SC - Fw: [Mid] Feasts: Good and Bad [HUMOR]

[Alderton, Philippa]

Gunthar described his feast:

>The people began coming...and coming... and coming. I had hoped for around
>375,
>cooked for around 400. When the gate hit 400 the autocrats started to get
>worried,
>I said "no problem" I can stretch things to 450 if need be".  As the count
>reached
>445 it was suggested that I not allow feast to anyone else. "No, I will feed
>everybody for that is the Swedish tradition!" said the not-too-bright
>Ansteorran
>knight. As the gate count reached 500, the said dim-wit began to sweat as
>well.
>
For next time:  if you are going to have a policy (which I consider a
properly hospitable policy, if you can swing it) of feeding everyone who
shows up, it helps to (1) go to some lengths to get a good count in
advance--ask your friends in all the local groups to take a count of who is
definitely/probably/maybe coming, for example; and (2) have contingency
plans.  You might have a shopping list for 50 extra people and another for
100 extra people already thought out so that you can send somebody out for
the ingredients for some filling, quick, and easy dish you can add to the
feast if necessary, and/or for extra cheese, bread, and fruit you can add
for almost no work.  You may also want to have extra servers lined up ("I
don't think I will need you, but can I count on you if we have a real
crowd?") and maybe extra assistant cooks or scullions.  There is also the
question of where you put people--is there a side room you can put a few
more tables in, are there a few more tables you can put in it, are there
serving dishes you can put on the tables?  All of this stuff is easier to
deal with if you consider it in advance rather than when you are in the
middle of running a kitchen cooking the biggest feast you have ever done
(and I have never done one that size!).

Elizabeth/Betty Cook


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