[Sca-cooks] A roast for a feast...

Terry Decker t.d.decker at worldnet.att.net
Fri Nov 23 07:19:22 PST 2007


> Part of what I'm trying to do is drag my end of it kicking and
> screaming towards the more period parts of things- Avraham agrees. One
> reason for wanting hard tack is to give the folks an appreciation of
> what their imaginary pirates might actually have dealt with. There
> really wasn't a pirate culture in period- rather there were crimes of
> opportunity by seafarers of opposing nations, sometimes, or by
> normally legitimate traders and the like who figured they could get
> away with something. With that in mind, I'm conceiving of a tavern,
> where the patrons will get both foods they're familiar with, as well
> as foods they'd have been missing while they were at sea.
>
> -- 
> Saint Phlip

I think you are confusing operational doctrine with culture.  Period 
European piracy was imbedded in the culture where it was usually a family 
affair or the silently sponsored extension of "politics by other means." 
The 17th Century "Brethren of the Coast" had a more complex set of rules 
than most pirates due to their national diversity.  Still, they were largely 
a subset of national policies.  In my opinion, the closest thing to a true 
pirate culture was among the Red Sea pirates (Europeans for the most part) 
of Madgascar, where they founded a short-lived nation.

As pirate "cultures" go, I would say that the Barbary Cosairs, who got their 
start in the early 16th Century, would meet your criteria.

Bear 




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