[Sca-cooks] how to assess advice

[Chip]

Adelheid Wolfensberger (mka Cindy Ferguson) wrote:

> How can one determine whether or not what you are being told is
> accurate?

I don't know that you can.  The only way to know you've been given
stale info is to later learn to correct info.  As you get to know
those in your group better, you'll learn which of them do the research
& which just gloss over the details propagating whatever they were
told.

The best advice I can offer on advice is to get a second opinion.  Get
ten opinions.  Then you start to see which opinions are the most
prevalent.  That may not always indicate correctness, but it's a good
place to start.

> I'd like to get a cookbook of period recipes but I want to get a
> good one!

As a relatively new person myself (only 4 years in) I have found that
"Take a Thousand Eggs or More" (available from www.thousandeggs.com in
book form) and "Cariadoc's Miscellany" (at
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/miscellany.html) were
instrumental in what I consider successful attempts at period cookery
(a few feasts under my belt, happy Vikings, converting our Seneschal
to ways of the Funge, strangers trying to re-create my dishes at home,
never been pelted with rotten produce).

If I read his recent comments correctly, His Grace Cariadoc himself
would tell you to begin with primary sources.  It has been my
experience, though, that finding primary sources and having the
knowledge & skill to use them, come only after being involved in
period cooking for a while.  Again with the conflicting opinions. :)

I started not with books, but with websites.  The Florilegium
(www.florilegium.org), the Miscellany (link above), and Gode Cookery
(www.godecookery.com) are all treasure troves of lovely knowledge.

Just as important, though, are the innumerable smaller websites (many
by denizens of this very list).  These are found at random through
search engines.  I can't suggest www.google.com strongly enough.  It
is THE search engine.  Just plug the phrase "medieval cooking" into
Google, pack a lunch, and start reading.

Make note of the books & primary sources mentioned.  Then you'll start
to get an idea of what to spend your hard-earned cash on.

Hope that helps,
____________________________________________________________________
Iyad ibn al-Thu'ban ibn Bisharo

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