[Sca-cooks] vegetarian

[Stefan li Rous]

Kirsten commented:
> 1. a lot of the people in some baronies are vegetarian...... this may not be
> true in YOUR barony, but it is true in mine
>
> 2.  if they cant eat it, they wont come to feast

Yes. Just like I have little interest in attending most feasts which
don't include period foods or reasonable attempts at them.


> 3. if they cant eat  at enough feasts. they feel left out of the SCA as a
> group. cant socialize with the other SCAdians.. and we may lose them
> entirely!

This is one reason I prefer the Ansteorra tradition of allowing "off board"
and "on board" folks to eat at the same tables. This allows those who
have special food preferances or requirements to join their friends at
feast. In some cases I've noticed period looking feasts at tables that
looked much better than the main feast.


> also, there are lots of times we use what would have been an expensive meat
> to substtute for a (period inexpensive) meat
> like we use beef instead of rabbit in something....... so you can just as
> easily use TVP or Tofu in a strongly flavored sauce.. and it probably tastes
> about the same......

Hmmm. Possibly there is tofu that tastes similar to meat. But I've yet to
see or taste any that resembled meat in texture. Unless jello is a meat.
But I haven't tried any of the meat substitutes (TVP?).


> also, i seem to recall a sermon ranting about how some tables were done up
> with vegetarian foods that were disguised to look like meat. and this wasnt
> really "fasting"
> so there are some reasons to hold that vegetarian "meat substitutes" were
> period.. just maybe not the exact ones we use.

Was this ranting against these foods? Or ranting about how good they were?
I'd love to see more information on this sermon if you find it.


> heck...... i doubt it would be out of place to have a good barley and lentil
> stew......... in harvest time.

That's a meal. Not a feast. And maybe not a meal for the upper class.

Stefan

--
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas         StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****