[Sca-cooks] Dayboard-like Fighter Food

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

OK, i'm concatenating several messages - from Petru, Phlip, and Gunthar

-----

BREAD: Posters had mixed recommendations, some said yes, some seemed 
to say no. At a War Collegium a number of fighters did want bread, so 
we'll include it, and definitely pre-sliced.

PIES: I figure we'll make a bunch of savory pies - i've got one of 
those things that cuts a whole round pie into eight slices at once, 
although for this setting, baking in a big rectangle and cutting 
squares might be better. I don't think we'll be making individual 
pasties though. But the "fighter biscuits" might be good.

FRUIT: Is it better to have whole apples and pears or to halve or 
slice them? If slices - how small or large?

GRANOLA: How do they eat it? Like trail mix, out of hand? Or in paper 
cups, poured down the throat?

HARD COOKED EGGS would be peeled ahead of time. I think it's really 
too much to ask the fighters to peel them.

In some message people suggested carrying around trays of stuff 
(pickles, orange wedges, olives...) to resurrection points. I hadn't 
thought of that... good suggestion. At Ren Fair, we are also served 
olives when we are at stops in the Procession, along with water and 
pickles, so we'll probably have some as well.

>Roasted chicken is wonderful if it is off the bone. In fact, pretty much any
>kind of roasted meat is welcome if there are no bones or sticks or whatever.
>Just grab some and go. No sauces or stickiness, please.

We're going to have a clear broth, probably homemade chicken soup. So 
we'll have the meat left over, off the bone.

>If they have a moment to down something I love (may the list forgive me)
>Lipton's Chicken Soup.

Hey, all the salt in it is probably a good thing when you're dehydrating...

>Or any chicken noodle thing. Have it lukewarm and
>served in easily gulpable paper cups so they can down it, toss it and go.

Ah, paper cups for the soup. Good suggestion. I've been visualizing 
those big cans of, what was it ? College Inn ? Chicken Soup from some 
time in my checkered past... No, no, don't cringe, we'll be making 
our own.

Phlip recommended Spreadables (butter and soft cheeses)... good idea 
- i didn't think of that.

CHEESE: I gather some of our folks like small amounts. But we weren't 
planning on other milk based products.

And thanks to several posters for the other warnings about acids and spices.

Then someone recommended sekanjabin and someone else recommended 
sweetened orange juice... I gather there are mixed feelings about 
acidy stuff...

>I don't recommend spicy foods like summer sausage or pepperoni.

Why not? I was imagining some nice garlicy dry salami. That's a bad idea?

>If you duct tape the real metal, spreading knives to
>the serving bowls, they aren't breaking the plastic ones and dipping their
>fingers and whatever in, and you have a fair chance of going home with as
>many knives as you started with.

But i don't quite understand the taping the knives to the bowls. If 
they're taped to the bowls, how can they be used?

>Things that are easily eaten out of hand with nothing to throw away.

Our plan, such as it is, is to have food eaten out of hand for the 
fighters during the fighting, and in standard wooden bowls (or paper 
bowls, which we can provide) for non-fighters any time and fighters 
after the fighting.

>Trash cans nearby- lotsa trash cans kept empty- people WILL actually pick
>up after themselves, if given a convenient way to do so. Also, lotsa cheap
>napkins- paper towels work, but it's been my observation that the rolls fall
>down, go wandering, or encourage users to grab off ten where 1 or 2 would do.

Ah, yes! Thanks for the mental jog about trash cans and keeping the 
trash bags taken care of. We will also supply paper bowls and cups, 
for folks without. The napkins suggesting is good, as i might well 
have gone for paper towels.

>Is this food at a dayboard or food that is handed out? Sorry, I missed the
>original posting.

Well, uh, we have no experience with this. I just assumed we'd have a 
food station near the water bearers station, so folks could wander 
over and grab stuff. I still haven't heard a thing from kingdom 
fighters. Our kingdom list is having a discussion about the size and 
location of Alaska, partly based on how it's shown on maps. More 
important, i guess, than feeding fighters.

>Depending on the facilities you have on site, you could
>do two separate dayboards, having a more intricate one for bystanders (and
>waterbearers... Feed the waterbearers... They are our friends :-))

Absolutely. And the Water Bearers may be the recipients of our excess funds.

------------------------------

From: "Michael Gunter" <countgunthar at hotmail.com>

>I can't explain why a cheeseburger and chocolate malt go so well together.
>It's just one of those things.

Mmm-mmm, chocolate malt covered meat balls sprinkled with grated 
salty cheese...

>First off, is this food for the fighters during the fighting or for 
>the spectators
>or lunch for the fighters?

Well, we were thinking of doing both. We could have fighter 
refreshments out during the fighting, with some noshes for the 
others, and put more food out as the fighting winds down, so fighters 
could have some real food.

>My earlier suggestions were things to give fighters
>at res points or between battles. In my experience the fighters won't eat
>while the combat is going on. Maybe a quick handful of something around
>noon but they are usually too busy and focussed to care about food unless
>it's shoved in thier hands. If it is specifically for the fighters 
>then you need
>to put the food table where the fighters gather and then pretty much make
>them eat.

Yeah, we know many fighters don't eat while fighting. But in my 
experience, some don't eat before either, which to me seems a bit 
foolish - just asking for a low blood sugar attack - not to mention 
that September, when this war will be, is generally the hottest month 
of the year here.

So i was considering having a table either near the water bearers or 
opposite them (IIRC, there was a water bearers' point, a sort of 
marshals' point, a nebulous spot for spectators, so i was also 
considering setting up at that end past the spectators)

I'll also see if we can get some volunteers to do the tray thing with 
pickles and fruits.

>If you just want a dayboard available then look to the general spectators as
>your main audience. Have some stuff a fighter will eat but your primary
>participants at the dayboard will be non-fighters.

We were thinking that there's be some stuff for fighters during the 
fighting, mostly liquid. The rest would be for water bearers, 
marshals, and spectators during and after, and for fighters after. 
We'd start setting up when they started fighting, but we wouldn't be 
ready until they'd been at it an hour or two.

It's been a while since i've been to this war. It's held in my 
Principality during the Spring and the neighboring Principality in 
the Fall every year.

>Just some thoughts from a guy who has been fighting for 20 years now.

Your wisdom borne of experience is appreciated

Thanks for the thoughts so far. I await more wisdom. Oh, yeah, and it 
sounds like mustard isn't a good idea...

Anahita
heading for the Florilegium...