OT - Re: SC - Re: saffron

[CBlackwill at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/4/00 1:24:05 AM Pacific Daylight Time, LrdRas at aol.com 
writes:

> Many of us on this list spend a considerable amount of time and money at 
our 
>  craft and, frankly, I find your attitude a not little offensive. It seems 
to 
> 
>  denigrate years of research and hard work on the part of all the fine 
>  historical cooks both on and off this list.

How could my post possibly denigrate the years of research and hard work of 
others on this list?  My venomous response was directed toward your arrogant 
and demanding post.  I think you forget one very important thing about this 
Society, and that is the "Creative" portion of the name.  We are to re-create 
how the middle ages "should" have been.  If you, personally, wish to 
dogmatically stick within the confines of an ages old recipe, then good for 
you.  Even more so if you have spent considerable hours in research and 
fact-finding.  This is a worthwhile endeavor for some people.  But, to 
emphatically say that "I" cannot substitute an ingredient in a medieval dish 
borders on the absured.  It was done on a daily basis in our era of study, 
and I defy anyone who says otherwise to come up with proof.  I have the sword 
of culinary history and evolution to back me up on this arguement, sir.  As I 
have said, cuisine is a living and fluid art, which means it is, was, and 
always will be changing.  I know there are others on this very list who will 
agree with me.  There are many people on this list and in this Society who, 
it would appear, base their ideas of the medieval era solely on precedent, 
and are incapable or unwilling to look past this, and into the "creative" 
possibility that, yes, indeed, turmeric may have been used as a substitute 
for saffron.  This is a re-creation society...NOT a re-enactment society. 
      I'll stop now before anyone gets mad.

In service to (but never a slave of) the Dream,
Balthazar of Blackmoor
Court Jester to an as-yet-unknown-King
Lord of the House that Jack Built
Purveyor of Fine Wit and Sarcasm