SC - Goya bitter orange juice

[Beatrice & Chadai]

Gwendolen Lambert wrote:
> 
> For those of you that feel it is their obligation to criticize fellow
> members of the SCA with respect to the Food Fantasy segment, please learn
> your facts before passing your judgment on these gentles.
> 
> To set the record straight, it was the program that contacted the SCA, not
> the other way around.  They wanted to have some extras in their "finest
> medeival clothing" to add to the flavor (pardon the pun) of the show, which
> was set around the medieval theme.  The site, Tarrytown Castle in New York,
> was chosen by the program; the menu was chosen by the chef in charge based
> on his idea of what was served in medieval times.  The SCA had nothing to
> do with the planning of the show, the preparation of the food (or what was
> served), or the editing.  The sum of the involvement of these gentles was
> to show up in finest garb, look pretty for the camera, eat the food and act
> like it was the most delicious thing they ever tasted.
> 
> Lady Estrella de los Confinos of the Canton of Whispering Pines, Barony of
> Carillion, was asked to attend and to gather other fellow SCAdians to
> appear on the show.  Because it was in the middle of the work week, it was
> a little difficult, but she came through for the show and found some
> willing people to participate.
> 
> So, for those of you that want to find fault in other gentles, I humbly ask
> that you please keep in mind that some of us on this list do NOT have your
> expertise and are here to learn.  I am one of those people.  I don't post
> much because I'm not as well versed in the origins of food/drink as the
> regular posters here.  I hope to continue to gain from your knowledge in
> the hopes that one day, I, too will be able to pass it on to newcomers
> interested in period foods, and my goal will be to always do so with
> courtesy and kindess.

We actually discussed the program here on this list before, during, and
after production. Please understand that it was not my intention to
criticize the involvement of SCAdians in this; rather, I simply think
the person you may be referring to forgot that we had discussed this
online, and didn't realize that this was the program in question.

Apparently a researcher for the production company contacted first the
Office of the Chatelaine of the East Kingdom (she being the outside
world contact, so to speak, for stuff in the area). She handed the
contact info to the seneschal (it may have been sat upon for a week or
so), who then handed it to me (presumably in my capacity as EK MoAS
and/or as a Laurel cook), telling me to expect a call from this
production company researcher. I waited perhaps three days to hear from
the gentleman, then contacted him. In an attempt to explain to him who I
was, and why I was calling, I told him a little bit about how the SCA is
organized, and as soon as I mentioned the words "not-for-profit" he
interrupted me to blurt out that they weren't _paying_ for anything
here. I explained that that was not a problem. 

He also did not mention to me that in the interim, while waiting for me
to call him (remember I'd been told to expect him to contact me), he
contacted several local SCA branches, and presented them all with
essentially the same deal: a chance to be on TV for most or all who
showed up, with a mention of the SCA's corporate name on the program,
and a free meal for eight gentles (the chef at Tarrytown Castle would
not cook for more than ten), who would be expected to praise it to the
skies, while in persona.

I felt it my duty as a good SCAdian to try to see that they made some
attempt at a period recreation meal, and offered to fax them some
recipes for a well-balanced, seasonal, and suitably festive meal. The
gentleman explained to me that the chef wasn't especially interested in
researching actual historical food, because he wanted to do something a
little fancier and more elaborate. (And I'm thinking, more elaborate
than Chiquart's Pies of Parma? More elaborate than a garnished platter
of capon and almond blancmanger counterchanged with a cherry pottage?)
It seems the chef had his own idea of what constituted suitably
medieval/renaissance-looking food, and that actual contact with period
recipes would only interfere with this vision. This may explain why the
program is called "Food Fantasies". 

He said, as an example of what he meant, that they would be serving the
meal with knives, forks, and spoons. Ah, just like many wealthy Southern
Europeans in the Middle Ages, I told him.

He went on to say that the chef actually spoke and read little English.
He is Belgian. I told him that that was okay, if he's Belgian, and
trained in France, he presumably speaks French. I told him I'd be happy
to send them recipes in French in sufficient quantities for them to have
a wide range of menu choices to choose from. I also told him I'd be
happy to help with adaptation, even with shopping for some of the more
obscure ingredients. I pointed out that I had fairly extensive
experience in a number of food-service postions in restaurants the New
York Times had granted three and four stars. Anything they needed.

What became clear as the production researcher whined his repetitive
protests to my offers of help in producing period food was that they
wanted unpaid extras in free costumes to lend their name and any alleged
stamp of legitimacy the SCA may have to their project, which had more to
do with fantasy than with history. (There was some talk of fighting in
the dining hall.) He wanted a list of names of people who were committed
to taking part in the project. He wanted this list in a couple of days,
because as of the time I spoke to him, shooting was a week away, in the
middle of an expletive-deleted Wednesday.

Well, I took this amazing opportunity for The Greater Glory, discussed
it with various people whose opinions I respect, and reached the
conclusion that it probably wouldn't get any worse than the researcher
had made it sound, and that if people wanted to do it, that was fine. I
learned that several local groups around the Kingdom had already been
contacted, and I then contacted everyone I could think of who I thought
might be interested in being on this program. I very carefully concealed
any personal reservations I had about the project. When they heard the
circumstances, everyone I spoke to said that they couldn't get out of
previous commitments to work or school. Not to worry, I knew, because by
then I had heard of several people in groups like Bakhail and Carillion
who were interested, and that an organized search was being led by
gentles in those groups. I contacted the researcher I had spoken to, and
explained the difficulties I had encountered in finding anyone able to
become involved, but that I had every reason to be sure that the groups
in the Central New Jersey and Philadelphia areas would net plenty of
people for the project, as it seems they subsequently did. Of response
to my message, acknowledgement or thanks for my time or my use of my
long-distance phone bill, there was none.           

Later, I learned that the chef had provided the lucky eight SCAdians
with a perfectly delicious modern meal, that everything had gone well
and people had had a good time, they got to be on television, and they
weren't asked to fight heavy-weapons or fence in the dining room. All in
all, an enjoyable experience for those who were able to make it.

On the other hand, it would have been nice, and beneficial to the likes
of us, if they had approached it from the point of view that since their
guest couple had asked for a medieval feast, they should get a medieval
feast, at least so that our chatelaines in the local groups aren't asked
by new people and at demos if they have the recipe for the lovey duck
pate that they saw on FoodTV Network.

It's true that it needed to be said that the guest couple were not
SCAdians, and that the SCA was in no way to blame for any deficiencies
of the production, but that's not the same thing as saying the
production had no deficiencies. (I had planned to remind people of this,
but you beat me to it.) And yes, it's true that people ought to learn
their facts before criticizing others, but then the above account of my
own experience was already posted previously to this list. As I say, I
suspect that those being critical will remember now that the production
we previously discussed and this one are the same, and that the
enthusiastic SCAdians who were involved were not to blame for the unique
flavor of this particular reenactment.

Adamantius   
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com