SC - Suleyman's Manifesto

[JVButlerJr at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/9/00 7:02:45 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
mooncat at in-tch.com writes:

> There's so much wonderful medieval food out there, why even bother with
>  trying to justify new world/modern foods? If I want corn on the cob,
>  I'll go to the grocery store during the week, and if I want tacos or
>  pumpkin pie or baked potatoes w/sour cream or sweet chocolate desserts,
>  I'll eat them on my non-SCA time, of which there's plenty.  I reserve my
>  SCA weekends for something different, something not so mundane. 
>  Blatantly modern foods do as much to destroy the atmosphere I enjoy as
>  do other blatantly modern things (clothing, conversation topics, etc).


>  There's so much wonderful medieval food out there, why even bother with
>  trying to justify new world/modern foods? If I want corn on the cob,
>  I'll go to the grocery store during the week, and if I want tacos or
>  pumpkin pie or baked potatoes w/sour cream or sweet chocolate desserts,
>  I'll eat them on my non-SCA time, of which there's plenty.  I reserve my
>  SCA weekends for something different, something not so mundane. 
>  Blatantly modern foods do as much to destroy the atmosphere I enjoy as
>  do other blatantly modern things (clothing, conversation topics, etc).

    I'm sorry, but when did I say anything about "blatantly modern" foods?  I 
never mentioned wanting to "destroy the atmosphere".  I never said I wanted 
to serve hamburgers and corn on the cob.  

    I specifically have been talking about using period recipes that include 
ingredients that didn't get used in Europe until very late period or after 
period, but were used elsewhere during period.

    Let me repeat that, as if sounds vaguely important:

    I SPECIFICALLY HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT USING PERIOD RECIPES THAT INCLUDE 
INGREDIENTS THAT DIDN'T GET USED IN EUROPE UNTIL VERY LATE PERIOD OR AFTER 
PERIOD, BUT WERE USED ELSEWHERE DURING PERIOD.

    Reread that a couple of times.  Make sure you understand my point.

    I am not talking about using tomatoes in a European feast.  I am not 
talking about dropping a bananna dish in the middle of a Norwegian 
smorgasbaard.  I AM, however, talking about possibly including dishes in an 
ASIAN I REPEAT ASIAN AND NOT EUROPEAN feast which include such things as 
tomatoes, banannas, peanuts, hot peppers, and other items on the official 
"banned in Western Europe list".  

    And I want to do these recipes, not to show my contempt at what people 
consider to be period, but to show people that "Period" includes more than 
Western Europe, and that there is a world of good food out there that 
shouldn't be ignored just because the recipes don't come from "Venice and all 
points west."

    My specific idea was to do an "Age of Exploration" feast which included 
period recipes... PERIOD RECIPES, NOT "BLATANTLY MODERN FOOD"... from the 
various places that European travellers went.  Thai soups, Indian desserts, 
Korean meat dishes, Chinese breads, Japanese fish recipes, African vegetable 
dishes, Arabian coffees... and yeah, maybe even something from North or South 
America, if I can find a recipe and PROVE THAT THE RECIPE IS PERIOD.

    None of these items would be "blatantly modern".  I see nothing blatantly 
modern about imam bayildi (arabic), or tam ka gai (Burmese), or steamed 
salmon with rice and vinegar (Japanese), or bluefish stuffed with grapes 
(Arrowak indian), or phad kaprow (Thai).  There is nothing that would destroy 
the atmosphere about Mujadarra (arabic again), beef roast with yogurt 
(Mongolian), mushrooms with black bean and pepper sauce (Afghan), or orange 
slices with honey (Kenyan).
    All of the food I just mentioned are all period recipes, and all come 
from cultures other than Europe.  Point to the one which is "blatantly 
modern".

    This has been my point all along:  "Period does not always mean Western 
Europe, and just because it wasn't done in Western Europe doesn't mean it 
wasn't done elsewhere.  Keep an open mind and you might learn something."

    If the idea of doing things "outside the Western European box" is 
offensive to you, I apologize for wasting your time.

    Sayyid Suleyman al-Rashid ibn Beyazid
    mka Jack Butler