SC - Plastic Wares

[Marian Deborah Rosenberg]

Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 15:18:10 -0400
From: margali <margali at 99main.com>
Subject: Re: SC - Plastic Ware

It is a choice for a vacation.

I as do many others on this list have stressful jobs/lives for one
reason or another.

I choose to enjoy my vacation.

- ---
Especially with my being a newcomer (and a newcomer bringing other newcomers
with her) to SPCA/Caer Frig, I most certainly do not want to argue with anyone. 
Since your message reads more than a little bit defensive, I feel I ought to
apologize for having come on strongly enough that the need for defense was
felt.

I too choose to enjoy my vacation.
- ---

We have a roughly 20x20 firepit seating area, with a 10x20
cooking/pantry area and a 10x10 work/picnic area, with 3 trees
separating the public area from a roughly 10x10 very sloping area where
the sump was dug in. We hung a hammock from the trees to hang out the
drying dishes.

If you have the main schmooze meal being served at dusk, by the time
dinner was done, it was pitch black, and it is a tad difficult to do
dishes standing on a slope in the dark...We did have a dirty dish issue
last year that I really want to avoid.

- ---
Hmm, yes.  That would be difficult. 
- ---

This year, my lord is building us a field kitchen that is 10x20[designed
to fit the same footprint as lastyears pantry cooking area] that has a
pantry area, a countertop area with a double sink sunk in designed to
use a garden hose as the water source, and a garden hose as a drain line
to the sump behind the trees[a perfect sopt for our shower sump, by the
way] and a cooking area designed to hold both coleman stoves and the
nifty smoker/grill of Phlips, and have a serving/buffet counter. This
will be a great adjunct to the wonderful fire ironmongery of Phlips. It
is a project I have wanted to do for several years as we keep ending up
with camping and event sites with inadequate kitchens.

- ---
This, I think, is the first time I've seen the plans in their entirety.  I'm
impressed.
- ---

As to the fibreware, it is plain, and off white. The plates are oval
with a bit of a lip, and the bowls are plain and about 12 oz in
capacity. They are recyclable and from a renewable resource-and also
bear a resemblance to feastgear i have seen at events.

- ---
Alas I have yet to get a chance at an event with a feast.  The last time I was
supposed to go to one, my "date" (and more importantly -- ride) got pneumonia.

Most of my SCA experience comes through things like this list, or friends who
have been in the SCA for an eternity.  I am a bit of an idealist feeling that
the SCA ought to be like all these wonderful things I keep hearing about it
being--Not pointy hatted peoples openly carrying soda cans or a royal court
that made me feel like I was back in the high school cafeteria listening to a
pep rally, in part because it was a high school cafeteria, where little effort
had been made for a medieval appearance.
- ---

 http://www.chinetco.com/foodserv/products/table/tablnatr.htm

The plastic flatware, well-we had assorted mundane flatware and instead
of having to wash these, we can chuck them. I dont have a problem in
bringing my modern mugs and glasses[well, plasticswares] to pennsic, but
i will be damned if i bring my period looking expensive spanish blown
glass or german tankards. Despite the intrinsic value that could walk
off, there is a breakage issue.

- ---
Yes.  I understand.  Still there is something about the idea of eating gourmet
food on plastic and paper that just feels inherently wrong.
- ---
I could spend 60 for polycarb beer
tankards from work, that at least look sort of period, but i have no use
for them other than for pennsic. i may buy them next winter for next
year, but i make less than 20k, and i dont feel like dodging phone
payments and car insurance to have a period campsite!

- ---
If you get some of these tankards, I wouldn't mind buying a few of them.
- ---

Our site is cramped enough, and people mostly forgot their feastgear
anyway....it would eb easier to provide the fibreware and plasticwares.
I consider the point of pennsic is vacation. I want to cheer the
fighters, do classes, sit and schmooze and network . I consider the
nonperiooid feastgear a good compromise...if i wanted a period camp, i
would camp in the enchanted ground. we did have a period feel to the
evenings. We talked about period food, redacting recipes, garb, music
and we listend to and sang period music, music written in the period
manner and some downright classic sca filk[and sci-filk as well] we
played chess, we sewed and did handworks, we cooked, we redacted and we
drank. we had people over for meals and we visited other
people[especially the live music and dancing at Orluk!] and complained
about the portapotties. We traded food and coffee for the use of our
neighbors shower, and [after we left] the pantry got flooded out by our

- ---
  Speaking of coffee, Mike has mentioned once or twice in IM that he has been
intending to send a message to the SPCA list about it.  DC boasts a
micro-roastery where we got last year's Pennsic coffee 
  (I firmly believe my friends and family have set out to spoil all vices for
me.  First my parents taught me about good liquor, so that I refuse to drink
cheap beer or swill.   Some various acquaintances have taught me about good
wine. Then my boyfriend and others teach me about good coffee.  And, as for
smoking -- my lungs won't allow it.)

other neighbors wading pool. It was vacation and it was fun. I came away
relaxed[just in time to have my kidneys consider shutting down on me]
and with plenty of wonderful emmories. I would not have traded it for
anything, except maybe another few weeks of it!

- ---
wonderful emmories?  you filed your nails a lot???  :)

I can't even describe how wonderful Pennsic was last year, other than by
saying:

I gashed my leg open on a tent stake leaving a shallow cut and a very
impressive scar.  I learned how to drum but apparently not quite right as my
fingers swelled up enough to be nearly unusable for two days.  I strained my
bad knee enough that I had some problems walking until I bought a knee brace. 
I stopped breathing a few times and discovered my asthma.  I came home with
asthmatic bronchitis.

And I'm coming back for more!  Not just coming back for more but doing it
eagerly.