[Sca-cooks] On-line Pennsic Pity Party

[Bronwynmgn at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/24/2006 1:53:41 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com writes:

<<Well, it is often hard to call many Pennsic kitchen's  "primitive  
sites". SPCA's kitchen has a four burner propane kitchen  range with  
an oven, as well as a propane powered freezer and running  water.  
Others, such as Master Chirhart's Blackstar encampment  have  
electricity. These aren't the only ones. I've seen others, but  don't  
remember the details or who they were associated with, now.  There  
appear to be quite a number of groups, especially on the  Serengetti  
outfitted with modern household sized hot water heaters.  Presumably  
modified to run on propane.>>
 
Pfah.  One of the reasons I like going to Pennsic is because I like  camping. 
 Meaning not having all my household conveniences.  It makes  me appreciate 
the household conveniences all the more when I get home.  I  never truly 
appreciated an indoor bathroom until I spent two weeks at Pennsic  having to find a 
cloak and shoes to go to the bathroom on a rainy night.
Clan Kyle, fortunately, agrees with me.  While we have a couple of  camping 
propane stoves, whenever possible we cook on the campfire.  We have  a grate, a 
tripod, a mucking great cauldron, and dig a dutch oven pit at the  edge of 
the firepit.  We also use solar shower bags.  I keep telling  the people who 
insist on having flash water heaters for their showers to either  take military 
showers or at least put a low flow shower head on the darn thing -  I'm 
convinced that the excessive use of water for these showers, so people can  take the 
long hot showers they would at home, is a big contributor to the poor  water 
quality at times, as they overtax the wells.  One of my favorite  Pennsic 
memories is taking a shower from a solar shower bag after dark, in an  open roofed 
stall, as the moon was rising after a long hot day.  It was  heaven.
 
Brangwayna