[Sca-cooks] You know you're in the SCA when... (was Hard liquor in period recipes, was Adamantius pants)

[rtanhil]

The following quoted reference is included only to
illustrate a point I find amusing. I don't find it offensive
in any way (and hope others don't either). I notice it most
in the SCA, although I suppose that if I hung out in more
academic circles I might notice it there, too.

As a group, we expect footnoted discussions.

"I read it in a book" is a common supporting argument, but
lots of things are written in books, and not all of them are
true. When reading a book for factual information, the first
thing I turn to is the bibliography. If there isn't any, or
if seems inadequate, I tend to regard the contents of a book
with scepticism and tend to read mostly for broad ideas, if
I read it at all. If the bibliography is extensive and
includes a number of primary sources, I tend to read with
more of an eye for details and try to remember the title and
author, if nothing else, to be able to point to it later and
say "I read it here."

I'm not trying to discourage this. We're all trying to make
our game more real. We just need to remember not to take it
personally.

Berelinde

>
> > I have seen sources sighting a distillery in Ireland as
> > early as the 6th  century AD.
>
> Any recollection of which sources? I know that the
> Encyclopedia  Britannica says something about distilling
> in Britain... and suggests  R.J. Forbes, A Short History
> of the Art of Distillation: From the  Beginnings Up to the
> Death of Cellier Blumenthal (1970) as a source
>
> > Vodka was well established in the Russias as early as
> > the 10th century  according to records of Genovese
> Traders.
>
> *puzzled* why were there Genovese Traders in Russia at
> that time?  And where can we find these records-- these
> descriptions would be  invaluable to those of us in the
> States studying period Slavic culture.
>
> > and I have seen several recipes from a Roman cookbook of
> > the 2nd century BC  that call for distilled spirits,
> although wine was much more common.
>
> Which cookbook, and which recipes?