SC - Guilty Conscience

[LrdRas@aol.com]

In response to Murkial's pangs of completely unwarranted guilt, Master Huen queries:

>  Does anyone else have similar horror stories? I'm sure we would all 
>  be amused by them!

Mine's a very mild story, but nonetheless...

I took over a local day-tourney "tavern" MANY years ago from a local cook who, tragically, was fast becoming a severe alcoholic.  With a
great deal of work I set about transforming it into a breakfast-and-
lunch buffet that was at least perioid (as I was trying to learn period 
cooking on my own with NO help or information).

After a few years, our tavern got quite an excellent reputation... 
until one year when I was unable to do it, and the former cook 
took it back, in a fit of "anything you can do I can do better..."

To make a long story short, it was a debacle.  First, she chose as a "theme" Jamaican.  Second, she pre-tested NONE of the dishes.  
Third, she spent at least $300 (I had always kept it under $150). 

The event went waaaaay over budget... and I was left with the ashes on MY hands for the next year.   And the next year came around, and 
I proposed my menu.  To which my seneschal (and the autocrat of the event) replied:

"No, we waste too much money on those fancy dishes, and everyone 
complains anyway.  Why can't you just do something simple?  Hey, I 
know, why don't you just make a big batch of potato-corn chowder 
and some bread?  That'd be great!!!"  (And for this, charge $5 a 
head.... <<sigh>>)

It took a whole lot of subterfuge, but in the end I made a big batch of potato-leek soup to appease him (plus beef stew with onions and 
herbs, plus chicken in a period sauce, plus cut-up vegetables and 
fruit, plus lunchmeat, cheese and crackers, plus meat pasties, plus a 
cheesecake-thing for dessert; none of which I mentioned to him...)

Oh, and it was a success, and we made money....  :-)

	- k

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