[Sca-cooks] Bread Labor

[S CLEMENGER]

I think it's a really interesting, and no doubt eye-opening, query to be following.  A friend and I have casually discussed the same basic idea in terms of an item of clothing (we're both fairly serious fiber enthusiasts).  A simple tunic or gown, for instance--how many hours of work to maintain the fiber animal? or harvest the flax? and all the fiber prep, and the spinning, and weaving, and finishing, before ever getting to the construction.
It'd make an interesting research paper or something--basic time "costs" for fairly standard items--clothing, food, utensils, shelter.  I'll be interested in seeing that list of books.....
--Maire
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Aldyth at aol.com<mailto:Aldyth at aol.com> 
  To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org<mailto:sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org> 
  Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 8:45 PM
  Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Bread Labor
  They aren't looking at it as being the same person.  Just the physical  labor 
  involved in producing in this case, a loaf of bread.  Putting  together a 
  hypothetical household to cook a feast for 100.  The farmer who  raises the 
  grain, the laborer who harvests it, the miller who grinds it, more  labor to bolt 
  it, the cooks who make it, the bakers who cook it. More like how  large the 
  workforce would have to be to produce this bread for the feast all at  once.  
  Some of them are looking into the ovens, to see how long it took to  bake a loaf 
  of bread, and how many loaves (and then how many ovens)  I  think it will 
  result in a little appreciation for the fact we don't have to rely  on that much 
  physical workforce to produce a feast.
   
   
  When I get back to the real computer tomorrow I will post a list of the  
  books we have been going thru.