SC - Plastic Ware

[Par Leijonhufvud]

On Tue, 18 Apr 2000 Mordonna22 at aol.com wrote:

> I don't believe there is a standard, at least not here in the Valley of the 
> Sun (Atenveldt.)  A completely period appearing encampment is rare indeed.  

Completely period is a goal that I, personally, strive towards but do
not realistically expect to achieve.

> Our Household tries for a period appearance, but it varies from individual to 
> individual as to the accomplishment of this, and no one is chastised for a 
> ...um...less-than-perfect? attempt.  

We try to keep stuff hidden, and have found that peer pressure and good
examples work wonders in small groups. 

> Feast gear is vastly eclectic, but 
> m'ladies Rosalinda, Felicia, and myself have done enough thrift store 
> shopping that we can provide wooden plates bowls, spoons, and peri-oid forks 
> for anyone who does not have them, but drinking vessels vary from hand thrown 
> ceramic tankards to plastic "McDonald's" cups.  

Why the need for the forks? I have only missed them once in my entire
time in the SCA, and that was at a feast when spagetti and parmesan
cheese was served. I think that the McD cup would have dissapeared
rather quickly if it showed up in our camp. 

> We feast in a very medieval 
> setting, in a vast pavilion with hanging candle lit chandeliers and nice 
> tables, but the chairs are mostly those new canvas folding chairs that are so 
> comfortable.  We made attempts to make period camp chairs, but the consensus 
> has been that they are not comfortable for eating, and take up too much room 
> to fit us all in the hall, so they've been consigned outside to the firepit 
> area.  

We use a veriety of stools, ranging from the three-legged wooden ones
that can be documented to 11th century Scandinavia, to simple folding
canvas seated ones. I am making a batch of the wooden stools for this
year. So far only a few examples of the "X-wing fighter" chair has made
it's appearance in Nordmark, something I am quite gratefull for (it is
decidedly OOP, and was written up in TI as a "viking" chair a few years
ago), and none in our camp.

> At the last Estrella, there were twelve medieval appearing pavilions 
> visible to the public, and one glaringly mundane camping tent-trailer 
> (EWWWWWW).  

I think someone counted the pavilions in Wisby a few years ago and
claimed 100, all more or less period (the modern tents were sent off to
the commercial campground across the road).

> vacation time.  To stress over what someone else choses to do with their 
> vacation time is counterproductive.  So, for me, it is best to live and let 
> live.

On the other hand you have the eternal SCA problem. Some of us are there
trying to convince ourselves that we are truly in the middle ages. Pink
Nikes, plastic jugs with moonshine, plastic grocery bags, or (yes)
modern disposable plates break that illusion rather glaringly for us.
Others are there for have fun with friends, and feel that they are doing
enough, and why are we on their case all the time? 

/UlfR

- -- 
Par Leijonhufvud                                      parlei at algonet.se
I don't mind ignorance because everybody starts off that way, including me.
But desiring to remain ignorant and expecting to get anything useful done are
mutually exclusive.  This is what I call stupidity, and I will not be bothered
with it.