[Sca-cooks] listing of ingredients...

[Sue Clemenger]

Well, it's darned common in *this* part of the ambiguous north (Montana, aka
northern Artemisia).  Posted lists of ingredients (on a website, local list,
on sheets available at the event, etc.) are good, quick ways for someone
with allergies or dislikes to be able to make decisions about event
attendance/food consumption--easier than calling someone you might not be
able to get a hold of, etc.  Which works, too, don't get me wrong.  I'm
fielding a few questions/concerns about food stuffs for the feast I'm
cooking in March, myself.  But I also make ingredient lists available ahead
of time (for ease of planning on the part of the feasters), and at the site
(for my peace of mind--this way you don't get constant interruptions of
"does this feast have x? y? or z? in it??)
While it might feel like it's putting a serious crimp in your creativity,
I'd personally strongly recommend that you refrain from throwing in stray,
last minute ingredients--people are allergic to the weirdest things, and you
might make a previously safe dish "un," that way.  Also, if you're
relatively new to feast cooking (and/or cooking authentic feasts), you'd be
better off going with the guidelines for seasoning that show up in the
recipes themselves--I've only known a bare handful of cooks in all my years
in the SCA who can actually do that off-the-cuff sort of seasoning, and get
away with it successfully.  I am not one of them, I might add, and the ones
that I *do* know are all professional chefs (or have been in the past), and
while they all make marvelous food, not a one of them is an authenticist.
This is just my personal experience, though--I haven't had the pleasure of
eating food prepared by anyone on this list, except a couple of Artemisians
who mostly lurk, so I'm not intentionally dissing anyone....
I gotta admit, though, why the reluctance to post ingredients? Surely if
you're doing a feast in a couple of months, you've got the menu nailed down,
so it's not like you don't know what dishes you'll be cooking? Your event
steward is, I venture to say, not intending this to be any sort of
unnecessary hoop-jumping, but, rather, ensuring that everyone has the
information they need for ensuring the best possible time at your April
event.
Oh...table menus are a wonderful way to showcase your
ingredients/recipes/etc.  I've seen that done quite successfully in
different places, most recently in AnTir (Hi, Lainie!).
--Maire

----- Original Message -----
From: "kimberley lee" <pokiekim at yahoo.com>
To: <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 10:11 AM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] listing of ingredients...


> I am stewarding my first feast this April.  I've been playing for 8 years
and am in my third Kingdom to live it.  My question is this:  My Event
Steward first wanted us to post my recipies.  I talked her out of
that...then she said that she wanted me to post ALL of my ingredients on the
website.  I told her that I wasn't sure that I wanted to do that either.  I
felt that my menu and a link to ask me any question or voice any dietary or
allergy concerns.  She still wants me to post the ingredient list at the
event.  She said that she had seen this done in the North all the time.  I
don't know...I'm a southern girl and have only played in Ansteorra, Glenn
Ahbann, and Meridies.
>
>   Is this a common practice in the North?
>   Should I list even the unpronouncable ingredients?
>
>   I think that she is mainly wanting a list of my spices.  I season to
taste and at the last minute may want to add a little cinnamon to a dish.
>
>   Should I list every possible spice whether or not I actually use it?
>
>   I'm confused!  Though I am a picky eater, I taste what ever is put in
front of me and if I think there might be a strawberry on the plate, I avoid
it like the plague.  These are things that I concern myself with, I have
never gone to the feast steward and told them..hey don't put...I don't
know...um...cheese in anything cause I might die.
>
>   Is this a common occurance as well?
>
>   All we want to do is put together a period feast filled with foods that
everyone will at least try.  I didn't realize that there would be acrobatic
hoop jumping....lol.
>
>   Thank you for letting me rant...and I would appreciate your ideas as to
how best display all of my ingredients.