[Sca-cooks] feast size was ( Re: Introduction)

[Decker, Terry D.]

I've worked with feasts for 400 and feasts for 120.  These days I usually
prepare feasts for about 160.  The actual number is based on expense (if the
exchequer can't handle it, you can't do it), average event attendance,
seating capacity, and kitchen capacity.  The fact that you prepared a feast
for 300 and some others prepared two feasts of a maximum 150 seats each is
not significant unless the variable conditions of hall and kitchen were
equal.

There is also the question of whether the kitchen crew is up to the
challenge of feeding larger numbers of people.  To feed more people, you
usually need more kitchen staff.  As the number of volunteers increases,
they start getting underfoot due to inexperience and limited kitchen space.
(I was envious of Wolfgang Puck's field kitchen for the Academy Award
Banquet.  The area was bigger than many of our feast halls with everything
placed so the various crews had their own work and cooking space.  Each crew
were professionals who worked together in various area restaurants.)

Also, there may be a difference in philosophy, if the other steward believes
smaller feasts are more appealing.  I like 120 person feasts, because I can
make them more medieval in appearance and feel.  Large feasts lose ambiance
to the logistics of getting people fed.

So the question might also be asked, is the reduction significantly good or
bad?

Bear


> Much of this was due to feast being
> limited to 150 on Saturday and 125 on Sunday.  I was
> curious if this was a trend in other kingdoms (besides
> Trimaris)?  Just two years ago, I was able to feast
> TMT for 300.  This seems like a significant reduction.
>
> YIS,
> Lady Johanna Milschak (better known as Yoyo)