SC - Suspicious Allergies

[Peggy A. Stonnell]

CorwynWdwd wrote:
> 
>  Kiriel, please don't take this as a flame... but given my past experence with
> Cooks who "do not know exactly what ingredients"<they> "will be putting into
> a dish until ",they>" have made it... " Please tell me where you are so I'll
> know to go offboard.
> 
> Corwyn

Corwyn,  I will do my best not to be offended, but in reply, I will say,
that I would rather NOT eat food prepared by a cook that would rather
the food was period than edible!  To not be willing to adjust a dish
because it is not written in the period source has the potential to
perpetuate the myth that period food is icky. I won't add non-period
ingredients to dishes, but I will definitely add to a dish if it is not
good enough. I don't think I would add an ingredient that I knew someone
had an intolerance to to a dish to enhance it, but if I had to, I would
hunt down the person myself to make sure they were aware they could not
eat it. 

I think perhaps this is an appropriate time to introduce myself, so you,
and everyone knows where I am coming from!  I have been meaning to for a
while, but just had not gotten around to it. 

I am Mistress Kiriel du Papillon.  I dwell in the Barony of
Politarchopolis in the Principality of Lochac, in the Kingdom of the
West.  

I have dwelt in the SCA in Lochac for over 14 years now, a founding
member of my group.  The first feast held in Politarchopolis was in my
parent’s home, and I have been involved in the running of events ever
since.  I have cooked or stewarded at least one feast per year since
then, and up to eight per year some years. 

The first feast I stewarded was a Principality investiture of 150
people, the largest event that had ever been held there.  I have now
been the steward or cook for 4 (or is it 5? I have lost track)
principality events.  I have also assisted in the kitchens at
Principality events in Ynys Fawr, Rowany, Dismal Fogs, Riverhaven,
Stormhold and Aneala.  In fact, in Aneala (which is 3 days travel from
my home) I took over being head cook, when the cook suddenly became Lady
of Lochac (and had a great time too!).   My work in the kitchens of
Lochac is one of the reasons for my Pelican. 

The largest event I ever cooked was a feast at Rowany Festival (our
small equivalent of Pennsic).  I had turned up to the camping event
knowing to cook for 350 people, to discover upon arrival that there were
now 450.  We had enormous problems, including only having 3 pots to cook
a feast for 450 people!  This is the only feast at which I have ever
received a complaint, and that came down to problems with serving. 

It was only really after my 3rd principality event that I decided that
being both the steward and cook of an event wasn’t something that had to
be done by the one person. So for the last 4 or 5 years I have been
luxuriously lazy and either been cook or steward and not both.  Now I
usually have a kitchen hand or maybe two for events of more than 80
people, any smaller number and I generally don't need assistance, apart
from dish washing. 

I ran "the kebabery" at Rowany Festival for 3 years, serving over 300
kilos of meat to the populace, without a single case of illness or
complaint.  I am still being begged by autocrats and individuals to run
it again. Never, in 14 years of cooking have I had a complaint to me
that someone has become sick because of my cooking.

My most recent major event was stewarding a Principality Twelfth Night
for 250 people, with the head cook being Aelfrythe of Saxony. 

My fellow SCA members have done me great honour, and I have been awarded
with service awards from 3 Baronies, my Principality and my Kingdom and
my Society.  I also bear the arts and sciences awards for the
principality and Kingdom, and the courtesy and grace awards from my
Barony, Principality and Kingdom.

But of all my references, the greatest in the kitchen would have to be
that Lady Aelfrythe of Saxony and Mistress Gabrielle della Sante Croxe
are happy to have me work with them in their kitchens; and as they are
professional chefs I am content. 

I have been to somewhere between 8 and 20 events every year since I
joined the society, across the full length and breadth of this gigantic
continent, and I cannot recall an event where an ingredient list was
posted.  I have seen the documentation for the dishes at one event, and
have seen menus listed out at less than 15 events (including my own).

I think perhaps, reading other's comments, that people in Lochac have a
different perspective generally on the issue of catering to allergies,
than that in the US.  Here, our law is very strange to you too, and
individuals are placed with the responsibility of looking after
themselves a lot more than I gather is the case in the US. Perhaps that
is why we see things in a way that seems contrary to you?  Perhaps we
just need to accept that we do things differently here from there, not
better or worse, just differently. 

Cultural diversity. Singing... You spell it neighbor, I spell it
neighbour, you spell it flavor, I spell it flavour. Neighbor, Neighbour,
Flavor, flavour, lets call the whole thing off!

Kiriel
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