SC - Pennsic Cookery Classes

[DeeWolff@aol.com]

> Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2000 13:10:12 +0200
> From: Jimmie.Ruthford at ramstein.af.mil
> Subject: SC - Cooking Laurels
> 
> Greetings!
> 
> I've had several converations with members in my area along the subject of
> cooking and its association with the Arts/Sciences.  One particular area of
> interest is the making of a Laurel in Cooking.  What I'd like know is what
> were Laurels recognized for to receive their Peerage?  I've seen the
> discussion about a "Laurel's kitchen" versus a "Pelican's kitchen".

I believe the consensus reached in that discussion was that the
dinstinction, with any Laurel or Pelican worthy of the name, was fictional.

>  I
> assume the Laurel built their status through continued participation in A&S
> compititions.  What kind of projects eventually led to being elevated to
> Laurel?  Is there particular documentation that should be used (i.e.
> original manuscripts, interpretations by researchers, "approved" list of
> sources, etc.)?

Hmmm. In the fourteen years I was in the SCA before being elevated to
the Laurel for cookery, I was in two competitions, only one of which was
for cookery. Well, okay, the other was for brewing, but what the hey...I
find everyday life where I live to be too full of competition to want to
do it a lot on weekends and vacations. Getting a taxi on Madison Avenue
at 5PM on a Friday is about the extent of my competitive streak, and it
fully displays my willingness and ability to ruthlessly crush any
opposition. I'd like to leave it there.  

I'd say that I built any status that may exist by teaching locally and
at our Kingdom University, and turning the research notes that went into
every such class into a paper that was subsequently published in some
SCA forum, such as T.I. Share the wealth and all that. That, and cooking
a lot of feasts which demonstrated that "da fighters" _will_ eat foods
other than hunks of meat. I'd say this might be a matter of respecting
the intelligence of the consumer, and gauging a menu for a given setting
and target consumer group. 

It's been quite a few years since I've done a feast without providing a
pretty basic form of documentation, either by posting the information on
various bulletin boards on site, or by providing a handout. Normally I
provide the original recipe from as close to a primary source as I can
get (it might be a translated version, and perhaps tacked together from
several manuscripts, such as one of Scully's translated and transscribed
Taillevent recipes), and a translation, if necessary, into more-or-less
plain modern English. Then I do a paragraph describing the basic method
used in period, usually entitled, "What They Did", followed by a section
entitled something like, "What We're Doing", explaining any changes made
to the process, such as running the fish under a grill in sheet pans,
instead of sauteeing cod for 350 before finishing the cooking in the hot
sauce. It's up to the reader to decide whether what they're eating
allows them to participate in a Medieval Moment; as I've said before I
have a very tenuous relationship with the word, "period". Most people
seem to really like the food and the documentation format, but I'd say
the documentation is really geared for those interested in medieval
cookery: probably those people who don't know or couldn't care less
about medieval food wouldn't be suddenly converted to The True Path by
the documentation alone. People (myself included) do have a good time,
though, when I'm able to point out some relevance of a menu item to an
individual's persona.  

I'm not sure what else to add; luckily there are several other cooking
Laurels on the list. Of course, none of this is intended as "How to
Become A Cooking Laurel 101" Still, I hope it helps.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com