SC - Competition entry

[Daniel Phelps]

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Unto the gathered Cooks does Gwynydd send the following:

At 2000-03-16 16:46:52.234001, 
"Laura C. Minnick" (lcm at efn.org) wrote:

> Gwynydd, I think you have perhaps overinterpreted His Grace's 
> comment
> here, though I must say it was perhaps not worded well. I don't 
> think
> that he would EVER suggest that someone not come to an event 
> because
> their dietary habits are different than yours. Just that it is not
> reasonable to inconvenience 100 persons for the convenience of 
> one. In
> that case your person with honest food complaints could perhaps 
> bring
> their own food from home rather than disrupt matters for the rest 
> of the
> diners. At least that's what I do in similar situations. My ex who 
> is
> lethally allergic to onions would quietly leave site, find a 
> burger, and
> return with a full tummy, sit down and enjoy the company around 
> him. He
> told me it was a matter of courtesy on his part to make as little 
> fuss
> as possible.

It certainly is possible that I have overinterpreted His Grace's comments, if that is so, I am more than happy to withdraw my interpretation.  In truth, I plucked his message out of a whole barrage of ones on the subject (doesn't anyone here ever sleep!)

In terms of taking food to events - I do know about the need to do that!  I have a (now) 11 year old daughter who is slowly growing out of the tendency to be a picky eater.  I certainly would not have dreamed of insisting that the cooks find something to serve which she was likely to eat (bar fishfingers, it was nearly impossible!), and I would take a supply of the strangest things with our feasting gear just for her.  

The point I was trying to make (clumsily, I am beginning to feel), is that the attempt to make a "period-feel" cookbook for those with serious food issues is a good and valid thing for the Society as a whole (yes, I have grasped that it is a private project, but the point remains).  In Ynys Fawr, and I suspect the rest of the Known World, we put on the flyers that those with food allergies should tell the autocrat well in advance so that accomodations can be made.  As was mentioned in an earlier post, the autocrat in question may well not have access to enough sources to find actual period recipes which cover the problem.  What should be done then?  Surely it is better to make adjustments (and certainly not pass the resultant dish off as period) than have to tell the would-be feaster "sorry, there is nothing we can do".

> And I think that if there is a substantial (25%? I dunno) 
> proportion of,
> say, vegetarians in the expected attandance, it would be 
> reasonable to
> offer an alternate menu. But the vegetarians I know would quietly 
> fend
> for themselves rather than inconvenience others.

I think that we must have more vegetarians here that in other parts of the World!  Autocrats usually seem to have to come up with at least two different meals, one for the omnivores and one for the vegetarians (mind you, I have noticed that the vego dishes seem to get all eaten up!).  Of course, it may be that the fact that we are usually only catering for less than 100 (100 people at one event!  Never! Couldn't happen! :-))makes this whole question easier here.  We do have one person who is unable to find much to eat at events, and he doesn't make much of a fuss, but I do know that the cooks try to make sure that even he will find something.  Like I said, I think this is about courtesy (and that courtesy must needs go both ways!  If "Her Grace" _is_ using her allergy as a power thing, then she is not being courteous either.)

Gwynydd


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