SC - Re: Substitution VERY LONG (Balthazar comments)

[Elaine Koogler]

I think I must have missed something.  I don't recall seeing Aoife's listing or
questions about where one would be on the list.  Can someone refresh my memory or
let me know what was said if I did, indeed, miss the original post?

Thanks!

Kiri

RichSCA at aol.com wrote:

>  Balthazar of Blackmoor,
>
> I am going to take my sharpest paring knife and chop your comments up so I
> can insert my 2 cents worth in between.
>
> Rayne  *
>
>  Interesting and enlightening.  I am having a hard time placing myself on
> this
>  list.
>
> *  _ I _  have no trouble placing you on this list. You are the person that
> makes very intelligent comments, who enjoys cooking and "plays" in the SCA...
> And who I find myself frequently agreeing with (Boy, are YOU IN TROUBLE!)  :-)
>
> On the one hand, I would love nothing more than to stoke the fires,
>  make the cheese, burp and scratch myself in the feast hall, but on the other
>  hand, I firmly believe that medieval cooks readily substituted what they
>  couldn't find with what they had on hand.  The idea of discarding an
>  otherwise delicious and appropriate recipe on the simple basis of not being
>  able to obtain one ingredient is, somehow, appalling to me.  I cannot, in my
>  wildest imaginings, believe that this was ever done in medieval times.
>
> * And, although I can't "prove" how medieval cooks made substitutions, I
> agree with you.   I can't prove a lot of things I believe in, but I still
> believe in them.
>
>  Even more so, I cannot grasp the concept that, after having dedicated so
> much
>  time and energy into the (very impressive) research of medieval cooking,
>  certain cooks on this list are satisfied with stopping at the written word.
>  Extrapolation and deduction are the rewards of a lifetime of scholarly
>  research.  I do understand that certain people are, for the sake of absolute
>  (and admirable) authenticity, unwilling to make these assumptions for fear
> of
>  heading down the wrong path, or producing a recipe with a hint of cinnamon
>  which does not belong.  But the book and volume of human experience tells
> us,
>  with crystal clarity, that such assumptions were made.  Modern cooking
> styles
>  evolved from same.
>
> * Again - an agreement here.
>
>      I guess what my entire rant boils down to is this: Am I going to be
>  chided and guffawed if, during my A&S entry, It is noticed that I
> substituted
>  Mace for Nutmeg, or prepared a "classic" dish with pork instead of beef?
>
> *  Probably - Yes - you are. Because I have noticed that the justification
> for substituting items in cooking is not the same for some other
> classifications.  (Oh, you used cotton to do your embroidery on because you
> couldn't find or afford silk - WE understand) But in cooking there seems to
> be no justification for using mace for nutmeg (since you could obtain either
> fairly easily) and perhaps you should have picked another dish to make if you
> had to substitute ground up grasshoppers for the endangered potbellied
> rattlin' beetle (which you could not get).  So look for the reasons you would
> want to enter an A&S competition under those circumstances.
>
> Am I going to be denied my Laurel, my Pelican, my Albatross or what have you?
>
>
> * First let me say that I am not a Peer, but I feel that the elevation of
> Peerages can be subjective for a number of reasons.  I like the wording that
> Peers are not "made", but are publicly recognized by the members of that
> Peerage.  I have actually heard (over the last 25 years) Peers say (out-loud,
> when they do not notice the "little person" sitting near them) "THAT person
> will NEVER be a (pick peerage of your choice) BECAUSE "they do not dress like
> a Peer, flirted with my spouse, divorced my best-friend, were "unchivarlous"
> XX number of years ago, their children are  unruly, etc."
>
>     If so, then this is unfair, because it is apparent that these kinds of
> substitutions are, indeed, "period".
>
> *  Like I tell my children and grandchildren:  Life, in all it's aspects, is
> NOT fair.  There is no such thing as "fair".  Live simply IS.  And through
> the course of life... most things balance out.  Yes, the girl may do more
> dishes today than her brother did yesterday because yesterday we had take-out
> pizza and today I made a seven course meal.  But balance it out at the end of
> your life - not the end of the week.  She may marry a rich man who presents
> her with a maid and may never do dishes again.  Her brother, on the other
> hand, will marry the love of his life who passes away at the age of 60 while
> he gets to live on 25 years more without her doing his dishes alone.
> Your efforts within the Society will be noticed (good and bad) and in most
> cases will "balance out". l
>
>  There are too many definitions of the term for a fair and objective
> evaluation of my efforts.  And rest assured that mine will be a valiant
> effort, with freshly made cheeses, hand made breads, and so on.
>
> * Again... look to why you are placing your talents before others to be
> "judged".
>
> Are my labors going to be wasted because one or more of my "judges" has a
> different definition of "period"?
>
> * Yes, possibly.
>
>      In actuality, I care little for SCA awards, and have no real desire to
> attain one, but this does illustrate my point.
>
> * Then just have FUN.  For this, above all, IS the name of the game.  It has
> been said:  "Man is that he might have joy."   I play for the enjoyment of it
> and for almost no other reason.  I cook because I enjoy it.  I cook for
> others because they enjoy it.
> I cook within the SCA*(and other groups) for the enjoyment I find in the
> kitchen and for the enjoyment my meals bring to others.
>
> * I do not agree with some of the viewpoints and comments made on this List,
> but I look at the whole.  I do not try to convince others that my way is the
> "right" way, but spend my time pulling knowledge from them.  And this List is
> comprised of some of the most knowledgeable people I have "met".   Just like
> I do went dining, I take what I want and leave the rest.  During one of the
> first meetings I ever had with the wonderful Lady that is now my Peer, I
> proceeded to remove from my mundane salad all the greens that were "funny"
> (meaning non-iceberg).  A bunch of us were doing the "after the weekly SCA
> meeting, let's go eat" thingy.  She looked at me and asked what I was doing.
> I told her that I had lived in Europe for four years eating "funny" greens
> and I was not going to keep on eating them if I had a choice.  She just shook
> her head.
>
> Balthazar of Blackmoor - who is curious to know where other cooks on this
> list would place him on  Aoife's top ten, based on his posting history...)
>
> *And here is the crux ... we all have a choice.  I may not rank at the top of
> Aoife's top ten, but (for now) I am content with my ranking.  :-)  As for
> where do you rank - it is more important if you are comfortable in the
> ranking you give yourself.
>
> And in reference to another comment you made in another post:  "Yes, this IS
> a hard room to work. - People have trouble hearing the inflection in your
> voice"  BUT I usually get it. :-)
>
> Yours,
> Rayne
>
>
>
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