SC - Culinary A&S Entries

[Mark Schuldenfrei]

On Wed, 16 Jul 1997 09:42:56 -0500, Clare St. John wrote:
[Discussion of using Latin names for herbs snipped]

>On a different question....Has anyone ever entered food as part of an arts
>display or competition.  How do you display it?  What types of things do
>you show.  We've had several entries lately in various competitions and it
>might be of interest to some of the newer cooks.

I recently entered a small repast in competition against 7 or 8 other
pieces and won Laurel's Choice (there were also prizes for Populous
Choice and Nobles Choice, both won by a wonderful man's shirt &
doublet outfit done in a Tudor style). For presentation I laid out a
white tablecloth and placed red grapes spread out on it, a type of
table decoration done at least in the Italian Late High Renaissance. I
then had a modern two-pan chafing dish with one side with Almond
Fracatellae and Rice Fricatellae on the other side. I also had a very
nice looking chafing dish with Fried Broad Beans. In front of the
Almond Fricatellae I had a Garlic sauce (all of the above from
Platina) and a Cameline sauce from some other source I can't remember
off of the top of my head. I also had a small bowl with Fennel Seed to
sweeten the breath should anyone wish to partake. 

Each of the dishes had a small label in an easily readable
calligraphic script (from off of my computer, my handwriting is
atrocious). I also had a stack of the recipes and my redactions
available with a little note encouraging people to feel free to take
the recipes to their own cooks, should they enjoy them. Despite rave
reviews, nobody took the recipes.

My documentation consisted of those same recipes and my redactions and
a page of "Notes" where I mention what techniques I used that were not
strictly period, but why I felt my technique was valid or required. I
also noted how, if my technique was a good bit different, I made an
attempt at achieving a similar result.

I also placed prominently a calligraphied letter on the table
proclaiming that this was a small Italian repast that my cook, Agnolo,
had prepared for me for lunch, but that I had more than I could eat
and wanted to share part of the meal with those who would wish to
partake. It worked out fairly well, I thought.

I would now do some things differently. I would make an attempt in the
letter to ask for feedback to "assist my cook in performing better",
just to try and get a bit more feedback from the judges. I would also
provide a feather-pen and paper for the judges and others to comment
with. I want to try and find more of the nice looking chafing dishes,
so I don't have to use the ever-so-sterile-looking, modern, square,
aluminum ones I used last time. I would also make sure to note the
order the dishes should be eaten in and what "humor" types should
avoid which dishes. (If you lean towards suffering from bile, you
should avoid this dish, but this other one will do wonders for you!)

I do like attempting to present things "in persona", though, as if my
cook made this, and not myself. Anyone have any good ideas on other
ways to present these things from a persona perspective?
Honos Servio,
Lionardo Acquistapace, Barony of Bjornsborg, Ansteorra
(mka Lenny Zimmermann, San Antonio, TX)
zarlor at acm.org
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