SC - Education-Public Consumption key

[LrdRas at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/27/00 3:33:37 AM Eastern Standard Time, seumas at mind.net 
writes:

<< The
 performers are not waiting for the occasional curious person to take a
 chance and come to the concert hall or theater, and pay for the
 experience as well. They are going out on a mission of conversion. That
 is what I advocate. 
 
 Seumas >>

In this, my friend, we have reached common ground. I really don't know how to 
achieve this conversion other than by example. Local feasts in this area are 
more often than not sold out weeks in advance and I can't think of a feast in 
the last 3 years that still had onboard space available at the door.

Our shire (and several surrounding shires) limit onboard space to 80, 100, 
125 or rarely 150 gentles. Ample room is provided when possible for off board 
people to sit as close to the action as is possible either in the same room 
or in and adjoining area. We have several cooks jockeying for the position of 
Kitchen Steward so finding a person to be in charge is not an issue.

The various local kitchen stewards have varying techniques for planning and 
presenting the feast (which always contains period dishes with a few notable 
exceptions). 

For instance I tend to include at least one major dish that is either 
entertaining or unusual, a major meat in each course and fill in dishes of 
vegetable, grain and fruit concoctions. No pre-feast experimentation is 
carried out other than determining what quantities of what ingredients should 
be purchased. I tend to work directly from the period recipes (rather English 
translations) and permanent redactions are written down after the fact based 
on actual preparation. Both the feasters and myself taste the dishes for the 
first time in several hundred years when it is served. 

Master Gille uses a combination of recipes previously redacted by others with 
an occasional personal redaction. He tends not to use salt and pepper for 
reasons that are vague to me. He pretests most of the recipes.

THL Thorstein uses all period dishes from 'famous' works and fills in with a 
few 'traditional/ethnic' tidbits that may or may not be period. He tests all 
recipes before the actual feast date. 

Feasts are usually 3 courses with each course consisting of 3 to 5 dishes. 
These courses are served after the initial service of loaves of bread, 
cheeses, fresh fruit and/or vegetables and some sort of a broth/soup dish. 
Each table of 8 is required to choose one person from the table to act as 
server. Each dish is served family style with the main dish sometimes being 
paraded through the hall and presented for approval at High Table. Special 
dishes that do not appear on the tables of the attending nobles are always 
served to high table. The ingredients for these special dishes are paid for 
by the Kitchen Steward or from private donations.

The Kitchen Steward has total control over the content of the menu after 
being informed of the event's theme by the Autocrat. Menu structure seldom 
deviates from the theme. For instance, a recent event theme was Lady's 
Champions Tourney. Since the pageantry of Burgundian tournaments came to 
mind, the theme was middle eastern and this was a fun and laid back event, I 
chose to present a period middle eastern feast as it might have been done in 
a barbarian court. For Schola I presented a French Repast. Will's Revenge 
feasts are often taken from Forme of Curye. Rarely are late period recipes 
used by any of the local Kitchen Stewards.

For demos, St. Matha's Guild actually sets up a period cooking site with fire 
pit and the other outdoor things associated with a military field kitchen. 
This set up is rather small and portable and features a boiling dish of 
something, a spitted creature of some sort, a table with samples of period 
spices, vegetables and fruits, period cookbooks, charts, illuminations, 
agricultural tools, etc. Period gingerbread and sometimes pasties of rabbit 
or spinach and cheese are offered as tasting incentives.

Recently, we were invited to set up a display of medieval artifacts and 
reproductions in a room at a local museum. Part of this display included a 
cooking section. Cooking displays are a common part of the numerous school 
demos we conduct each year throughout both the Lewisburg and Williamsport 
school districts.

Seumus is correct. Education is the key. Making period cookery a high profile 
item at events and demos is part of that education. Taking advantage of every 
opportunity to focus people's minds and senses on period cookery is the key. 
Uncompromising dedication to the study and presentation of period cookery is 
the way.

al-Sayyid Ras al-Zib, AoA, OSyc, OKey
Guildmaster of St. Martha's Guild
Apprentice of Master Huen