[Sca-cooks] fish at SCA feasts

[Stefan li Rous]

Johann von Metten commented:
> Abot Johann from the middle of the Middle here,
>
> Is this Royalty? then kowtow nicely for their sake and
> know that the throne flushes every six months!

Are you suggesting kowtowing nicely for *their* sake? or the populace's?

Umm. Nice wording on the reminder. But don't they sometimes get  
awfully full towards the end of the six months? :-)

> There is a good rule of thumb, according to a number
> of period sources, to have three 'meats' Fish, Fowl,
> Field. If a guest can't eat from one, they can from
> another. Granted the Fish might be preserved as salted
> or kippered (Herring seems to be the favorit
> here...long story inserted, long ago I was doing my
> second?? Feast, and was determined to serve some sort
> of fish, indeed kippered herring. I was warned that no
> one would eat it and that the barony would not pay for
> it!

I keep hearing this phrase about not eating fish, but I've heard many  
other comments to the contrary. Me? I'd love to see a lot more, well- 
prepared fish at SCA feasts.

> Okay says I, it'll be served as on table with the
> crudites and I'll pay for it from my own pocket!
> So it happened, the feeding frenzy and piracy that
> occurred is still talked about, those tables that
> liked it (and there were three that were really hooked
> on it) stole from those that either didn't like it,
> which is fine, and from those that were just a little
> to slow to recognize what they had in front of them!!
> LOL, Then they tried to bribe head table out of their
> fish too!! Since then no one ever really complains
> about me serving kippered herring( or any other fish)
> at my feasts.

Recipe? Assuming I don't already have it. :-)

For those wondering about serving fish at an SCA feast, here are a  
couple of Florilegium files in the FEAST section which give a variety  
of views and examples:

feasts-fish-msg   (24K)  2/19/04    Serving fish at SCA feasts.
fish-feast-art     (6K)  3/29/00    Details and recipes for a mid-Lent
                                        "fish feast" by Rudd Rayfield.

So, has anyone served eel? How well did it go over? So far, I've only  
had eel out of a can.

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 ****