SC - budgeting question

[Huette von Ahrens]

- --- Jenne Heise <jenne at mail.browser.net> wrote:
> Intergroup anthropology question related to feast
> budgeting: For those of
> you who do a 'test run' of your feast menu ahead of
> time, do you pay for
> the supplies for that test run out of your own
> pocket, does it come out of
> the feast budget, do you get other funding from the
> event budget, or do
> you fund it some other way?
>  -- 
> Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	     

For big banquets, I always do multiple test runs. 
Since I usually have a years notice, I start by
assembling my cooks.  I usually ask several cooks that
I have worked with before, so that I can have a core
of experienced cooks who I know will show up and work.
 I then take volunteers and try to balance the rest of
the crew with varying levels of experience.

Approx. 9 months before, we will meet and brainstorm
and decide our theme, what challenges we wish to meet,
etc.  I then assign everyone specific areas of
research.  We then meet again several months later
with all our research and one or two dishs to share
with the rest.  We go over everything we have done and
taste everything and make some preliminary decisions. 
We meet again one month later and work on the first
course, cooking it together to see how it goes
together both tastewise and kitchenwise.  However, we
make only enough for the people cooking.  The next
month we do the second course, etc.  When all has been
settled and agreed upon, we then do the whole feast at
once for ourselves and our spouses/families as our
trial run.  This usually is about two or three months
before the event.  After that, I schedule work days to
do the actually prep cooking for the banquet to do as
much as we can before the banquet day. 

To answer your questions.  No, I don't add these
expenses to the budget.  I only budget for actual
feast expenses.  If any cook can't afford to make
their dish/dishs for these tests, I usually will
reimburse them out of my pocket.  These trials usually
lead to successful banquets and are lots of fun. They
also give a lot of confidence to less experienced
cooks, so the day of the banquet is less stressful. 
After having made a recipe two or three times in
different situations, it helps gives you insights into
how the recipe might work in quantity, although there
are always unforseen variables.  

Huette
Kingdom of Caid

=====
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they 
shall never cease to be amused.

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