SC - Re: New World Foods: Rant/ Counter Rant (Long)

[Bonne of Traquair]

Akim gives examples of expensive or exotic ingredients relative to Meridies

>Salmon                               Goose                  Duck            
>  Lamb                                    >Eel                              
>           Bear     Elk  Rabbit

If you are under the impression that any of the above are COMMONLY served at 
feasts, you are mistaken.  In three years of playing in Windmasters Hill 
(central NC) I've only seen salmon once, lamb twice, rabbit once and never 
any of the others.  The salmon feast was also one of the lamb feast and I 
hear he went over budget.  The other lamb feast was at a very impoprtant 
25th annual event and baronial investiture and the feast cost was almost 
double the usual around here.  The rabbit feast used the rabbit for stew in 
order to buy as little as possible and it was frozena and about as much per 
pound as you quote below.  The cook was able to save overall by having 
chicken 'donated' by a previous cook who bought more than enough at 
wholesale, and the rest of the feast was very simple.

>Fava beans $2.50 / pound frozen

we pay about that much for fresh.

>Almonds  $4.00-$7.00/ pound

ditto
>Apples   Fiji, Braburn and Gala are still considered premium exotics

I dunno the relative costs, we use the cheapest available apples, no matter 
what the sort.

>Raspberries

never seen at feast.

>Pork   Reasonable for fresh picnics $.79-$1.29 normally.
>Beef   Reasonable for low end cuts. Larger roasts and cuts are  pricey.

same here.  Usually, the vaccuum packed/frozen sirloin roasts from Sam's 
Club are the beef cut of choice.

>Chicken  $.69/ pound for whole birds is very low for this area but
>possible.  Alot of feastcrats have to resort to legs and thighs only.

That's a GOOD price and I am in the middle of chicken factory farm area.

>Venison   Plentiful but the state laws require professional  butchering and 
>those folks rip you off

We only get this if someone donates. Don't know about butchering 
regulations.  I've seen it at one feast, those that wanted it got a paper 
thin slice about the size of a deck of cards.

>Frog                 Tuna                                     >Shrimp       
>                            Oxtail/ marrow bones          Oysters

Never seen at feast

>
>I can go on with a list like this, but as far as the comments about
>"familar foods" being not what one expects at an SCA feast go,
>I am sick to death of chicken, pork and beef and junk fish.

If you really want something different, then pick one thing, fight to get it 
cheaply, and find other ways to save.  If I were sitting down at feast, I 
wouldn't find turkey, another 'everyday' meat to be that big an improvement 
over beef, pork, chicken.  WE don't even get junk fish.

Many
>of you are living in a veritable culinary paradise of availibility. Have
>some compasion for groups who do not have your advantage.

Most of us aren't.

>We have excellent prices on --, chitterlings, pig
>trotters, beef tongue, tripe, lights, summer produce,

the organ meats and feets are appropriate.  some people may even eat them, 
but I'd rather see the beef, pork, or chicken!

>just pointing out that there are regional differences which
>affect what kinds of feasts are practical in various places.

I think you have a skewed view about what most of the rest of us are 
serving!

>
>Another big difference is that your budgets are not realistic
>for SCA feasting here in this central area of the country.
- --
>An average budget per head on a Meridian event is in the range
>of $4.50-$6.00 per person for feast and $.50 to $.75 for breakfasts
>$7.00 to $8.00 is a special Coronation feast allowance, sometimes.

The usual charge in Atlantia for paying feaster is $5-6 per head, but that 
budget has to stretch to cover high table and (in MY kitchen) the servants 
table (enough fresh food for kitchen and serving staff to eat.)  Which gives 
you a real cost per person of $2 or 3 less than the advertised price.  Some 
special events go to $8 or $9 but those also have larger high tables and 
more staff.  Breakfast is either not available or 'free' as in the hosts 
provide minimal breakfast items as part of the event cost: coffee, hot 
cocoa, instant hot cereals, bagels or muffins from the day old bread store 
and on Sunday morning suitable leftovers from feast such as the bread, 
whatever dessert was. Lunch is not available or traditionally in our barony 
may be served by a neighboring canton as a fund raiser: usually bread, 
cheese, boiled eggs, some sort of meat maybe soup, maybe apple cider. Sold a 
la carte for around $3-5 depending on the customer's choices.  Usually 
barely enough so that it all does sell and the group doesn't lose money.

>In 18 years of SCA cooking, the best I have been able to get as
>a feastcrat is $6.50.   There are many, many good Meridians who
>have to skip events because $12.00- $15.00 event fees are out of
>their budgets. I mean working folks, not students.
Please note
>that Meridian events are generally weekend long with cabin or
>bunkhouse lodging included in the event price.  We normally do
>not rent "halls" for the feast but rather whole large sites for the
>weekend.   A $10.00 -$13.00 event fee is low end in our Kingdom;
>generally $18.00- $24.00 is more average.


It is much the same in Atlantia.  The most I would have paid was $48 for 
three on-board overnight at Ymir 25.  But we didn't get on board and 
cancelled the overnight and only paid $21.  Then we all worked in the 
kitchen or served feast!  Because of costs, my family is limited to one 
event per month or less, esp. since the 'baby' is now over the magical age 
of 12 and we all pay adult costs.  Overnight events are limited to one or 
two per year, including 12th night which requires at least one night at a 
hotel.

We are learning to have a lot more fun at non-events like guild meetings and 
informal gatherings and gasp! weekly meetings!  Universities and Collegiums 
and such are also usually cheaper with no site fee or feast--we pack food if 
it's close enough to daytrip, and stay away if not.


Bonne
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