SC - Ambiance: Was : Cookery-Art or Science

[Elise Fleming]

Stefan li Rous wrote:
> She took it to the revel, where the staff proceeded to cut it up in 
>pieces  and serve it in very poor light. She might as well have simply 
>cooked a  single chicken or turkey.

Adamanatius replied:
>It seems as if the scientific achievements of Lord Thomas of Menlo 
>Park might have helped with this artistic effort...

In a thread on pet peeves, I mentioned that poor lighting was one of 
mine and quoted an earlier post about the hall being only lit with 
candles.  Someone else commented that the reason the lights were out 
and only candles used was because the (prince?) wanted it that way.  
Dim lighting might seem romantic and "medieval" to us because we are 
used to banks of fluorescent or incandescent lights.  Since those 
hadn't existed, the lighting must have been poor.

The new issue of TI surprised me with an article of mine, part of which 
talks about our Victorian perception of candle-lit halls.  The example 
I gave about having to take out a flashlight to see if we had a grain 
dish or a salad wasn't exaggerated.  Stefan's cook (above) is echoed by 
my example of a lovely subtlety that wasn't visible.  Ambiance is 
something we need to begin working on.  I will hazard a guess that if 
the tables are arranged "medievally", if servers act with flourish, if 
banners hang on the wall, and if the food is good and on time, few 
people will complain that the lights are too bright.  Or, am I 
mistaken?  I will note in passing that there is a level of low light 
that now gives me headaches and eye strain.  Many feasts seem to 
descend to this particular level and after some 15-20 minutes I 
experience continuing, low-level pain.  Is this a problem for anyone 
else?

Alys Katharine

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