[Sca-cooks] Vigil in a Hotel

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

At 4:17 PM -0500 12/3/04, Martin G. Diehl wrote:
>lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:
>  >The hotel has said "no hot food"
>
>Please understand that I'm not trying to second guess
>you or play devil's advocate in favor of the hotel. 
>
>However, when I read 'The hotel has said "no hot food"',
>I think 'insurance' and other messy things like that ...

I completely understand and I certainly don't want to lose the site for us.

I thought of two things: (1) insurance and (2) a way to try to get us 
to eat the hotel food. But at least i'm not planning to cook anything 
there...

I haven't been to this particular hotel, but two years ago i used my 
hot glue gun in a hotel, and last year, well, a different hotel even 
supplied an ironing board and an iron, and most hotels have coffee 
makers in the rooms, so it seems that one can use hot things in the 
rooms.

>Back on our side of the question ... I can think of some
>cards that we could consider playing, "tradition",
>"hospitality", "special food requirements',
>"Special dietary requirements' [hint: religion], etc.

I appreciate the suggestions...

>Another possibility would be to rent the chafing dishes
>from them.

Hmm-mmm, there's an idea. I'll check into that.

>Or you could imagine a 'flight from the battle' or
>'eat on the run' ... with everything served cold.

In reality, most of the all-period food will be cold or room 
temperature. And this is for Vigils for two Laurels, not a Knight, so 
i don't see figuring in a battle scenario, although the ideas are 
imaginative.

There will be breads, several savory dips, seasoned olives, a 9th 
century Abbasid cold chicken salad, some pre-made tarts both sweet 
and savory, candied fruit peels and preserved fruits and maybe quince 
past (it's quince season!), lauzinaj (proto-baklava), scattered bowls 
of nuts and dried fruits, and other such stuff.

Since the second Vigilee approves of English, i'm considering Cheesey 
Goo, which really works best if not gelid (it's something of a 
novelty here on the Left Coast in the Central West). Besides, cold 
Andalusian meat balls just don't sound appealing, even if the 
Andalusian mustard sauce is normally cold. And i was hoping for some 
warm beverages.

I'm not trying to "violate" the hotel, and have no intention of open 
flames in the rooms, i  just hope to have a safe and sane way to warm 
up a couple dishes.

Your thoughts are appreciated and useful.

Anahita