[Sca-cooks] kitchen tips

Lilinah lilinah at earthlink.net
Wed Aug 20 15:51:04 PDT 2008


Lilinah wrote:
>  > I have a question - does the food for the kitchen helpers come out of
>  > the feast budget, or is the Feast Cook supposed to front the money or
>  > are the helpers supposed to pitch in for pizza or Chinese delivery?
>  >
>  > I've never had money to spare to spend on lunch for my helpers. I
>  > usually recommend they eat breakfast and bring a lunch for themselves.
>  > I do make sure they can eat the feast dinner.
>  >
>  > So i'm wondering how it's done in other kingdoms.
>
>I've never had pizza or Chinese food delivered, and I'd have to say
>that's a bit extravagant.

Well, pizza's usually cheap and Chinese generally is too... But they 
were just to suggest something the cooks wouldn't have to cook in 
addition to everything else they're cooking. Our feasts are generally 
in a hall in a town or city, so having a pizza delivered wouldn't be 
particularly extravagant.

Speaking of pizza delivery, i remember one camping event that was in 
a county park on the edge of a town - and somebody *did* have pizza 
delivered for dinner. Sigh.

>At an event where there's lunch served, I get some chocolate and other
>snacks and some cold drinks.  At events where lunch is not served, I get
>some bread, cold cuts, cheese, fruit, etc., for lunch.  It comes out of
>the feast budget.

Yeah, but we don't have events with lunch served. And until i was 
inspired to do dayboards at our twice yearly principality wars, there 
was no food there beyond what people brought themselves, and often 
the fighters would drive off in mid-war to get fast food.

Now that i don't have a car, i won't be cooking for the war in 
September, since i can't get there. I sure hope the city gives me 
enough to get another car before our spring events begin. I know they 
won't process my claim this fall or winter. Well, anyway...

Our feasts are generally just dinner, but we cooks (or at least, me, 
as Head Cook) are often in the kitchen from 8 AM until 10 PM or 
later. So we need a lunch.

I'll have to talk to other cooks and some exchequers and see if 
there's any precedent. I've helped in others' kitchens (10 AM to 10 
or 11 PM), and i don't recall being fed lunch, but i expected that. 
And when we were, it came out of the Head Cook's own pocket.

I know when i first started cooking, i was told the kitchen crew 
didn't get to eat the feast unless they paid full price for it. That 
seemed extreme to me, given how much hard work they were doing. I 
eventually negotiated so that those who really put in a full day of 
work got reimbursed.

I know when i'm Head Cook i can't really eat the feast, but i may 
need a little food during the day. As far as hydration goes, I just 
drink tap water.
-- 
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita

My LibraryThing
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/lilinah


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