[Sca-cooks] SCA Feasts....

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Debra Tonjes:

>My point....I stand in awe of those of you on this list who seem to have
>done so many feasts as Cook, Feastocrat, Kitchener, what have ye....
>
>*bows in deepest respect*
>
>Master Adamantius(forgive any spelling mistakes in ye name, I am a bit
>fatigued)....Countess Brekke...thank you so much for your support and
>comments...you made the exhaustion worth it for myself and my Lord by what
>you said.

Lady, it was my pleasure. Really; literally. I know I've worked so my
friends could have fun; on this occasion I brought my tools and an
apron, and would have been happy to help had it been needed, but on
this occasion there seemed to be plenty of help, and I was able to do
something I don't do often enough: see what other cooks are doing
from the other side of the kitchen door.

This was a fine feast. There are a couple of things I would have done
differently, but these weren't quality issues by any means, just
philosophical differences. The menu seemed fairly
speculative/peri-oid, but there was very little to jar anyone who
knows about period food out of persona (there was some wild rice, for
example, which was hot, tasty, perfectly seasoned, but distinctly
post-Columbus for an otherwise European-type meal). I got the
impression the menu was (in some cases) more modern dishes tweaked to
fit need rather than documentably historical, but, again, none of it
really made you scream, "Da*n, this is modern food!"

The group was very happy with it, my son was thrilled by what
appeared to be all the steamed mussels he could eat ;-), and I'm not
sure what provisions were made, or for that matter needed, to
accommodate various vegetarian folk, but suffice it to say the
vegetable content was suitably wintry with a concentration on roots.
Which I happen to like ;-).

I think for the type of event it was, for the group hosting it, it
was very nearly perfect. Towards the end people had sort of become
full before the last of the food came out, but dinner ended up being
served about an hour late due to court restraints (I heard someone
singing to the vilely familiar "Gilligan's Island" TV theme about "a
three-hour court... a threeee-hour court...").

I guess if I had to express a quibble (and this is really more in the
way of encouragement to obviously talented cooks to excel even more
than they already have), it would be to say that they paid such close
attention to quality details, and the food was so attractive and
tasty, it really would be a terrific thrill to see what these folks
could do if unleashed on something like Sabina Welserin.

>Althea DeGrimm, now going back to sleep if Kakarot the Krazed Kitten will
>let her....

Sounds good. Well done to the whole crew, and get some well-earned
sleep. I think I'll be spending more time in An Dubhaigeainn.

Adamantius