SC - The Perfect Feast

[Brian L. Rygg or Laura Barbee-Rygg]

On Wednesday, July 19, 2000 7:53 p.m., <LrdRas at aol.com> wrote:

> In a message dated 7/17/00 2:06:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> melcnewt at netins.net writes:
>
> << Hi I am currently researching the "Perfect Event" Knowing of course
this
>  event cannot exist in one weekend, I am wanting to know what types of
things
>  interest people and what types of things turn people off.   >>
>
> Depends on what your definition of the 'perfect event' is. If you mean
> HISTORICALLY perfect then what interests folks or turns them off is
> COMPLETELY irrelevant.

Please, my Lord Ras, can you truly mean what you have said here?  When the
hypothetical perfect feast is served at the hypothetical perfect event, it
doesn't matter whether anyone would want to eat it?

I know that a good cook can create a period-style feast that will be
enjoyed.  Whether it can be historically *perfect* in the real, modern world
I'll leave to others to debate, but given the ideal conditions for the
mythic "perfect event," it must be possible to reach that historical
perfection without completely disregarding people's tastes.

I agree wholeheartedly that the feast at the "perfect event" should be
historically accurate.  I also believe it should be interesting and not turn
people off.  I see no contradiction there.  If you want to say that
historical accuracy comes first and matters of taste second, I won't quibble
the point, though I'm certain that the subset of All Historically Accurate
Feasts and All Interesting Foods That Aren't Repulsive is sufficiently large
that there  never need be a choice made between the two.

But that isn't what you said.  In fact, your post is more likely to
perpetuate, rather than dispell, the notion that period foods are
unpalatable.

It is asked that all attending SCA events wear an "attempt" at period
clothing.  Most of us want, and hope for, something a bit better than that,
and appreciate the great effort that some put into it, both in the research
and the construction, but we reasonably expect at least that minimum.

Likewise, many of us -- even I, Miracle-Whip-on-white-bread food bore though
I may mundanely be -- expect at least an attempt at period-style food at an
SCA feast . . . and prefer greater accuracy than that bare minimum.  I
realize that a disheartening number of people do seem to find acceptable a
"feast" that could be obtained at the diner down the street -- but still I
believe the majority would prefer something tasty, filling, AND period (even
if they listed those specifications in that order).

"Do not make the best the enemy of the good" works the other way around,
too.  Claiming that historical perfection makes other considerations
"completely irrelevant" doesn't make accuracy an appealing aim.

The questioner you replied to did not indicate that a choice must be made
between accurate and interesting.  You, however, did -- especially when you
went on to say that, if historical perfection and completely disregarding
tastes is not what the questioner is seeking, "then corn on the cob,
chocolate covered cherries and turkey legs immediately come to mind."

For the record -- such a "feast" is _not_ interesting, and _is_ a turn-off.
(That's my $.02 worth.)

Ras, and the rest of the cooks on this list, let's please return to the
original question.  It is NOT a choice between historical perfection and a
mundane picnic.  We are visualizing the perfect event.  The feast, likewise,
will be perfect, which means it will be historically perfect, interesting,
appealing . . . in short, *desireable* overall by everyone (including any
who don't care whether it's historical as long as it's "good eatin,'" and
any who find it irrelevant whether it's interesting or a turn-off as long as
it's accurate).

SO -- what would you serve?

- ---
Brendan Pilgrim                       poet, rogue, scholar, and foole
http://come.to/your.pilgrim       rygbee(at)montana(dot)com
          Cognitio et Cogitatio Vitae Pennas Dant
Or, a winged elephant segreant counter-ermine winged azure, tusked argent
imbrued, bearing in its trunk a garden rosebud gules, stemmed and leaved
vert