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

[Laura C. Minnick]

At 06:55 PM 4/12/2005, you wrote:

>>So she has three sows, three cows, and a sheep. And a few chickens. It is 
>>clear that these animals are where she gets her meager income-

<snip>


>I didn't mean to imply that she ate her beasts.  Her diet is bread, milk, 
>eggs, and sometimes bacon.  I left in the description of her farmstead to 
>give an idea of her economic position.  She is a poor widow, but not 
>utterly impoverished (ie., not a beggar).

No harm done- I wasn't certain that was what you'd meant, but I could see 
how it could be read that way.

Of course it might be easy to look at her modest livestock, and not see it 
as 'poor', but she really is. She has herself and two daughters to care 
for. Being a poor widow, she very likely has little to set aside for 
marriage portion for her daughters, so their chances at marriage are slim. 
Those animals are all she has between her and starvation. My guess is that 
she would occasionally barter a piglet for grain or flour- but the dark 
stuff, no fine white bread on her table. As it is, it's still a pretty mean 
table.

'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