SC - meat days and fast days - MIXED?

[Mary Morman]

On Wed, 28 Oct 1998, Page Huchinson wrote:

> I see your point, however being that I am not born of that time, I do not believe
> that ALL the dishes or feast included meat.  Does not history suggest that it is
> possible for non meat dishes?  Especially for those folks who are poorer then dirt.
> would not there consumption of dinner be maybe broth and bread.  So in that case
> there would be no meat?
> 
> Page

People who had meat, ate meat.  Certainly many people at many times did
not have meat - especially poorer to middle class people and especially at
certain times of the year.  But when we recreate feasts, we recreate feast
foods.  No one would hold a feast and then serve poor fare.

At all times, some people did not eat meat for religious reasons.  For
example, someone doing penance, members of certain religious orders, some
people on pilgrimage, people under some type of vow of abstinance.  And 
at some times, practically no one ate meat - again for religious reasons.
For example, during Lent, during Advent, on Fridays (and/or Wednesdays
and/or Saturdays).  We have lots of recipes for how to hold a feast during
Lent (or on some other fast day) but all of them involve large amounts of
fish -not- a substitution of vegetable dishes for meat dishes.  Having
served fish at a couple of SCA feasts, I'm not about to make that mistake
again.

In period, what would a penitent or a religious do if seated at table
during a feast?  Eat of those dishes that were offered that seemed most
likely to meet his special needs.  -NOT- ask that special dishes be
prepared to meet those needs.  That is exactly the -opposite- of the whole
idea of fasting.  To fast, you -give- -up- certain things.  You don't ask
others not to eat them.  You don't make something else as a substitute.
you look at the things you cannot have, consider their goodness, then pass
them by.  And yes, this means that sometimes the person who was fasting
might each nothing but bread and ale (both pretty nourishing).

But the point I'm trying to make was that not eating meat in medieval and
Renaissance Europe was a matter of religious choice or obligation.  Unless
abstaining for a particular reason, those who had meat, ate meat.  Even
the lower classes would use meat or broth, if available, to flavor their
porridge.  If nothing was available but grain, then they ate that as bread
or porridge.  When other foods became available, they were added in.  

This idea of not eating meat for dietary or moral purposes, or of wanting
to each 'balanced meals' that include different food groups is simply not
relevant to period dining.  That said, I still make a point to have a
number of non-meat dishes at any feast I serve.  However, I draw the line
at deliberately serving vegan fare.

Elaina

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