[Sca-cooks] Cooking contest

Terry Decker t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net
Fri Jul 28 18:42:38 PDT 2006


The thing I found when I was competing was that I would usually win or lose, 
not on the quality of my research or preparation, but whether or not the 
judges liked the dish.  A cleverly disguised modern dish could win as easily 
as a well researched historical dish, which trivialized winning, so I 
dropped competition for feasts and research.

Don't feel like a hypocrite, in the historical context judging the worth of 
a cook by A&S competitions is nonsense.  For the period cook, mastery was 
the preparation of meals to please the palate of one's patron and 
competition between cooks would be in dishes prepared for the table.  To 
master the feast requires many more skills than than the ability to prepare 
a few recipes.

Bear


> That's funny because I was told one of the things that was keeping me
> from becoming a Laurel is because I don't enter A&S. I'm a very good
> A&S cooking judge and can teach others how to do a good A&S entry,
> but I just hate doing it myself. I still feel that my version of A&S is
> to create a period feast with documentation and it be enjoyed by the
> populace.
>
> But I was told that I didn't "jump through the hoops" of entering A&S and
> teaching and putting on at least one major feast a year. Now, I agree that
> I've pretty much retired from cooking so I've hung up my desires for the
> Leaves but I still chafe at the thought that in order for me to be
> considered
> for a Laurel, A&S competitions are more important than feeding people.
>
> And the funny thing is that one of the best cooking Laurels I know became
> one based a lot on her awesome abiity in A&S competitions.
>
> At the same time I have to admit to feeling a little hypocritical in 
> stating
> that feast cooks should be considered the same as competition cooks and
> yet in the Belted Circle I hold candidates who might be gods of the melee
> field yet mediocre on the tourney field in lesser regard.
>
> So I definately understand the A&S competition mindset.
>
> Gunthar





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