[Sca-cooks] SCA article in Chicago Tribune

[Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise]

> 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 

Depends on the helm, I think. I've seen some helms that heavy.
 
> "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 

Nope. Spears are fiberglass. 

> "weapons ... are covered with duct tape" -- FALSE; 
> should have been, "weapons ... are wrapped in fiber tape 
> and covered with duct tape" and mentioned safety 

They are in fact covered with duct tape. That's not all  they have on, 
but they are covered with duct tape

> "Daniel ... Yehoshua ben Israel, looked every bit the 
> musketeer" -- true/false? (musketeers - 1700's, Cavalier) 

He might have been dressed in Cavalier, sure.

> " ... 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) I have heard people say so; 
b) _Dinner is Served_ by Gerard Brett (lousy text, good illustrations) 
depicts on p. 76: "Set of small trenchers with box, sycamore... English, 
about 1600.

Wooden bowls and cups predate these.

> no mention of (volunteer) service 

Yes, there was mention of the people who volunteered to run it. 

> no mention of teaching

"classes in weaving and medieval Italian cooking"

> no mention of creating a persona backed by research

 "For me, personally, being Jewish, the society gives me a chance to 
teach people about a side of the Middle Ages that wasn't so nice: the 
Crusades," he said. "I'm able to give back to the society in that 
manner."
 
> no mention of the training needed (IIRC, 6 months) to 
> become authorized as heavy weapons or light weapons 
> fighters 

There is no specific timeperiod required of training. One of our newer 
members is a modern fencer-- she authorized on her first time in armor, 
which was her first event.
 
> As I said above, please let me know if you don't agree with 
> these comments.  

I don't. I think the information, as it stands, wasn't misleading. It's 
actually a great article.
 
> I don't know how many of you have attended Lord Alexander's 
> Pennsic class on "Media Contacts with the SCA".  

I've attended it. Please be aware that Lord Alexander has some serious 
issues at the moment...

This was a great article, it was very accurate, and the only thing that 
really peeved me was something that the bloody feast cook did to us:

" She ran an efficient kitchen at the fairgrounds, though she skipped 
the centuries-old garb for a T-shirt and jeans to run the operation and 
supervise her crew."

I HATE this. There's no reason why you can't run a feast in t-tunic and 
pants, or t-tunic and skirt. Everyone can go ahead and argue with me, 
but I don't feel there's any excuse for people to be cooking at an event 
without some attempt at pre-17th century clothing. Borrow something out 
of gold key that's already falling apart if you have to! I don't care 
WHAT they told you in cooking school, it IS possible to make a bow to 
period clothing without sacrificing safety-- the cook's jacket and pants 
is NOT the only safe way to cook.

-- 
-- Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, Knowledge Pika jenne at fiedlerfamily.net 
"I don't get the facts wrong.  It's everything else I screw up."
    -- _The Librarian: Quest for the Spear_