SC - Period Feasts

[Groulx, Michelle]

Ragnar said...
>Before I say anything else, I need to start this with, I'm new to this list
and not sure if right off the bat I might stick my foot in my mouth, with
everyone else on the list. My name is Ragnar Graybear, some of you met me
this year at Pennsic. I finally got to subscribe.:)<

Let me welcome you before I disagree with you. It kinda funny that this
discussion is once again being brought to light, especially since I got
thoroughly trounced on the Ealdormerean List about this very subject last
week. A bunch of people (who btw, know basically nothing about this subject
matter and are very opinionated about what is period and what isn't,
although I do not include Tibor in this statement) who are sitting around
telling the culinary artisans what is and what isn't.

And then he said...
>In my opinion, the first and foremost thing is to make the populace eating
your feast happy. This is not a competition, so if it is not absolutely
totally period, yet everyone enjoys it, that is more important. In all my
years of experience, especially with a new feastacrat, people will tend not
to try a dish that is strange to them.  People do not like to pay to eat
something that they are not sure of.<

I agree when you say that a good mandate is to make your Feasters happy, but
I believe that you are buying into the myth that all period food tastes bad.
I also disagree when you say this isn't a competition. Perhaps it is not
DIRECTLY a competition, but I view the time spent in the kitchen as not only
a learning experience but one that adds to my reputation as a cook. Its all
one big competition in the end isn't it? One of the points I was trying to
make on the E-List was, don't try to pass something off that isn't period by
stating that it is. People split hairs all over the place and dissected what
I said that by the time I had finished responding back to some of these
plebes (sorry), I gave up as it was just too much trouble. 

Educating peoples palates is a very fragile and time consuming endeavour. I
consider this a competition (albeit personal) to see how many finicky people
I can get to try something new. As for not liking to pay for something you
won't eat, why would you/they do that? Menus and ingredient lists are
usually posted well in advance, if not on the day, that way you can sit
feast or vote with your feet. 

So then you said...
>Educating the populace to a more period palate is reasonable and should be
encouraged, but adjusting period recipes to a more modern taste is
acceptable as well.<

Not on my planet.

And you continued with...
>Think of yourself as a provider, and your feast goers as customers, you
will want the costumer satisfied with the product you provide and to return
for repeat business.<

See my bit above on "reputation".

>There is a problem all over the Known World in the fact that if there is
one time that a group has a problem with a feast it is many years if ever
that the Kingdom/surrounding area will come back and try it again.<

Not necessarily. I find it more likely that a if a cook of unknown
reputation screws up, THIS gentle will have cooked their reputation for a
while (perhaps a long while), but if a cook of renowned distinction messes
up, it is usually put down to a bad <insert disaster of choice here> and
life goes on.

Micaylah


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