[Sca-Cooks] Milk and Nut Allergy Questions...

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

As for allergies, i cannot guarantee absolutely no contamination :-(

Although i try to avoid cross-contamination, I have many helpers and
some are, well, not thinking about it as much as i am, even though i
tell them, and remind them, etc., during the course of the food
preparation - at the Boar Hunt last December i caught one using the
cooking spoon from one dish to stir another.

One thing i do to help is put a "menu" on each table which lists each
course and each dish and its ingredients separately, so folks with
food issues will at least have a hint.

Also, i'm always available to answer questions, and i can make simple
adjustments (for example, a single salad serving without vinegar in
the dressing).

We don't generally pre-sell tickets to feasts around here, so we
cooks don't know exactly how many people will show up. We have an
upper limit based on how many the hall will hold, and estimate
attendance based on how many have been showing up to an event over
the decades... If more people show up than we can feed, we usually
turn them away.  Although i was cooking for 80 at the Boar Hunt last
December, i fed at least 90. There was plenty of food, but not much
in the way of leftovers.

This also means that most potential feasters don't tell the cook or
autocrat about food issues until they arrive. I post messages on
several local lists *asking* for comments. I rarely get any.

For the Mists Bardic, I was told to cook for between 60 and 80... If
80 show up, there won't be much salmon, but there should be plenty of
chicken and vegetables - and i try to have plenty of bread in the
kitchen in case we need it for filler.

Each table seats 8, so i put what i consider 8 servings on each
serving dish. Because people have different tastes and different
appetites, there is often some sharing among tables - another change
for contamination - although i put a serving spoon or fork on each
dish, i know that diners often use their own eating utensils to serve
themselves.

Anahita