[Sca-cooks] Handling special diet needs at feasts

[kattratt]

LOL ok I just thought I would throw this one out there...
It has been fun dealing with my wifes allergy just within our family and
family of friends we haven't even attempted to try and deal with it in
the SCA yet she simply picks what seems safe...
Ya'll ready for this?

Allergic to SUGAR of the Sucrose variety.
Cuts out Sucralose, Sucrose, Honey, wine, beer, (No biggie she hated
that stuff) Turbinado, beet sugar.

Now what is wierd is that she can have Fructose, and of course the fake
stuff, Aspartame, Nutrasweet. Brown Rice Syrup, Stevia (of course as
that is I think just a sweet herb ((a grass?)))
She can also have hard Liquor (Potatoe Vodka is the safest,) but she can
drink any of the hard stuff as long as it is processed I guess in a
distillery?  This does include Brandy,  Which I found to be really odd.
As I think of that as a "sweeter" liquor.

Her reaction luckily is not fatal but can be frightening on the
recieving end. It is Hormonal, She hates You, Herself, the room, the
air, her clothes, yours, everything!!! Then she is sad for all of the
above, and then comes the zzzzzzz's it just knocks her out.  Her
description is "PMS times about 7000" No kidding.

It has been fun to sneak sugar free stuff to our friends... "Here Have
an eclair" "Oh MY GOD!!!!! this is so good..." "Yeah and there is no
sugar in it." "WHAT????"   Hehehehe!

I have actually cooked for about 30 people, not period food but some
periodoid things, Meat spiced via a period recipe with the exception of
the sugar used, same for veggies, meat pies via period recipe substitute
fructose.
Has been very easy.  The hardest part was Powdered Fructose.  We still
have not gotten it quite right, but the closest I came was My grooms
cake for our wedding. ("Damnit you will have a cake you can eat!!!")
LOL  So I made a large sized Swiss Log I guess is the best description
(Think the "Little Debbie" Swiss Roll)  I used the Coffee grinder and
basically pulverized the fructose into submission. LOL  Then used that
as the powdered sugar for Icing and powdering.

Well I just thought I would toss out our ways of handling Special Diets
for life as well as feasts/parties/gatherings/whatevers.

Night all,
Nichola



This was the only mention that came close to the Juliekatt (my wife) and
she is not chronically ill, Thank the Good Lord or Whoever you wish.

Kirrily Robert wrote:
>
> We had, in our immediate circle:
>
> - one chronically ill person with dietary restrictions which disallowed:
>     - dairy
>     - eggs
>     - most grains (rice and corn OK)
>     - much sugar
>     - anything fermented or fungal, incl. soy sauce etc
>     - most preservatives and other chemical additives
>     - only allowed small amounts of meat
> K.