SPCA- LONG!!! was Re: SC - Plastic Ware

[Alderton, Philippa]

I'm posting this to both SPCA and SCA-Cooks, so some of you may get
duplicates.

Par,

SPCA (Soup Pot Cook's Association) is developing as a camp of SCA Cooks at
Pennsic, where we're offering hospitality to all comers, more or less, with
certain special meals limited to invitation only. Much of the plasticware
discussion is because we're still working out how to do this in as
unstressful a manner as possible, for all of us. Experience showed us last
year that we need to work out some of the details regarding clean up. It has
also showed us that some of our guests may arrive unexpectedly, with no
feastware, so we need to have something to feed them with. I'm going to make
my suggestions here openly, so that some of you not camping with us might
have some input- who knows, you may be joining us yet ;-)

SPCA is open to all members of SCA Cooks List as long as you pre-register.
We are particularly welcoming to those of you who have a great deal of
travelling to do to get to Pennsic. We'll be happy to work out
transportation from the airport, and the loan of such facilities as we may
have to spare in order to help minimize your luggage situation. I am
Campmaster/ Slumlady, responsible for Land Grab, organizing the camp,
neighbor relations, and coordinating our joint activities. If I'm doing my
job properly, I should be seen to be doing Absolutely Nothing.

Margali is in charge of coordinating our Kitchen this year. Ras has done it
in the past, but since he won't be there this year, she has kindly agreed to
step in and do the job. She's done similar jobs for other camps, but she
hasn't yet been responsible for Caer Frig and our way of doing things, so
she's tending to work too hard at it ;-)

I charge a camp fee of $10 a person, Gypsies exempted. Margali is working
things out- it is looking like it will cost about $30 a person to eat all
War. Camp fees go for firewood, fuel, hoses, and the like, food fees go for
perishable supplies, and this year, since we don't have Ras' awesome
collection of home-canned goods to rely on, Margali is using her discount as
a food services employee to help us get inexpensive, interesting foods. We
also have whatever else people choose to bring- we're coordinating that
right now on SPCA List.

SPCA List is a List primarily designed for our campers, with certain fellow
travellers or future members welcomed, so they know what we're up to. If
you're thinking about joining us, let me know and I'll add you to the List-
we have archives so you can get up to speed.

Back to the plasticware.

Margali, my thoughts on that are that you may, if you like, bring a supply
of disposable feast gear. I think, this year, we should limit its usage
strictly to guests. Camp members should be required to bring their own feast
gear, and to be responsible for keeping it clean. I also think we need a
donations box in camp, so people can donate food or cash. It needs to be
obvious, but not intrusive, so people who can or can't afford to donate
aren't embarassed, but have no question as to what it's for. Frederich,
would you be willing to make us one? It would need to have two areas, one
fairly small, for cash, another larger for canned foods and the like.
Margali, it would be your responsibility to see that it's emptied regularly.

As far as washing out personal feast gear:

My thought would be that we need to see that we need to have hot water in
camp at all times anyway, it would make sense to see that we have the double
sink in a readily accessible area, and fill one half with hot or warm soapy
water, the other half with rinse water, so people can clean their feast gear
after meals.

Causing regular hot water. Margali, since you're in charge of the kitchen,
and Stefan, since you're in charge of the shower, and Frederich, since
you're in charge of the sink, why don't the three of you get together and
work out a solution which makes sure we have hot water available most of the
time? Possibilities might include having a dedicated pot in which water is
always heating, and any user is expected to replace the water they use,
making it the responsibility of the dishwashers or the Cook, or finding
someone who is willing to make that their camp contribution.

As far as dishwashing, we can go one of two ways, since it is my belief that
the Cook should NOT have to do the dishes when they're finished cooking,
other than those they've dirtied and need to re-use. I would suggest that
either we have a sign-up sheet, or possibly a chore list, where different
people are responsible on different days for dishes, or we ask for a
volunteer, whose duty to the camp is to do dishes. Either way, I think we
need to specify that the job is to be done, or at least seen to have been
accomplished twice a day- in the morning, by, say, 10 AM, when all community
dishes are to be clean from last night, and by 4 PM when the Cooks intend to
work and need them. I'm sure that swapping chores will not be a problem, as
long as the original choreholder is aware that the responsibilitry is THEIRS
to see that the chore is done, rather than whoever might actually do it.

Any thoughts?


Phlip

Nolo disputare, volo somniare et contendere, et iterum somniare.

phlip at morganco.net

Philippa Farrour
Caer Frig
Southeastern Ohio

"All things are poisons.  It is simply the dose that distinguishes between a
poison and a remedy." -Paracelsus

"Oats -- a grain which in England sustains the horses, and in
Scotland, the men." -- Johnson

"It was pleasant to me to find that 'oats,' the 'food of horses,' were
so much used as the food of the people in Johnson's own town." --
Boswell

"And where will you find such horses, and such men?" -- Anonymous