SC - FAQ/Intro - LONG
kat
kat at kagan.com
Fri Oct 2 11:09:12 PDT 1998
OK; here's what el Papa and I came up with between the two of us. If you have any strong feelings about changing anything, please let us know!
This will be sent as an intro message to each new subscriber. All of you who are current subscribers now have it. Clever, what? ;-)
- kat
...........................................................
Welcome to the SCA-Cooks mailing list!
The purpose of this list is the discussion of medieval and early
Renaissance foods, to exchange and redact recipes, and to generally
enlighten people as to the palatability--nay, the magnificence!--of medieval
cuisine.
Instead of a FAQ, or frequently asked questions list, we are
fortunate to have the archives entitled "Stefan's Florilegium." Begun as an
archiving of topics of discussion on the Rialto, an SCA-wide discussion
forum, the Florilegium--maintained by Stefan li Rous--now contains an
archive of posts dedicated to period foods. You can find this archive at:
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/idxfood.html
A few basic rules: This is a friendly list. Consider it to be a noble
conversation amongst gentles in my living room. Sometimes the subjects
get off-topic or there will be discussions of modern foods. That's okay but if
things stray too far be prepared to take it private and return to focus. This
isn't just about period foods but a gathering of cooks interested in period
foods.
Also remember that flame wars, insults, or any type of verbal
attacks will be quickly stopped. I expect my guests to be polite to each
other. Some of the discussions can get heated but only in a debate sense.
We are all intolerant of rudeness.
We are a friendly and welcoming group and you can be as quiet or
talky as you wish. Most questions are answered quickly and usually from
great authority. There are some fantastic members on this list. Don't be
afraid to ask questions.
There are some rules about posting:
1) Please keep the Subject line updated on the subject you are
actually discussing. If you are posting recipes please post if you know if it
is period, peri-oid, or out-of-period.
2) Please refrain from posting virus warnings, chain letters, get-
rich-quick advertisements, or any other spam that you are sure we just
can't live without. If it is that important, we'll find out in other ways. Humor
postings are okay as long as they fit into the theme of this list in some
way.
Some commonly addressed issues, and some help on where to find more:
Q) Is this list just for SCA people?
A) Anybody with an interest in historical cooking is welcome. You
can be a member of another recreationist group or not belong to any
organization. If you know of someone who would be interested, please let
them know about us. But be aware that the majority of members on the list
are SCAers so the conversations may sometimes get a little confusing.
Q) Where can I find medieval cookbooks?
A) Several members of the SCA have published collections of
medieval recipes; and so have a lot of historic scholars. A good
"recommended reading" list can be found in the Florilegium at:
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/cooking-bib.html; or try:
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/cookbooks-msg.html.
Q) Are potatoes (tomatoes, chocolate, aardvarks, etc., etc.) period?
A) Though there are a small handful of existing recipes for new world
foods at the *extreme* end of the SCA period as defined by the Society's
governing documents; as a general rule, most SCA cooks like their feasts
to be more authentically medieval in flavor, and so tend to exclude most
"modern" foods. For information on a specific food item, check the
Florilegium index for the specific type of food. Here's the potato
information: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/rialto/root-veg-msg.html
Q) Wow, this list gets a LOT of traffic!!! Is there a digest?
A) Yes! Digest subscription is obtained by sending an email to
majordomo at ansteorra.org and in the body of the message write:
Subscribe sca-cooks-digest <address> if it is different than the address
you are sending it from.
The digest has nothing more or less than the regular list except
that the digest takes several emails and combines them into just one
mailing. The usual ratio is around 10-1 so it can cut back your traffic
significantly.
Please feel free to ask questions; we listmembers love to share
our opinions! Do be sure to check the Florilegium first, if your system
allows you access to it, to make sure your question hasn't been discussed
recently--but if you think you have new information to share with us on an
old topic, by all means, please do so!
..........................................................
============================================================================
To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".
============================================================================
More information about the Sca-cooks
mailing list