SC - What would you do?

[Bonne of Traquair]

>I am about to put on my third feast for 125
>+ people in two years. ....  The problem I am
>having is each time that event is advertised in the Blackstar, my 
>information as
>Feast Steward is ALWAYS left out. ...
>is one of the only sources of recognition.  Here is the question, the event 
>is
>thirty days and I really want to throw in the towel.  What would you do?
>
>Looking for your wisdom,
>Lady Giulianna Arentino
>Lady Ottavia Alessandra de Medicini

I wouldn't read too much into the WHY of it being left out.  Most likely the 
autocrat messed up when first submitting the flyer, and with all the other 
autocrat stuff + regular life going on, just isn't seeing this minor (to 
them) correction as a high priority.

If reservations aren't coming in, then that is the autocrat's problem, and 
the two of you should work together to get more information out.  Work with 
him/her to create a short announcement, post it electronically in your 
region and print off a half dozen to mail to each seneschal. If reservations 
are coming in, you don't have a problem. IMO, promoting a sold out feast and 
telling people there is a chance to move up a waitlist, as someone else 
advised, is rather pointless.)

If the problem is that people with allergies and other issues don't know 
where to find you, I don't really see that as a problem. If you are planning 
to feed 125+, you already KNOW that there will be non-meat eaters, lactose 
or gluten intolerant, onion and nut allergic people at the feast. If you've 
planned a varied menu, then any such person only has to avoid, say 1/4 the 
dishes on the menu and ought to still find enough to eat.  Post your 
ingredient lists at the gate and on the kitchen door, teach your assistants 
about not contaminating and leave these people to solve their own problems.  
If any such person truly wanted to talk to the cook, they could have found 
you via the autocrat, group senschal or posting a 'who's cooking? question 
to the most local e-list, which someone would have forwarded.

I have no advice if the problem is that having your name listed in the flyer 
is "is one of the only sources of recognition." To me, recognition is being 
asked to cook again, asked for recipes, asked to teach, called into the 
hall, given a token. Being listed in the flyer is a practical matter.

Lady Bonne de Traquair
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com