[Sca-cooks] Suggestions for camp food...

[Phlip]

Ene bichizh ogsen baina shuu...

> I'd do this and put the marinated meat strips in your half of the food and
> let him grill a sausage to add to his.

We've done that sort of thing, but I'm trying to minimize extra work, and
still feed us both.

> Other options could be:
>
> Much healthier homemade sausages, or even two versions of the sausage with
> one being a low salt version for you.

I like most sausage, I just don't like all the salt I'd get with both that
and other prepared foods- I like other flavors, too ;-)

> Two completely different sets of food.

Not an option, really, although we've done that too.

> Salads with grilled marinated chicken (period recipes combined together or
> modern as desired)
> Fresh or baked apples for breakfast with homemade bread made at home and
> cheese
> Raisin nut bread (think granola in a bread for hearty food content) and
> boiled eggs for breakfast

I'm not much of a baker- I can do it, but it's not something I enjoy, so I
seldom make anything but biscuits or cornbread.

> *****
> To me though there is a larger issue here.  You are dealing with a person
> who seems to have an unhealthy addiction to high fat, high salt, high
cancer
> causing and cardiovascular system damaging chemical food made
> mostly(commercially) from the unhealthiest parts of animals.  This alone
is
> difficult enough from the viewpoint of how the choice to damage one's
health
> affects a relationship.  And he also chooses to be demandingly picky, and
> has chosen not to acquire good adult level cooking skills.  (And here I
mean
> good basic cooking skills...no expectations that someone would have the
vast
> depth and breadth of many people on this list.)

Oh, he can cook, but not as well as he thinks he can. And he does try, but I
prefer to keep things simple because he's just not up to my standards. And
as far as his eating habits, of the consequences you've mentioned, I think
he's had one of each, including a stroke.

 On the positive side, it
> seems that if you spend many hours doing the organizing, prep work, and
> advance cooking, he is willing to warm up your food for you which means
that
> you can continue at the forge.  To me a balance of you doing 90% of the
work
> or so, and your friend doing 10% plus adding on all the picky food
> restrictions seems like a rough road.

Well, much of this is because he lives quite a ways away. If he can drive 16
hours to spend time with me, I can certainly cater to his foibles. He has a
number of other skills and positive characteristics- trust me, I do NOT
allow myself to be taken advantage of ;-)

 Is there another friend who could
> help out who has good cooking skills, and might make the labor of feeding
> you and some of the other teachers or demonstrators their contribution to
> the event, perhaps even as a class or demo if that is feasible?  And maybe
> your friend could spend part of his time doing something where his skills
> are strong, and part of his time serving as an apprentice to your cooking
> friend to upgrade his cooking skills and to help out there as well
assuming
> both are willing.  This scenario would fix the short term and some of the
> long term aspects of the situation.

Well, while I appreciate the suggestions, this IS a short term situation-
basicly for one weekend event, and it only happens a couple of times a year.
There's a lot I'll put up with, when it only happens occasionally.

And, I'm not particularly into health food per se. I just happen to be lucky
that most of the foods I like the most are good for me, chocolate chip
cookies and cinnamon donuts excepted ;-)

I'm also looking for ideas that, when I'm alone, as I often am with the
forge, I can easily get good food stuffed down my throat. I have a tendency
to get bust, and forget to eat, and when finally fed, think to myself, "Oh,
so THAT'S what was wrong".

I am working on acquiring an assistant, for whom I'll pay site fees and feed
in exchange for helping with the heavy work, but as it stands, I have no
idea of his cooking skills (suspect minimal, but he's pretty young), and I'm
also looking for ideas that I can guide him into doing- again, with minimal
hassle.

But, thanks for your concern ;-)

Phlip

"When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
 Blacksmith's credo.

 If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
cat.

Never a horse that cain't be rode,
And never a rider who cain't be throwed....