[Sca-cooks] Food Network shoot photos

[Susan Fox-Davis]

"This is not low calorie.  This is not low fat.  This is not low carb.  This
is LOW TECH!"

My adventure in educating the culinary public took place on April 9, 2004 as
a crew from the upcoming food history series THE SECRET LIFE OF... Came to
me and asked me to show them how to make Cornish Pasties for their episode
about Pie.  The series debuts on June 8 with the popular topic of Barbecue;
the Pie show should air sometime after that, within 13 weeks anyway!  This
looks like an interesting show that I would watch even if I had not been
invited to participate.  Besides, someone there has the good sense to ask
the culinary historians of the SCA for their expertise. Let's hope this
trend continues!  Goodness knows, the "amateurs" often know their stuff
better than the people who actually make money in the same field.

Some "production photos"taken during the proceedings may be found at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~selene/
I still need to put up the recipe, that should happen on Monday when I get
back to work where I left it.  Hehehehe-ooops.

The location is my parents' kitchen;  my kitchen is a little larger but not
as well set-up for demonstrations to an audience or a camera.  They were
extremely good sports about the whole thing, particularly when I engaged an
extra few hours with the family maid service to clean up afterwards.  Oh,
and made sure they had a yummy dinner of pasties that evening as well.

We were SO organized.  I had the recipe completed in stages,
pre-refrigerated dough balls to roll, completed pasties to take out of the
oven instantly after the demonstration of how to roll and fill them.  I had
a recipe and a full page of pastie-lore printed out, which the director and
show host pored over and duly asked all the RIGHT questions.  The crew was
coming from another shoot in town and got to us about half an hour later
than I was expecting, which didn't do my nerves a bit of good.  However,
once arrived, they got down to business and we were ready to roll within
half an hour.  They started at 2:30 in the afternoon and done and gone by
4:30.  Impressive. 

Show host Jim  O'Connor was a delight.  One does not get the impression from
his other Food Network show, ALL AMERICAN FESTIVALS just how smart, involved
and fun he can be.  He kept up a patter throughout, asked the questions I
wanted asked and introduced a few more interesting ones as well.
Fortunately I had answers for them!  He hung around after the crew tore down
and chatted with me and my family.  He didn't have to do that, he could very
well have been just the aloof talent and skipped out after his part was
done, but he was just as friendly as could be.

I will be keeping in touch with the show producer/director.  I have some
really early recipes that may find mention in some of the other shows.
Ancient Irish pit "barbecue" and 15th Century macaroni-and-cheese are on my
list.  My current dream is to get on board as their on-call historical
researcher, and maybe later to appear on-screen again.  After that, who
knows?

Bon Appetit!
Susan Fox-Davis / Dame Selene Colfox
selene at earthlink.net