[Sca-cooks] Apprenticing, again...

[Stefan li Rous]

Caitlin Cheannlaidir replied to Muiredach with:
> > It kinda grates me a little to think of the fact that if I
> > want any kind of
> > "recognition" in the SCA, I'd have to apprentice again.
>
> I'd suggest not thinking about "recognition" per se.  Instead, become active
> in your local group, and when they call for volunteers for food-related
> things, volunteer.  Do some research, redact or find some period recipes,
> cook some food for people to eat.  When they eat it and like it, they'll
> cheer.  Then, do it again, and again, expanding your repetoire of period
> foods and period cooking techniques.  You'll find local folks you like to
> cook with, sources that produce recipes you like to eat.  Eventually, if you
> do what you love, and love what you do, and do it with attention to period
> detail, "recognition" will find you.

Muiredach,

I know we've discussed here previously the problems you have with most
institutional kitchens because of being in the wheelchair. One way to
get some recognition before you solve that problem may be in doing the
academic research, which you've mentioned you've already done some of,
and then by demostrating that research and your cooking ability through
things like dishes at the pot lucks and maybe some "Queen's Teas" or
other smaller meal sessions where you can do more of the work in your
customized home kitchen or at least in a kitchen not full of people
scurrying hither and yon.

Another way might be to take on some of the soteltie or food decorating
projects. Again, I think these could often be done ahead of time in
your adapted kitchen and would allow a large amount of creativity.

Also, there are folks around here who are known for making particular
dishes. For one of our aniversery feasts I remember we didn't have
one single headcook, but rather a bunch of them, each one cooking a
dish that they were famous for.

--
THLord  Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas         stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****