SC - period cooking (LONG!)

[Bonne of Traquair]

I think it varies as to which of these three we end up at, collectively or 
individually.

>	1.  Experience and training as a period cook within the Society,
>thereby meaning we have established what the SCA thinks period cooking is
>like, albeit not neccessarily what it really was like.

Overall, we, as a group,  probably hit this more than any other. Some 
individuals have enough time in the kitchen and at the books that they may 
also hit this level on their own.

>	2.  Experience and/or training as a modern/mundane cook, thereby
>meaning we aren't really doing period cooking, but rather modern cooking
>using period sources.

Individually, a lot of people start out here, and then bring it to the list 
for improvement.  At least, that's what I feel I do. I definatley want to 
opinion of as many of you as possible, but depending on the date and 
geography of the recipe there is usually someone in particular I want to 
hear from.  I'll e-mail you personally if I feel my post to the list has 
been missed by you.

When I first read a recipe, my expectation is colored by what it "sounds" 
like in terms of familiar, modern dishes. Only in re-reading and re-testing 
will I notice that I'm assuming an awful lot or very little of something in 
order to get a particular, familiar result.  Then I have to step back and 
think about the validity of that expectation in the context of the original. 
that's when I ask the opinion of the list.

In a discussion about the cherry pudding vs. cherry soup recipe, Master A 
(I'm almost certian it was him) stated his reasoning based on X and Y also 
found in the same collection but not the recipe.  I responded that I'd 
interpreted the recipe differently having come across is outside of the 
collection and having almost no experience with period food.  On the one 
hand, I learned more and learned to value reading the recipe in context. On 
the other hand, he said my interpretation was reasonable as well, even after 
considering what he knew and I didn't.

This category, influenced by modern but informed by the historic is as  good 
as can be done by indvidual cooks that don't hang out here and don't 
personally have a PhD in medieval cooking to make up for the loss of the 
collective wisdom. However, there is enough learning on this list to mostly 
prevent a final decision from the group from being only this.

Elsewhere in this thread it is wondered if Jim Snuffy Joe Bob in Idaho's 
interpretation uninfluenced by us is as valid as "our" interpretation.  
Maybe, but I think unlikely until JSJB has been at it a long time and done a 
lot of research through inter-library loan.

>	3.  We have finally developed and researched enough period
>resources, and collated enough of the little bits and pieces and hints that
>we have developed a collective certainty about techniques and tastes in
>period, and can hence combine them to make a general set of tools which we
>apply to newly tried recipes which DON'T give us enough info.

I beleive this can and does happen if the group does know enough and discuss 
long enough without dividing into camps.  Not that dividing into camps is 
bad, it just indicates we don't know enough.  And we may never know enough 
about some topics. That's what happens most, seems to me.

>I know, 3 sounds a lot like 1, but to me there is a discernable difference,
>although I may not have articulated it well.

I understood the difference.

Bonne

>regards, Puck
>ps, A said
>>I think that's "You can't get borscht from a stone"...
>>Adamantius
>No, but if you remember your Captain Kangaroo (original version), you can
>make a damn fine soup!
I remember.

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