SC - Pumpkins and such...
lilinah at earthlink.net
lilinah at earthlink.net
Fri Oct 20 11:26:58 PDT 2000
>What is the difference between a remove and a course? I have allways heard
>courses called "removes" ever since I have been in the SCA. Everywhere I go
>in fact. Is this a common misconception?
>
>Rivka
Since you just joined the list, you just missed this, as it passed
through the list within the last month, but i'm unable to find the
messages with the best discussion.
This is one of those topics that comes up frequently and has been
spoken too far more eloquently and with greater depth of knowledge
than i possess. However, based on what i have learned on this list
from particularly knowledgeable members...
"Remove" and "course" are not at all synonymous and do not mean the
same thing at all (although some other poster suggested they do)
"Remove" is a Victorian term for a dish WITHIN a course that is
removed to be replaced by another dish - that is, the two dished are
served in the same course, but have a particularly strong
relationship to each other, such that one is commonly served with the
other. Such as a particular soup which is removed to be replaced by a
particular fish dish WITHIN the same course of the meal.
Members of the SCA "baaaaack in the ooooold daaaaays" didn't always
do the best research, and frankly, the resource materials were often
not available to them. So they took this Victorian term with a very
specific meaning, and applied it to an entire course within a meal, a
course generally being a set of food dishes that come out of the
kitchen pretty much at the same time. After all, it sounded more
archaic and old-fashioned than "course".
Research has shown that "course" is actually a period term applied
exactly the way we mean it today in the SCA.
Those who care about a greater degree of authenticity use the term
"course" and avoid the Victorian term "remove" erroneously applied to
a course. It will be hard slogging for a while - i live at SCA ground
zero - Kingdom of the West, Principality of the Mists, Province of
the Mists, where we still have active members who joined in or close
to year 0 and who persist in using "remove".
I believe the learned Master Adamantius had the best description. I
can only hope that my summary is clear and not inaccurate.
Anahita al-shazhiyya
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