SC - Distress in Trimaris

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

And it came to pass on 25 Feb 00,, that WOLFMOMSCA at aol.com wrote:

[quoting the future Queen of Trimaris]:
> "So when we step up, we request
> that all Feastcrats endeavor to stay away from all period feasts.  We do
> not mind if some removes are of a period nature, however, we wish other
> removes of a more easily digested by the majority-of-the-populace nature! 
> We understand the reason that totally period feasts are cooked, but in
> some cases our populace is paying the price for historical accuracy: and
> their twentieth-century palates (and sometimes tummies) are unable to
> appreciate the research and effort that went into cooking that particular
> time period."

> Am I wrong?  Is this just a moment of
> unthinking lunacy, or are we here in Trimaris, who find cooking period
> feasts to be one of our most joyous and delightful pastimes, just going to
> have to suck it up and serve Happy Meals to high table?
[snip]

First of all, I think that everyone on this list knows that it is possible to 
cook a entirely period feast which is not only edible but delicious.  And 
certainly there are many period dishes which are "easily digested" by 
the populace, even the meat-and-potatoes crowd -- roast meats, rice, 
cheese tarts, fruit pies, and so forth.

The question that comes to my mind is, what is making Her Highness 
react this way to the idea of all-period feasts?  Did she attend a period 
feast which was badly cooked?  Has she somehow acquired the idea 
that period dishes are always synonymous with unusual ingredients and 
strange flavor combinations?

> Forgive my snarling.  Like all else which has come before, this too
> shall pass.  Thanks for listenting.

I can understand your dismay and anger, and you've come to the right 
place to snarl.  But after you've vented, is there anything you (and the 
other cooks of Trimaris) can do to change the situation?  For instance, 
are there any cooking Laurels who can speak to Her Highness and find 
out what she thinks is objectionable about period food?

Alternatively, how about a cooks' conspiracy?  Follow the spirit rather 
than the letter of her decree, and cook feasts which are totally period 
and totally acceptable to the populace and the royalty.  This may mean 
choosing more conservative menus than you might otherwise desire, but 
unless the royalty specifically request spaghetti with tomato sauce or 
corn on the cob, I don't see why you should have to serve non-period 
dishes.

Then again, I'm not in Trimaris, and have no idea how your feasts are 
generally organized, how much freedom the cooks have to set a menu, 
etc.


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net