[Sca-cooks] Feastocrate vs. Head Cook

[johnna holloway]

OED traces autocrat as:autocrat A monarch of uncontrolled authority;
 an absolute, irresponsible governor; one who rules with undisputed
sway. (
Autocrat of all the Russias, a title of the Tsar.)
earliest quote is:

1803  An embassy sent by the Directory, or the Corsican autocrat.
(Sounds like many an SCA person in charge to me...)

One reason it may be feastocrat is that cook in Middle English
can be:
cok (n.(6)) Also coke, cuke, cuike.

1.(a) One who prepares and cooks food in a household, a cook;
 (b) one who prepares and sells cooked articles of food; cokes craft,
the occupation of such a person.

2.(a) cokes knave, a cook's helper, kitchen boy; master cok, chief cook,
chef (of a noble's kitchen);
 yoman ~, an official in a noble's kitchen; (b) in names: cok-hous,
?kitchen, ?restaurant; ~ roue, Cooks' Row, Cook Street.

Johnnae llyn Lewis Johnna Holloway


kattratt wrote:

> I think I prefer either Head Cook or simply Cook.
> I am curious as well, are any of the "Crats" period correct? snipped
> Nichola Buscelli
>
> Decker, Terry D. wrote:
>snipped>The Cook (or Head Cook, if you prefer) was an office of the household which
> >was often responsible for planning the meals, for purchasing of or
> >calculating the use of the provender, and preparing the food.  Rumpolt, for
> >example, uses the term Mundkoch.  Kitchener and Cuisinier might also be
> >used.  Chef (de cuisine) appears to be out of period.