[Sca-cooks] pot lucks

[Stefan li Rous]

Artemesia commented:
> It's been very interesting to read what other people have been doing with
> their potlucks.  I'd really like to come up with a new spin on them, to make
> them a bit more interesting, actually.  Thanks for everyone responding to
> the original post. :)

Yes, I am finding this discussion useful and interesting. Perhaps because
somehow, I am in charge of our Yule Revel on Dec. 8.

You might want to look at this file in the FEASTS section of the
Florilegium:
pot-luck-fsts-msg (16K)  6/25/01    Handling 'pot luck' feasts in the SCA.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FEASTS/pot-luck-fsts-msg.html

While not period, I like pot lucks because they can be used to
encourage folks to try period foods. Folks that wouldn't dream of
cooking for 100+ people (me for instance) will make a dish or two.

What I have not liked is the way they are usually served, in a long
line. This creates a cattle raid atmosphere with the first third in
line getting plenty of the best food, the second third getting some
of the best food and plenty of the remainder and the last third
getting almost none of the good food and maybe enough to eat.

The method I am going to be trying at our event, detailed in a number
of messages in the above file, will be to place the tables in a large
'U' shape, with openings between some of the tables. Folks will only
be seated on the outside of the 'U'. Each dish will be placed on the
inside of the table. When it starts, everyone will start at their table
and proceed in a clockwise (or counter clockwise, if you wish) direction.
1) Everyone starts at a table with food. No lines.
2) Most folks will fill their plate at approximately the same time
and can sit down to eat together.

The barony will be providing roast meats or maybe some sausage. This
will be on a central set of tables. As the serving plates empty, the
food will be brought to the central location, so folks don't have to
go on a hunt for more food.

This will probably not work in a crowded hall, but the hall we will have
is supposed to seat 200 and we are only expecting 90-120.

We will have prizes for the best period dish and best period sauce
determined by populace vote with game pieces they will get at the
gate.

We are pushing sauces since the barony will be providing roast meat
and I think there are many easy sauces which I think folks new to
medieval cooking or cooking at all, will be able to do.

I do like some of the ideas mentioned here, like the extra
tokens for bringing a period dish (who determines if is really
a period dish?) and using the tokens to set up the gift exchange. It
is too late for us to try that this year. The barony has had a
"pirate" gift exchange for the adults for two years and they wanted
to do it again.

> With all the experience here, has there been a specific food event that you
> felt was the coolest to be at?  And why?

Well, I liked this fancy feast detailed in this article in the
FEAST section of you know where, although I wasn't there.
Good-Fd-Feast-art (26K)  3/30/98    Description of a fancy feast done in Lochac.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FEASTS/Good-Fd-Feast-art.html
--
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 ****