[Sca-cooks] Dayboards

[Tara Sersen Boroson]

> Most of the time people do get what they pay for. However, my experience--
> from watching people literally shovel meat cubes on a slice of bread until
> it stood up like a cliff-- is that providing beef, in particular, for a
> large fighting event, is financially unfeasible. Depending on heating


I definately agree with this point.  That's one of the reasons why I
went with chicken instead of beef for Landsknecht.  While people still
appreciated having real meat, it didn't attract the neanderthals who
consider a real meal to be a slab of bread and a pound of cow, never
mind that there are 300 more people in line behind them who have to eat.

> conditions, even chicken can be a problem because many people think cold
> chicken is gross but chicken or chicken dishes, as well as quiche-like
> dishes that many SCA cooks are so enamored of, are problematic if not kept
> constantly cold or constantly hot.


People seem to like cold chicken when it's prepared in some way other
than just roasted and sliced.  Chicken chunks in sauces have gone over
well both at my dayboards and yours, Jadwiga (though I seem to remember
that you served yours seperate from the sauces, am I right?)  It's also
easier to keep cold - I kept a pan of it in a larger pan of ice water at
Landsknecht.  The sauce served as a thermal conductor, keeping the
chicken colder than if it were dry and loose.  I was serving it in the
hall with a fridge nearby, but if I were serving it in the heat on the
field I would keep gallon bags of the chicken and sauce in a cooler
hidden under the table.  Every time the pan ran low, I'd dump in a new
bag and a couple fresh handsful of ice.

The whole roasted chickens I've brought for smaller occasions, like
Kingdom Crusades or Celtic Classic, have also been popular.  It looks
less bland and plain than sliced chicken, even though it's the same
stuff, and people seem to like tearing off drumsticks and hacking into
the carcass.  Not practical for a regular dayboard, but nice for a
smaller private one.


> All the foods served at this year's Spring Crown tourney were period.
> Every one. We struggled with the soups, but if we had had to provide
> enough meat instead of meat soup for the gentlemen of the list, the event
> would have gone broke.


I like soups.  But, they're not popular at hot summer events.  People
have also griped about having to carry their feast gear around a large
event.  While I don't care about whining from most people, it's logical
for fighters.  Trying to balance a little bowl and maneuver a spoon
while wearing armor can be a trial.  One of few fighter concessions that
makes sense ;)


> Many people have mentioned to me their disappointment when they attend an
> event where the dayboard, though meticulously prepared and full of
> tempting tidbits-- is out of food or closed within an hour.


I've only been to one large fighting type event where this happened.  It
did suck.  If you were on the field or couldn't find the dayboard in
time you were stuck.  But at small indoor events, well, everybody can
get to the dayboard at the same time.  Usually there is a break in
activities for lunch.  So, I agree that with large events, you should
plan food volume to allow you to serve for a long time, even if that
means settling for less expensive foods.  But I see no reason to treat a
small indoor event like a large outdoor event.

-Magdalena