SC - Re: SC Pickled eggs

[KarenO]

Micaylah commented:
> Ingredients are not left however to the
> memories of these gentles as I tend to put this on each table along with
> a little history lesson of where each dish is from et al. Call it a
> distraction to the feast if you will by having "paper" on the tables,
> but I call it "taking the mystery out of the kitchen and into the faces
> of the Populace". 

I don't consider such information a distraction, but rather a nice
feature. I like to have the menu at hand so I can guage how much
more food may be coming so that I can pace myself. There is only
so much I can eat. If I know there is a lot more food coming, 
especially if there is something I've been wanting to try, I will
take smaller portions. If I can see that it is near the end of the
feast and I'm still hungry, I may seek out the remainders. 

Yes, the menu is often published ahead of time or pasted to the
wall somewhere, but it is easier and more accurate having the menu
in front of me than depending upon my memory.

Even in a mundane resturant, I often like to keep the menu during
a meal. This way I can compare the menu description to what I'm
eating. There may be a taste or a texture highlighted on the menu
that I can then be on the lookout for. Sometimes it will key me
into the fact that the server/kitchen hasn't delivered exactly
what they promised. Maybe the last is why they often look at me
wierd or sigh when I explain that want to keep the menu through
the meal.

For the Candlemas I was event steward for ten years ago, I had
photocopied the menu off and pasted it to some line drawings of
medieval folks, I think holding a banner, from one of the copyright
free drawing books. One of my assistants then hand colored each
of these drawings in different colors and then we pasted them on
foam board and stood them up on each table. These were just the
menus and not ingredient lists or food histories. This was long
before any of us had heard any concerns over allergies.

I think having recipe booklets/histories is a nice idea that
might help folks outside of those already cooking medieval foods
decide that they too, could do this. But if only available bu
asking the cook, you may only get to the already converted. But
putting booklets on each table may be wasteful. I don't know.
Maybe one booklet per table and more available elsewhere if
there are more than one at the table who want one?

Stefan li Rous
stefan at texas.net