SC - Public Consumption [Was Distress in Trimaris]

[James F. Johnson]

Obviously, this Trimarian 'problem' is not just a Trimarian one, is it?
The attitude that _all period_ food is bad is found in all the kingdoms
of the Known World. It's just in this specific case, the attitude is
about to have the consort's crown placed upon it.

Something occurred to me today, concerning this erroneous public
attitude about the quality of historical cookery. It was while reading
the analogies comparing the ban on cookery to bans on clothing and other
arts. What occurred to me is we don't pay money to see beautifully done
clothing, or a skilful fighter, or a well done pavilion, or a artfully
executed illumination. Most of the arts in the SCA can be appreciated
for free. On the other hand, most of the historical cookery is consumed
at a feast for which a fee is charged. The other difference is two
people or four dozen people can view the same garment or illumination at
the same time or throughout the day. Feasts are at a scheduled time, and
each person has their own portion, albeit similar to the guests around
him/her. 

An alternative might be to plan a 'demo' table at larger events,
organized and staffed by several cooks working together. Make several
dishes, set them on the table, and offer free tastes to passers-by. Have
the documentation and recipies/redactions handy. The targets I would be
after are the people who wouldn't pay money for a 'period' feast, but
would take a free sample if it's made available to them. And since
they're not paying money for a meal, their expectations may be less
demanding than if they've already offered up US$4-8 for a meal. Put
primarily, the target are the people who _don't_ go to period feasts. It
might be because they can't afford it, or because they presume the food
will be bad, and therefor not worth the money, but either way, they're
not going to taste good historical cookery if they never go to a feast
in the first place. And _scaling down_ the amount of food needed for a
larger feast let's us have more control over the quality. Basically, if
you can't get them to come to a feast, take the feast to them. But the
financial and time expenditure will have to sit with us (although you
could put out the donation jar and try to recoup some costs). Or if the
event allows, offer free taste-sized portions for free. If they want,
they can purchase a more substantial portion for real money. Pur
primarily, the purpose is to get the food out to those who don't do
feasts.

Thoughts?

Seumas