[Sca-cooks] I posed these questions to my kingdom....

[Michael Gunter]

> 1. What dishes and/or foods will make you want to go and feast?

 

If someone puts out the effort of doing research and trying to provide

period food I will probably attend to support them.

 

It can also depend more on who is preparing the feast over what is

being served. 


> 2. What don't you like to see served at a feast?

 

Poorly designed dishes. If a feast has several courses of the same

flavors or textures, that can turn me off. One of the classes I teach

is how to balance a feast so all the dishes compliment each other.

 

I hate to see beets served at a feast. But that is because I hate beets.

 

Overly modern foods. I don't mind having spaghetti and meatballs in camp

but not at a feast. I prefer there at least be an attempt to cover the theme

and feel of what we are doing.

 

Uncarved meats. We tend to wear our nicer garb at feast and then having

to wrestle hot, sloppy meat while not making a huge mess of ourselves and

our diners is not condusive to elegant dining. And, yes, there have been

several times I've been called away from the table to carve.


> 3. What would you like to see served more at feast?

 

Background entertainment. Live musicians playing softly in the background.

Bards between courses. But not "hostage dinner theater" where you have 

to stop all conversation or eating while someone demands attention.

 

I'd like to see more correct pies served. 

 

More fish dishes.

 

Vegetables treated with respect.

 

Final courses being small nibbles instead of another meal.


> 4. How many courses do you think is a proper feast?

 

Depends on the feast. But I would say no more than three.

Anything more and the feast is the event itself and we moderns

have no idea how to eat a long feast. So by the fourth and fifth

or more course people are full and generally unappreciative.


> 5. What is your favorite country or region to taste dishes from?

 

I have started to use a lot of German recipes. I think they flow more

with modern tastes. Period Spanish food is totally different and a

bit weird but I like it. I love period Italian but it doesn't get served

often.


> 6. Would you want to see other country's period dishes represented that are
> beyond the traditional SCA borders? (Chinese, Arabic,etc.)


Not especially. The SCA, although open to all countries and cultures, is still

mainly a European group. Unless there is a total theme of the event being

some other culture, I prefer keeping the European Medieval theme.

And, as others have stated, usually when people cook other cultures they 

are doing modern recipes.

 

> Lady Carres Sabran (Sabra)


Yers, 

 

Gunthar
 		 	   		  
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