SC - Canned Pumpkin

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Thorvald here:

I've tracked down a published extract of the article I referred
to last week concerning the nef. The original article was from
the early 80's, and the extract / summary was published in May 
1986 in a local SCA newsletter (_The Montengarde Mouthpiece_). 
It was written by Sir Conrad von Graz.

First, an excerpt from the extract:

  "In period it was customary for every guest to bring his or
   her own knife, spoon, salt, spices, napkin, & on occasion
   goblet. ... Most of these things which a guest would bring
   became part of the table setting during the feast & would
   be carried in some sort of pouch which would lay on the 
   table before the guest (marking his or her place). This
   pouch according to C. Anne Wilson in _Food & Drink in
   Britain_ (London:Constable, 1976) was also called a NEF.
   The following sketch is from p.58 of Wilson's work showing
   the typical table setting for two guests:"

There follows a photocopy of the sketch showing from left to 
right close to the diners: rolls (?in cloth?); trencher; spoon; 
knife; platter; knife; spoon; trencher; rolls.  Closer to the 
center of the table, again from left to right: a small plate for 
sauces; what appears to be a long leather case with closure 
lying crosswise and labelled (by Wilson) 'Gentleman's nef'; a 
goblet; what appears to be a cross-section view of a large 
(?wooden? ?pottery? ?metal?) container adorned with the statue 
of a peacock and with at least two deep holes one containing two 
pieces of cutlery (?knife and spoon?) standing on end and the 
other containing something white that might be intended to 
represent a napkin or a container of salt or spices and labelled 
(by Wilson) 'Lady's nef'; and finally a second plate for sauces.

The caption (by Wilson) for the sketch reads:

  "This sketch shows the double table laying in greater detail.
   Note the leather nef of the gentleman is far less elaborate 
   than that of the King. The page placed the food onto the
   platter where the guest cut it onto pieces and placed them
   on his trencher which served as a plate."

The extract does not say where or when the original of the 
sketch came from, nor where Wilson got her information about 
this meaning of nef.

So we have some evidence (depending on the reliability of C.
Anne Wilson, whose book I do not have and therefore cannot
judge) for nef referring to a container for some or all of 
the things that a guest would bring to a feast.

I presume that a number of those on this list will have 
this book, and can check directly and perhaps report on her 
sources.



Sir Conrad also writes in the summary (I've strung relevant 
bits together):

  "... I am the source of the use of the term NEF for an SCA
   table setting. ... to refer primarily to the basket or box
   _plus_ contents which the typical SCA Feast Guest is
   expected to bring to the SCA Feast or Revel.  ... The final
   shift from the container to contents took place at the 2nd
   War Games [1984] where there was a contest ... they only 
   had table settings ... from that point onward NEF has meant
   Table Setting, etc, in Avacal [then a region in An Tir, now
   a Principality]."


I know I have a copy of the original article (which was more
complete than the extract I've been quoting from) somewhere, but 
so far my ransacking of the files has not turned it up.


Stefan, it's interesting to note the mis-rememberings about the
contents of the article (at up to 20 year's distance) by both 
myself and by Sir Conrad.

Thorvald