[Sca-cooks] Rotten meat and spices...

[Laura C. Minnick]

At 06:51 PM 4/12/2005, you wrote:
> > That's reading quite a bit into it, I think.  The mention of bacon 
> alone indicates that she did
> > have ample pork as a protein source,
>
>Gies and Gies and other sources indicate that bacon and other small
>portions of meat were often given to day laborers as hire or given out
>among the customary exchanges for harvest help. So she might not have
>had a pig in order to have bacon.

Thank you, Jadwiga. Saved me the trouble.

If you look at fabliaux traditions (and your random 'fairy tales' generally 
fall into that category), a flitch of bacon was often that 'little bit' of 
meat that would be found in a poor household. When it gets pinched by a 
thief or the dog makes off with it while the goodwife's back is turned. And 
it keeps well, unlike much of the rest of the poor beast.

And William, 'reading a bit into it' is what I'm about. It's why I have 
that piece of paper.

'Lainie
___________________________________________________________________________
O it is excellent to have a giant's strength; but it is tyrannous To use it 
like a giant--Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act II