SC - Good Broth

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Mordonna22 at aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 11/14/1999 6:52:57 AM US Mountain Standard Time,
> Bronwynmgn at aol.com writes:
> 
> <<
>  That would leave your vegetarians with a menu of three fruits and fruit
>  juice, a couple of vegetables, and bread.  That would not feel like a feast
>  to me.  I would want at least another carbohydrate, and some kind of beans
> or
>  something for protein.  If the frumenty recipe is actually vegetarian, that
>  would help, but I think it would still feel a little short.
>   >>
> 
> I guess the crux of this is what each of us thinks an SCA feast should be, or
> what should be a truly medieval feast.
> For me, if I were a classical music fan, and I bought tickets to a Rock
> Concert so I could go with my friends, I wouldn't complain about the dearth
> of Classical Music.

I think there's a philosophical issue here. Some vegetarians are simply
that, and comfortable eating nothing but vegetables. Others aren't so
comfortable, perhaps they're basically carnivores or omnivores at heart,
but for various medical, religious, or philosophical reasons they can't
or won't eat meat. And it's true that most of us live in a society where
we expect a big hunk of protein to sit and occupy the place of honor on
our plates, even if it is vegetable (or primarily) protein. Me, there've
been times when I've chosen not to eat meat for months at a time, and
when I did I just ate vegetables, grains and such, but never had much
interest in play meat. I enjoy tofu and seitan, for example, for what
they are and not because they can be made to resemble meat. Personally,
it makes me crazy when I see people doctoring vegetables to look and
taste like meat <we don' need no steenkin' casseroles!>. However, not
everyone is like that.

My menus, like those of some others who've already commented in this
thread, are pretty modular, with bread, maybe a grain dish, usually a
hot green veg or equivalent, a bean dish, and a salad. Meat dishes
contain meat, vegetable dishes do not. I rarely have complaints from
non-meat eaters, but I can see how someone might regard this as possibly
adequate everyday fare, but not necessarily a feast-day treat. Some do,
some don't. Most of what I hear is that what I provide is a lot more
than many others do, and that if the dishes I cook are good-tasting and
ample, there's no problem at all. The people that do expect special
vegetable dishes may, in some caes, be ignoring the fact that a noble at
a medieval feast who doesn't eat meat is practicing an act of austerity.
He or she is not going to say, "Those chiches and joutes were splendid,
now if I only had a nice tofu casserole I'd be in Heaven!"

Again, that's not such a terrible attitude to have, and if a person's
stomach is not going to be more full by asking it to be more like a
period stomach, it simply won't. On the other hand, I make my policy
pretty widely known, I've never had anyone ask me to cook anything
specific for them as a substitute for a meat dish, and what I do seems
to work pretty well. So far.  

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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