[Sca-cooks] Kitchen wear, was Very carefully not panicking...

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Gorgeous Muiredach wrote:
>  >comfy shoes
>
>I'd define comfy shoes as shoes that are hard soled and will hold one's
>ankle safely.  I have found that as comfortable as they are, running shoes
>of all ilks are probably the worst thing.  At the end of a 14, 15 hour day,
>your ankle are swollen, your feet are sore, and your lower back is likely
>to kill you.
>
>There's a reason so many chefs and surgeon vote for (closed heel) clogs
>  :-)  Make sure they have a non-skid sole if you go that way.

So, what kind of shoes? I'm not visualizing them clearly. I have bone
spurs in both heels, so my feet get real sore (ok, so they feel as if
they are being fileted by flaming knives). I need good soft
cushioning inside and a somewhat resilient, but cushiony sole, but i
like snugly fitting shoes (loose shoes lead to twisted ankles and
sore metatarsal arches).

I limped for 3 days after Boar Hunt 2001. And although while i was
limping by the afternoon of the Bardic, i was fine the next day. I've
been wearing Eccos, which are better than any of the other shoes i've
had recently. But i haven't found the right shoes yet. Of course, i
wear women's size 5 narrows (big enough to leave room for extra pads)
which are not easy to find in any style. Shoes that are too wide are
very uncomfortable to me.

>  >comfy clothes
>
>Comfy, yet not baggy.  Dangerous to have baggy clothes in the
>kitchen.

Yeah, i second that. Watch out for:
-- Sleeves with wide cuffs - they can catch on hot pot handles and
pull them over, maybe on you; drag in the food, and, uh, catch fire...

-- Low necklines - hot or sticky stuff can splash on your delicate
skin (or if you're a guy, ee-yew, chest hair in the food...)

-- Long hems - you'll be bending and moving a lot, and you really
don't want to step on your hem and make yourself fall down.

-- Long swirly skirts - that someone else can step on making you or
them fall, or that can knock stuff over...

-- Trains *really* don't belong on the kitchen crew - although we had
someone with one at the Mists Bardic feast, but, then, there were
only four cooks, so we were generally well out of each other's way -
and she had lots of experience with trains (Duchess Mistress
Mistress, and more than 20 years in the SCA).

If you look at Medieval pictures of kitchen help, the men are usually
in short tunics and the women's aren't real long, and often hiked up.

>   Also, avoid like the plague any synthetics.

Help me, i'm melting... that's how you'll feel in synthetics.

Another thing i'll mention:
-- Hair covering: I put my hair up and usually have a head wrap on,
and i generally request this of my crew.

I really have to make myself some aprons (this time i stained my nice
grey linen tunic on the stove). I say this to myself after every
feast, and then i forget...

Anahita