SC - on table menus

[Elaine Koogler]

Another thing I like to do is to provide both the original recipe and the
redaction I've done.  If I can't do this in a handout that I give everyone, I at
least provide a notebook that contains this information.  I know I'm always
interested in not only what is in a dish, but where it came from.  I find that
many of those who eat my feasts feel the same way!

Kiri

"Mark.S Harris" wrote:

> 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
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