SC - list newbie/seasonal food

[Vincent Cuenca]

>
>Such restrictions could, in fact, be a good outlet for creativity. How
>would you work around those restrictions to present a delightful dining
>experience to the guests of your master when that special dinner just
>happened to fall in Lent or another fast day?

IIRC, the feast days of saints and Sundays were not counted in the forty 
days of Lent, and were therefore exempt from the usual dietary restrictions. 
  So you can have your corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day.  Also, 
they had different ideas about what constituted "meat".  Whales, dolphins 
and seals could be eaten, as they were aquatic creatures and therefore not 
"flesh animals".  By that same logic, beaver tail could be eaten, as it had 
scales and was more fishlike.  Some religious authorities argued that the 
white flesh of birds was more pure than other meat, and so could be eaten 
during fast periods.  "Fast and Feast" goes on a fair bit about this.

I remember a story of one archprelate who threw a banquet on Ash Wednesday, 
consisting of forty separate dishes.  The next day, he served thirty-nine, 
then thirty-eight, and so on until Easter.

Of course, there's a lot one can do with fish, particularly fresh tuna and 
swordfish....

Vicente
(tuna steaks....oooohhhh)
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