SC - A Flopped Feast Tale

[Uduido at aol.com]

In a message dated 97-06-06 12:53:51 EDT, you write:

<< some humorous anecdotes of stuff we've come up with while trying 
 > to redact and weird things that have happened at feasts would be 
 > worthwhile as a little seasoning on this list.  >>

2 yrs. ago. I decided to do a totally" authentic" feast. One of the helpers
was perparing a lamb meatball type thingy from al-Baghdadi. He was to chop
the onions into small pcs. He actually cut them into BIG CHUNKS and formed
the meatballs. He was so proud of this first attempt at cooking that I could
only praise his attempt as a perfect illusion of "porcupine eggs". 

At mid-morning the ovens blew up into a huge fireball and we had to send to
the local deli for period looking bread because 32 loaves were charred black.
The ovens never would heat over 200 degrees after the explosion soooooooo the
tarts were sort of dried crispy things. The stove burners wouldn't go above
med low so the  fried fish was "moist". Any way I was so asshamed that I
refused to go into the feast hall for the tradditional "vivat" to the cooks. 

A while later when the fighters were washing the dishes and I had secreted
myself in the storage room to get lost in a fine bottle of ale, King Ruslan
came timidly knocking at the door. He requested a container of the chicken
forsemeat with currants dish because he had loved it and wanted to know if
some were left so he could take some home; telling me that the feast was
wonderful and one of the best he had ever eaten especially the "sushi". 

I am not one to get TOO emotional but that little gesture in the face of the
worst feast I had ever prepared made tears flow. And, it became the
overriding stimulus for me to continue in the kitchen. 

Lord Ras (Uduido at aqol.com)