[Sca-cooks] RE: Handling special diet needs at feasts

[jenne at fiedlerfamily.net]

> Quite a lot of odd ducks you had there Jadwiga.  If I had encountered some
> of those who are IMO being picky (or hysterical over their food); there
> would have been some hungry folks left at the end of feast.  NO SYMPATHY
> WHATSOEVER!

Well, it was Pennsic camp cooking not feast, so there wasn't a lot of
flexibility. By the time most of these people started eating feasts, they
knew enough to check the menu and then go offboard if there's nothing they
can eat. On the other hand, I don't have a lot of problems varying food to
suit a variety of issues as long as no-one is being a brat about it.

(The lady with the really picky stomach has some excuse, in my opinion, as
she was a PPPPT baby -- poor protoplasm poorly put together-- and had to
have stomach surgery when a few days old, and other surgeries as a child.
We're cooking for people who simply would not have EXISTED as adults in
period. *smile*)

> With lard, I am relatively sure it to be a comparatively simple product
> (with no additives I don't expect to find); likewise hog jowls from the
> butcher are relatively free of modern contaminates (except steroids,
> anti-biotics and such of course).

My experience of lard is that packaged lard is very different from 'render
your own' (which we did when I was a kid) and that non-processed foods
actually have greater variance than processed ones-- that's the point of
processed foods, after all. That's not a reason to use processed food
products, just a comment.

> Lastly, as to the E.K. Queen's taste and specifically HRM's allergies, I
> WOULD gladly attempt to customize the head table menu to accommodate or
> even have a pair of experienced kitchen staffers prepare a completely
> different(period) feast menu just for her!  Even if I have to pay for it
> out of my own pocket to satisfy the (occasional)mindless jerks among us who
> insist that head table can not have special dishes not served to everyone
> else as we are a nonprofit and nah-nah-nah, blah, blah, blah.  My
> suggestion....Go stuff yourselves at Mickey D's!  I don't feel like cooking
> for you if you can not acknowledge the hard work of the Crown and can't
> cope with someone giving them a few well deserved perks fro the kitchen!

If the Princess/Queen wishes to acknowledge the hard work of the cooks by
saying, "I don't wish to put you out by requesting a separate menu" I
think that's commendable. If the cooke wishes to drive themselves crazy
preparing a whole different menu for the royals for whatever reason,
more power to them, I guess.

But I don't think the Crown deserves more consideration than the people in
your local group who bust their butts to make the group run. If you
can't/won't accomodate the allergies or problems of a worker bee because
it's too much trouble, doing a separate feast for the queen would look
like swanking and sucking up to me, if I was in the local group, and I
make a point of eating what is set before me.

> My, my.  A nice rant... once in while... does feel good!

Yes, it does.

-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa
jenne at fiedlerfamily.net OR jenne at tulgey.browser.net OR jahb at lehigh.edu
"Are you finished? If you're finished, you'll have to put down the spoon."