SC - Just Joined and a few comments.

[Stapleton, Jeanne]

Hi, Filippa!

I am mistress of the Lochac Guild of Cooks and have been in the SCA for
14-15 years. I am currently a journeyman to Master Charles of the Park,
one
of the Lochac cooking Laurels, for those who don't know him.

	Charles is a *god*.  Cooking with Charles was fun.

On Balanced Foods
In a message dated 10/28/98 5:24:19 PM Eastern Standard Time,
memorman at oldcolo.com writes:

<< Perhaps the cultural imperative was
 just as strong in 1442 to eat or prepare a meal that balanced warm and
 cool foods with dry and moist ones.
 
 Just a thought.
 
 Elaina
  >>
Agreed. This is the only rational thought that explains the set up of
the
majority of period feasts. But I also believe that t the average Joe was
just as clueless as the average Joe today when it came to interpreting
the
medical data at hand. 

	It is an interesting theory and one that's possible given the
	fact that humoral theory was a period concept and the Food
	Pyramid was not.  :-)  I'd go further and say that concepts that
	have evolved for us and are seen in notions such as "herbalism"
	and even "aromatherapy" were probably more integrated into "you
	are what you eat".  Remember Ophelia's monologue from "Hamlet"?
	My (admittedly limited) reading indicates that there might be
more
	than just metaphor underlying the "rosemary, that's for
remembrance"
	stuff; that consuming those substances was believed to enhance
	the associated abilities.

	
With regard to catering to vegetarian/allergy sufferers, I always make
sure
that there will be enough alternatives to allow these people to eat and
not
go away hungry. I have several allergies, as Rowan will attest and make
a
point of informing any new cooks of them. I do not expect them to cater
to
me, personally, but as some cause anaphylactic reactions I need to know
what to avoid. Where possible I contact them well ahead of the event to
check if I need to bring food for my self or eat before or after the
event.
If I neglect to do this and I can't eat the food, then I am to blame. I
feel that people in the SCA should be more responsible for their own
dietary needs before events, rather than complaining later there was
nothing available for them to eat. Sound like a sermon? I'm sorry but I
have also been in the position of many of the other cooks with regard to
unexpected vegetarians/allergy sufferers. A little bit of foresight goes
a
long way (for all concerned).

	I've pretty much been too busy when the allergy and sensitivity
	discussions have come through to respond, but I'd add this:  I
	think that allergies and sensitivities have become something of
	a red flag for rude behavior.  I'd hate to think that it was
	not an option for an allergic/sensitive person to even *mention*
	their allergies and having that interpreted as a demand of some
	kind.  

	Allergies and sensitivities are not "selfish whims"; storming
into
	a kitchen and demanding that an entire feast be recooked is.
I've
	got no issue there.  I do think that ingredient lists and
advance
	phone numbers for concerns are the appropriate polite compromise
on
	both parts.

	Here's are two points that I haven't seen raised before:  one,
in all
	the fuming about people "taking responsibility for their own
allergies"
	(and I'll admit I'm heartily sick of that term, frankly--I have
allergies
	and sensitivities and I did not ask to be born with them), we
overlook
	the fact that sometimes, in a feast setting, people will forget
and
	make a substitution in moments of stress; and that people will
also not
	tell the truth about a substitution or stretcher that they've
done
	because they know it's not period and maybe they're gunning for
recog-
	nition of some sort and don't want to mention it because it will
appear
	to compromise their artistic integrity.  Example:  the feast
cooks at
	an isolated event who tipped three cans of stewed tomatoes in to
stretch
	a soup.  A diner had an allergy to tomatoes; she had her husband
take her
	to the hospital immediately upon feeling strange, but she had
done 
	everything "right"; she'd checked the menu before coming, she'd
asked
	the cooks for information on avoiding her specific problems,
etc.  (And
	yes, I know the person, i was at the event, etc.)

	What about taking responsibility for our cooking?  It seems to
me that
	we have a responsibility as well to practice truth in labelling.

	Another issue is that SCA cooks have *pride*.  Many of them will
urge
	someone, often to the point of prodding with guilt, to try "my"
tripe
	dish, despite the fact that the person has politely demurred
several
	times.  Encourage, don't guilt-trip.  Anybody recall my story
about
	my refusing the walnut chicken but having a Snickers at fighter
practice?
	I'm so glad to cook came over and asked me rather than grousing
around
	about my "fake allergy"--because there *is* a difference between
peanuts
	and walnuts, at least my allergist said so (and AM explained it
all
	nicely once  :-)).  But frankly, I can sneakily and halfway
begin to
	understand people who might demur food dislikes as sensitivities
or allergies
	if they were picked at constantly to try something that they'd
tried
	and just don't like.

	I differentiate this between flatly refusing to try anything
that doesn't
	look like a cheeseburger or macaroni and cheese, which I've come
out 
	against before.  I believe in educating and encouraging; and
quite often
	the sight of fellow diners blissing out over that cauliflower
with savory
	cheese goo might tempt a diner to try the food in question
better than
	being browbeaten over it.  I still don't think it's right to say
you have
	an allergy when you don't; bear in mind that many people don't
know the
	difference between allergies and sensitivities, but I don't
think people
	with sensitivities should be cajoled into eating foods that will
make
	them uncomfortable either, or be told "It's all in your head".
Nuts, for
	example, make me turn all red and get hives and splotches in my
thoracic
	and arm, hand and facial area.  They haven't killed me yet; but
I'd rather
	go through a feast without hives and splotches and itchy
discomfort.  And
	what courteous cook would expect me to simply for the ego trip
of watching
	me eat his cooking?  (Elaina, bless her heart, when I let her
know of this
	in advance, sent me my own tiny cute cornish game hen with the
apple stuffing
	minus walnuts.  I deeply appreciated it.)


At Good Friday Feasts when offered a meat dish I compliment the server
on
the aroma and presentation, ask that my compliments be passed to the
cooks
and decline the dish. It is not difficult and surely is only courteous
to
behave in this manner. Maybe it is manners rather than dietary
requirements
which should be the target of our venom.

	Spot on, right on, you've hit the nail on the head. 

	I'd like to point out that I would like dining to be as
all-inclusive
	as possible.  One of the drawbacks sometimes comes in the
limitations
	of the venue, in that it isn't going to be logistically possible
to
	offer "below the salt", "Low table", whatever you want to call
it dining
	(picnics or soup and bread meals) for people because you have
only
	80 places.  The SCA continues to wrestle with this on a
site-by-site
	basis, and quite often sites are chosen for reasons other than
their
	kitchen or feasting capacity.  I read a great work by a food
anthro-
	pologist talking about how the true crossroads of the medieval
day was
	the feast hall.  I personally ike to see as many people there as
possible.
	I would prefer the "gee, you have allergies, so you're an
outcast" be
	as limited as possible.  Where possible, I'd love to have the
severely
	restricted person be able to bring their food with thema nd
spread out
	at their own table.

	On the "noble v. peasant feast" theme, I had a thought last
night; I once
	was going round and round with a rather anal-retentive autocrat
who was
	worried about not providing a good enough/intriguing enough "low
board"
	item.  Yet she paid lip service to wanting to stay as "period"
as possible.
	Exasperated after the third exchange of phone messages, i
sardonically
	suggested that we observe the true medieval manorial custom and
send the
	"broken meats" down from the high board feasters.  (BTW, i
always label
	leftovers as "broken meats" in my own fridge.  :-))  She drew
herself up
	and said, 'I wouldn't consider not serving anything *fresh* to
everyone!!!"

	*sigh*  So many bits of trivia, so little time.

	On vegetarianism:  one tiny drawback with a minority of
vegetarians can
	be that like any other "ism", a few zealots feel a
responsibility to try
	to convert/shame/pressure others into compliance.

	Can anyone come up with some good suggestions for
educating/reaching a
	rapprochement with the vegetarian/vegan population that
emphasizes "what
	we're doing here is trying to re-create something that was, not
adapt
	to current political statements"?  I really like the idea of
smilingly
	suggesting that they pretend to be clerics observing a special
fast or
	crusaders doing a penance or on a quest when they're at a feast.
And
	Philippa's suggestion, if it could be heard by more
"abstainers", is 
	simply wonderful.  No "freezing out" for cooks who dare to
prepare so much
	meat.  :-)


On a personal note: Berengaria, Where have you been all this time??!

	The flip response that springs to mind is, "Passed out drunk in
a ditch,
	and you?"  :-) E-mail me privately and we'll catch up--my last
packet to
	you was returned as undeliverable.

Berengaria
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