SC - TI Article - Support Kitchen

[LrdRas@aol.com]

I would like to thank Adamantius for coming up with the only constructive comment on this whole topic.

Lanie, Ras, et al., I understand that you are peeved because the article did not give period foods, and may not have adhered to your understanding of the nature of the SCA and your view of what TI should be.  As Thorbjorn has pointed out, Ms. Jenna feeds the fighters what they will eat, not what someone thinks they should eat.  Also, she was apparently asked to write up an article describing what works for them and the logistics of how to run the Support Kitchen -- and that is exactly what she did.

If you think that the article was inappropriate, you have several options.  You can, of course, take over as editor of TI and thus ensure that it will meet your standards for content.  You can also write your own article, based upon experience, that gives recipes for period foods that you have found fighters will eat after battles.  I think that letters saying that the article was trash and the quality of TI is not what you expect would be far less than constructive and serve only to salve your annoyance.  Criticizing the work of two women who are not on this list also appears to be less than useful.

I really do want to emphasize the fact that if you are going to submit an article with recipes, BE SURE THAT THE RECIPES WORK.  Too often people think things will work and they do not.  (This happens at feasts too -- don't we all have some story about a dish that went universally uneaten?)  I have seen only one message by someone with experience in feeding things to fighters, and her list included pretzels and other popular nonperiod items in with the sausages and orange slices.  That might be something for those of you insisting upon only period foodstuffs to consider.

Ras, why not get someone from the Mountain Confederation to write an article about what they do?  According to you, they have experience in feeding only period foods to large numbers of fighters.  But for someone who doesn't fight and has not had to feed 60-100 fighters and support staff daily on a short timeframe to speculate on what they should be fed, it would be like me telling a metalcaster what temperature to use to prepare for a pour.  If you have experience in doing, then write it up.  If you think you know how it should be done, test your theory before going off hostile.

Same as with any recipe we use, same as planning for a feast:  Test, test, test, and make notes as you go.

And BTW, I agree that pickled eggs are A Good Thing, but the glass jars in which they are usually packed are a problem for transport -- bulky and fragile.  Maybe Poppa Gunthar, who is one of the few active fighters on this list (AFAIK; I am still medically retired, but I loved pretzel nuggets, grapes, and hard-boiled eggs the best) can offer some insights as to what fighters grave after a hot afternoon in battle.

                      ---= Morgan