[Sca-cooks] Largesse: What to avoid.

[Raphaella DiContini]

It has been my experience that the coronets and crown are always looking for more largess as it is so often given out. Different crowns and coronets may have a slightly different focus for things, either general things they'd like to see or people to pitch in on a specific set of items that will be similar, but unique- like the Pennsic bags, etc. 

One of the things I've found most helpful is the tradition I've started seeing more and more of, our Royals posting their largess wish lists as guideline. Here's an example from the current reign: 
http://www.cedricandelizabeth.com/largess.aspx

Unfortunately, it has become the guideline in AnTir to not offer food stuffs as there has been concern over food safety. I have been considering offering period spice mixes, and have often donated booklets of documented recipes as a way to safely represent the culinary arts. 

In joyous service, 
Raffaella  

--- On Mon, 8/10/09, Deborah Hammons <mistressaldyth at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Deborah Hammons <mistressaldyth at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Largesse: What to avoid.
> To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
> Date: Monday, August 10, 2009, 9:30 AM
> The problem here might be the
> definition of largesse.  I am sure when you
> get more experience under your belt so to speak, SCA
> customs will get
> clearer.  I would define largesse as something that
> will be provided to
> either the Crown or Coronet to be distributed at Their
> disgression as a
> "thank you".  That could be to another Crown, sitting
> Barons and Baronesses,
> event and kitchen stewards.  My kitchen staff has
> routinely gotten a goody
> basket, and they get to select what they
> want.   Food items do get put
> there.  Jams and Jellies, spices, pickles.  They
> have been clearly marked as
> to type and when made and by who.  In the scheme of
> things, you should be
> able to find something you like in such a basket. 
> Someone making a specific
> item to give to a specific person for say, 12th Night is a
> different thing
> than largesse.
> Aldyth
> 
> On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 9:58 AM, Judith Epstein <judith at ipstenu.org>
> wrote:
> 
> > On Aug 10, 2009, at 10:40 AM, Michael Gunter wrote:
> >
> >  I think it depends on what you mean by largess.
> >> Are you making gift baskets or items to be given
> to the
> >> Crown to use Themselves or for Them to give out?
> >> BIG difference there.
> >>
> >
> > I was talking about an item for an individual to give
> to another
> > individual. When the item is supposed to be donated to
> a largesse "pool" to
> > be re-gifted by royals or nobles to others
> willy-nilly, I think even more
> > caution is warranted, especially in the food category
> and the religious item
> > category. It's a pretty horrid offense not to accept
> something given from
> > the heart, like largesse, but for some it's just as
> bad to accept the gift
> > and have others see you accepting it. (Yes, I'm
> thinking of myself, here --
> > I couldn't accept a  rosary, no matter how nicely
> offered, because I'm not
> > religiously permitted to accept that type of thing.
> But because it's
> > considered such a breach of etiquette to refuse a
> gift, I'd be stuck looking
> > very rude, because I would give precedence to my
> religious principles over
> > SCA etiquette. A person who has particularly severe
> allergies might be in
> > the same position, with regard to largesse of foods.
> >
> > I know very well that those who offer largesse are
> trying to convey
> > gratitude, warmth, welcome, and appreciation. They're
> doing out of kindness
> > and magnanimity, and wouldn't dream of offering
> something that could place
> > someone (like me, but not limited to me) in a very
> uncomfortable or socially
> > untenable position. They wouldn't make a gift that
> could be so problematic,
> > if they only knew that it would be such an issue for
> the recipient. I
> > mention this in order to bring it to attention that a
> gift of this nature
> > could provide a great social stumbling block for
> someone whose religious or
> > health issues could very well require them to refuse
> such a gift.
> >
> > Judith / no SCA name yet
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