SC - accommodating at feasts

[grasse at mscd.edu]

Greeting the list,
A point I have not seen mentioned in this debate about accommodating 
allergies/veggies to what point/ or bring your own.  (I just have to play 
devils advocate in this)  For all you "I cook my menu my way and if you 
can't eat it then bring your own, but don't make a fuss" cooks:

Here in Caerthe the paid-and-eating-feast folk sit together, but are 
segregated (separate tables in a group)  from the 
off-board-bring-your-own-food-folk  who sit together.  When I go to an 
event I go (among many other reasons) to be able to socialize with my 
friends.  If much of the feast is stuff I can not eat I have two options, 
1) pay for a feast I can not eat so that I may sit with friends, (and 
clutter the already small and crowded table with my personal food)  or 2) 
do my own off board thing and sit segregated (A sore point, too many years 
was I relegated to the "childrens table" at family gatherings, because I 
was oldest not yet grown and could "supervise" the children).  Neither 
option appeals to me.

NO, I do not expect the kitchen to restructure a feast just for me, nor do 
I expect them to cope with integrated seating of feasters and off-boarders. 
 I felt this point should be raised.

At a recent feast the feast coordinator had been contacted (over 30 days in 
advance) about the allergy (not mine, but I am too familiar with it) and 
stated, NO, the offending ingredient will not be used.  When we got to the 
site not only was the ingredient being used; 2 of the 3 courses used it in 
their main (meat) dishes, as well as several side dishes, thereby rendering 
2/3 of the feast essentially inedible!  A nasty surprise.   As I had agreed 
to help in the kitchens I was able to monitor very carefully what was safe, 
and was able to save out some of one meat dish before the allergen was 
added, thereby increasing the edible parts to more than 50%.  

When I cook I make sure my menu is balanced, so that only a limited number 
of dishes have a given ingredient, thereby leaving sufficient others to 
choose from, so noone leaves hungry.  We had a local allergy to garlic - I 
love the stuff, but I would on general principles plan to serve a feast 
where in one course the meat dish has garlic, but the side dishes are safe, 
and in another course a side dish contains garlic, but the meat dish is 
safe and not feel like I was depriving the diner.  On the other hand if I 
made a chicken broth using garlic, and served the chicken accompanied by 
rice cooked with some of the broth, and also served the soup, and of course 
some wonderful pickled mushrooms (lemon and garlic in the marinade), and 
the next course had a wonderus baron of beef studded with pepper and 
garlic... I would be guilty of very poor planing. and if the gentle had 
been assured no garlic would be used, and then arrived  to this Gilroy 
delight... I feel they would have cause to be displeased.  And 
unfortunately, as A.M.s Walnut episode confirms, it is not as uncommon as 
would be nice.

Gwen Cat 
Caerthe
(Taking a smoked chicken under the rock with her because she figures to be 
there a while.)

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