[Sca-cooks] Fantasy foods

[Michael Gunter]

>Anne McCaffrey edited two cookbooks full of contributions from fellow
>genre writers.   COOKING OUT OF THIS WORLD and SERVE IT FORTH.  Many
>parts are edible.

I always had a problem with the Dragonriders series in that they seemed
to have no diet other than bread, fruit, cheese and sausages.

>THE INCOMPLEAT ENCHANTER by L. Sprague deCamp and Fletcher Pratt had our
>hero visiting the world of Norse Saga, where the all-meaty diet gave him
>the pip.  He asked for vegetable to eat and was mocked roundly with the
>monicker "Turnip Harold."  So it seems like these writers agreed with
>you about the standard Fantasy Fiction Diet, yes?

I've had the honor of meeting Mr. & Mrs. deCamp a few times because they
always made sure to attend the "real armored fighting in history" demo and
lecture done by Duke Lloyd von Eaker and myself. They were lovely people
who had a true interest in getting things right. Of course I was always a
gushing fanboy because he was the only writer other than Robert E. Howard
who ever seemed to get Conan right.

>J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis used meals to enhance the good places and
>the bad places in Middle-Earth and Narnia respectively.  Supper with
>Hobbits or Beavers is far preferable than dining with Orcs.  Don't ask
>me where they got tomatoes and potatoes without a voyage over the sea,
>however.

I've been thinking of hosting a series of dinner parties and attempting to
recreate the meals he went into such details about. From the meals of
Tom Bombadil to even the spartan dinner behind the waterfal to the
sumptous dinner at the Prancing Pony. I think it would be fun.

>That should get you started.  Bon Appetit -- in any world!
>Selene

Yers,

Gunthar