100 onboard.
Royal progress events tend to go around 200-300, with something like a
Twelfth Night going around 500. This is in a kingdom with a huge
population base, living pretty close together. We generally don't have
any of that stuff about driving eight or ten hours to get to an event;
more likely we have three or four to choose from within a two-hour drive
on any given weekend.

Obviously, when you are cooking for 100, you have a bit more freedom as
to the number of dishes you can cook, and the complexity of the dishes
you choose. That's part of the fun.

Adamantius