SC - Fw: Prosphora Stamps (was Byzantine Bread Stamps)

[LrdRas@aol.com]

    I've entered a total of 2 art/sci's in the 18 years I've been in the
SCA. In the first, I entered meade, and provided the required documentation,
in compucalligle, no less. During the course of the day, someone (else's)
bottle exploded, and they used my docs to help clean up the mess. As a
result, I scored a 68, and was told I had been penalized 30 point for not
having any docs. When I found out what had happened, I complained, presented
my spare copy of the docs, and was told (and I quote) "it's too late,
judging is over, bad break, better luck next time" by the KMOA/S.
    The second time, I entered a Kurdish dish whose recipe was taught to me
by the grandmother of a family friend. She was old enough to have been the
Grandfather of Assassins personal handmaiden, and came from the Alamout
region, no less . . .
    She told me that the recipe had been in her family for many generations,
and I documented this as such. I also documented similar dishes as period,
and stated that this particular recipe had been handed down in an oral
tradition, and was a family variant taught to me by word of mouth from a
native of the region. Once again, I got docked 30 points for 'insufficient
documentation'.
    That was it for me. I don't do art/sci's any more. I have a great deal
of respect for the entries I see, and admire the craftsmanship shown, but
I've also seen masterworks metaphoricly ripped to shreds by people who
didn't have a clue. One lady I knew did a 3'x5' tapestry of Tolkein's map of
the Middle Earth, and had it disqualified from judging as being a 'fantasy
work'. She removed it from the hall in tears, handed back her green belt,
and I never saw her at an event ever again. Apparently, the comments from
the judges were bad enough that she quit the SCA as a result. She does
sci-fi cons now.
    I've found over and over that judging is purely subjective, and the
judges in all too many cases have little to no expertise in the field they
are judging. I've seen Laurels lobbying other judges to boost the scores for
their apprentices, and at other times slagging the entries of people they
didn't like. Politics.
    I've seen many well meaning efforts to reform the judging systems, but
the elastic nature of the SCA means that what one KMOA/S does, another may
undo next reign. Oh, well, sorta like crown lists - quality varies, and that
always gives us lots to natter about . . .

    Sieggy


> We all have stories like this, unfortunately.  My most famous is a
raspberry liqueur that was (I kid you not) marked down at two different
competitions for tasting too much like raspberries.
> Judges, unfortunately, are subject to the same personal prejudices as are
we all, and they can't always set those aside.
> --Maire
>
> Philip & Susan Troy wrote:
>
> > Debra Hense wrote:
> > >
> > > Am I wrong about this?  Has lamb and mutton always been cooked to
mush? Or, is this a case where modern tastes and preferences of the judge
are taking precedence over what was medieval?
> > >
> >
> > Probably either the latter or the judges were under the influence of
> > hallucinogens. Did anybody recreate ergotic bread for them in another
entry?

<<Schnyppe>>

> > BTW, since this was a competition, you might have asked the judges to
> > document this unfamiliar practice, because of course they could, and you
> > were there to learn... .
> >
> > I'm reminded of the time my small ale from Digby was judged by members
> > of our kingdom brewers' guild as being weak and insufficiently hopped.
> >
> > *Rant mode on*
> > If the advantage of a kingdom having standardized A&S competition rules
> > and guidelines is that things like this get to happen, I'm glad to live
> > in the East, one of the last bastions of A&S anarchy/rugged
individualism...
> > *Rant mode off*
> >
> > Adamantius