[Sca-cooks] Medieval cooking for non-cooks

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

Hey all from Anne-Marie

Solveig discusses the inappropriate nature of the potluck.

I would suggest, however, that a potluck serves several functions:

1. when strapped for cash, students in student housing can often trade in
meal punches for foodstuffs. I did this for years, in some cases, bringing
raw ingredients like rice, etc for other people to cook, and in some cases
bring loaves of bread, cheese, even roast chickens.
2. part of the medieval experience is learning new things. A potluck allows
everyone the opportunity to learn something new. An assigned potluck (ie
"you bring this recipe and you bring this recipe") provides this
opportunity as well as guarenteeing that the food that shows up will be
medieval.
3. Not all potlucks involve a buffet line. Out here we often do served
potlucks. Folks bring food and drop it off at the kitchen. A handful of
skilled volunteers :) prep and dish up the food and then serve it to the
assembled throngs. Its actually more medieval in some ways as not everyone
gets every dish.
4. As an impoverished student, you may not be willing to pay $5 for a feast
ticket. As a not so impoverished university employee, you may be willing to
pay more. A potluck allows people to spend what they can without the
stigma. Broke? pick a cheap recipe. Feeling flush? bring a main dish
object. This is how we do it in our household and it works great.

please dont disuade a group of new people from trying something they've
never done before. The fact that they're playing with medieval recipes is a
great start and I for one am delighted, no matter how they organize it.

--Anne-Marie, who started out doing assigned potlucks in college and
graduated to full feasts within a couple years :).