SC - questions/kinda long, sorry

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Perhaps i'm just thick skinned, but i've never understood why people 
quit after one event if just one person who ought to behave better 
says something hurtful to them. First, i wouldn't assume that one 
single person is completely representative of the thousands of people 
in the SCA. Second, if someone does that to me, i just assume they're 
having a problem, and that problem is their manners. There may be 
some validity to their comments and i'll learn from that, but i won't 
assume i'm a useless looser just because someone over-reacts to me.

Recently someone with a Laurel in cooking (which they got at least 20 
years ago) criticized my Near Eastern food because i make my almond 
milk with water. They said to be period it would be made with wine or 
verjus. Well, i didn't let that bother me. A Muslim would certainly 
not have made almond milk with wine, and so far i haven't noticed 
almond milk made with verjus in any Near Eastern resources, although 
verjus figures as an ingredient in some recipes. I just figured it 
showed their lack of knowledge of Near Eastern food. I'm not quitting 
the SCA over it. And i'm not going to start making almond milk with 
wine, just 'cuz they said so and they're a Laurel.

I think that authenticity is a goal worth working toward. I'm 
certainly not there yet; i've only been doing this stuff one year. 
When we start any skill/craft/art/science, we are novices and we will 
not be completely authentic, no matter our goal. We must make some 
compromises based on our level of skill and knowledge. I'm sure that 
what i'm making is more authentic now that it was 6 months ago. Few 
if any of us is perfect in our skill/craft/art/science, no matter how 
long we've been doing it, and i don't think that any of the most 
knowledgeable people on this list would claim otherwise.

As for authentic food, so far, i cook for potlucks and for myself, so 
i don't have to worry about other people's lack of taste or 
adventurousness re: food. Yes, i've eaten badly prepared period food 
at feasts, but i don't assume that's how it was supposed to taste and 
i won't quit trying to make authentic period food. After all, even 
good cooks have their off days.

I'll be Kitchen Steward for a feast in late Nov-early Dec and will be 
using all authentic recipes. Guess i'm lucky to live in the West 
where people in general are willing to try almost anything...

- -- 
Anahita Gauri al-shazhiya bint-abd' al-karim al-hakim al-Fassi

Head your camel to Beyt Anahita, a Maghribi domicile
http://www.witch.drak.net/lilinah
Maghribi and Andalusian costuming, Medieval Egyptian knitting,
and other information for SCA Near and Middle Eastern personae