[Sca-cooks] SCA article in Chicago Tribune

[Stefan li Rous]

  Lord Vincenzo mentioned:
> I'm trying to list all of the points in the article that
> seemed inaccurate to me. Please let me know if you don't
> agree with these comments.

> "20-pound helmets" -- FALSE
Mainly a bit too broad. I've not weighed my helm. As a single example, 
it might not be that far off. Ever checked the weight of a period 
jousting helm?
> "most of the weapons use bendable rattan instead of more
> solid woods" -- FALSE; should have been "all of the
> weapons" since (IIRC) heavy list uses *only* rattan
No, there have been spears made of pultruded fiberglass for years. And 
I think there are efforts on using siloflex? as a rattan replacement. I 
don't know if that is for regular use or it is still experimental 
though.

The rattan isn't that bendable. It's advantage is that breaks into 
mushy splinters and not long, sharp splinters as wood would be apt to. 
Awfully hard to get across in a short description to the reporter or in 
a short newspaper article.
> "weapons ... are covered with duct tape" -- FALSE;
> should have been, "weapons ... are wrapped in fiber tape
> and covered with duct tape" and mentioned safety
But the duct tape is all the reporter would see. This is a newspaper 
article, not a technical paper on the SCA. This is getting too 
complicated. The readers are not going to care about those details and 
it really is not important to the SCA or SCA Inc. that they know this.
>
> "Daniel ... Yehoshua ben Israel, looked every bit the
> musketeer" -- true/false? (musketeers - 1700's, Cavalier)
17th century, I believe. Again, don't split hairs. Many people in the 
SCA do wear Cavalier garb and to the non-academic, the 1595 outfit is 
not going to look that different from the 1650 one.
>
> " ... brought their own authentic wooden tableware"
> true/false? (I have never heard anyone in the SCA make a
> claim (or provide documentation) that we consider wooden
> plates as authentic)
A claim? I don't know. There is period documentation for wooden 
trenchers though. See the Florilegium. :-) Another problem is authentic 
for which class of people? Upper class or middle or lower? Even if the 
upper classes are using pewter and gold and silver, that doesn't mean 
the others aren't using wooden. With the SCA covering 1500 years and a 
multitude of cultures, chances are wooden tableware was used. Did the 
article make any comment about forks? We know those were infrequently 
used in our period and even then by only a few cultures, but they are 
certainly common at SCA feasts.

Does "tableware" include drinking vessels? We do have proof for those. 
See mazers-msg.

I wouldn't be too concerned about a newspaper report that mentioned we 
were doing something authentic.
> no mention of the training needed (IIRC, 6 months) to
> become authorized as heavy weapons or light weapons
> fighters
Not in all kingdoms. Certainly not in Ansteorra. I don't remember any 
time period if you can prove that you are safe on the field. The only 
real time limitation that I can think of at all, is a limit on how soon 
you can fight in Crown Tournament.

I find much of the other objections to also be too nit-picking. Yes, it 
would be nice to have gotten some comments about safety and such, the 
blow calling, the fact that it is a volunteer organization, the 
requirement of an attempt at period clothing etc, but it is a newspaper 
article, not a book.

If folks are going to write them about the article, at least also 
mention the things they got right.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****