SC - "personal recipies"

[LordVoldai at aol.com]

Donning a flame retardent suit Voldai quotes:

In a message dated 5/12/99 1:31:24 AM Central Daylight Time, LrdRas at aol.com 
writes:

> Once the recipe has changed from the original even a single iota it is 
>  no longer able to be called 'period'. It is a personal recipe. And, I can 
>  think of no excuse which is valid for doing so other than laziness on the 
>  part of the Kitchen Steward,.

and replies:
	while i am all for research into period cookery i find it insulting 
and _excessively_ compulsive (i'm all for being moderately ccompulsive) to 
insist that a recipe cannot be changed one iota.  redactions may inherently 
and sometimes intentionally include substitutions or alterations from the 
original recipe.  ofttimes this is not laziness, but rather, ecpediency or 
creativity (the alternate interpretation for the "c" in SCA).

	 i also feel that it is insulting to our bretheren in peroid to 
assume that they were mindless automatons following instructions in a book of 
cookery and had no creative spirit or ability themselves.  i'm sure period 
cooks were as creative as their modern day counterparts.  i know of no true 
cook worth the name (in any time period) that cannot adapt or improvise a 
recipe from previous experience and what is at hand.

	again, i agree that period research is a very necessary and integral 
part of the SCA.  but i also think that insisting on a precise following of 
the recipie leaves out any creative input that an individual cook may have 
and gives you no potential for progress.  while i have heard arguments for  
both interpretations of SCA (compulsive authenticity vs. creative 
anachronism), i truly feel that there is a happy medium between the two that 
is what i personally strive for.  otherwise all my creative potential is 
wasted.

	please reply personally or to the list as you feel necessary.


in service
Volodislav ludozertzça z Karpat
Steppes, Ansteorra

mka Chad Graber
Dallas, Texas
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