[Sca-cooks] Minor rant Re: An Event Without a Feast, was Cookery book at Longleat House?

[Susan Lin]

On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 12:34 PM, Anne-Marie Rousseau <dailleurs at liripipe.com
> wrote:

> hey all from Anne-Marie
>
> I love interkingdom anthropology :)
>


I started in the East (Albany, NY area) and I don't recall any indoor event
without a sideboard (also called day board or lunch) and an evening
meal/Feast.  Sideboard was not a donation thing but something put on by the
hosting group as part of the entrance fee.  Sometimes done by the same cooks
as those making the evening meal sometimes not.  Camping events are
different - every group fends for themselves.  Sometimes there's a "tavern"
sometimes not.  Except for Hunter's Moon (in Rensselaer County) - it's
camping but at a Girl Scout Camp with platform tents - that always
includes sideboard and a limited seating for dinner/feast.

When I moved to the Outlands I was confused and hungry at my first indoor
event because I had assumed that there would be a sideboard and there was
not.  Thankfully I had my husband come to my rescue (he went out and bought
us some cheese and crackers, fruit, etc.).  Once I learned that lunch was
not usually included I knew to pack provisions.  Here we do a lot of
donation lunches.  People provide a dish and it is a fundraiser for the
hosting group.  We usually have an evening meal if the event goes into the
evening.  It can be elaborate or simple but it is called a "feast" all the
same.

The other thing that surpised me here in the Outlands is that people don't
bring feast gear.  They expect someone to have paper/plastic products for
their use - at least for a sideboard/lunch.  Maybe that's only local but it
is different than what I was used to.  I'm beginning to expect it but I stil
think people should pack feast gear or the local groups should have loaner
gear so as to not contribute to the state of our landfills any more than is
absolutely necessary but that's a personal opinion/choice.

Last year for Mid-Winter I specifically asked to include a sideboard/lunch
as part of the entrance fee so that I could have all my "cute food" and then
I did the evening meal/feast as well.  That was my choice and is not usually
how things go.  This Mid-Winter I will be coordinating a donation lunch
while our kitchen steward will be concentrating on the evening meal.

I guess it's different everywhere and traditions are traditions.  I like the
idea of afternoon meals (dayboard, sideboard, lunch, whatever) because it
gives people a chance to come together after classes or fighting or
whatever.  Be they be potluck, donation or planned doesn't matter to me.  As
for evening meals - I like the idea of a feast but the practicality doesn't
always work.  There are people who will not eat feast regardless.  I would
like to find a way to get more people to enjoy the feast and try new things
but people can be very picky and particular in their ways.

I cook because I love to and I want people to enjoy what I cook.  I cannot
force them to so I don't try.  I will continue to cook for events when asked
and able because that is my joy and one of my creative outlets.  Whether it
be a "feast" for 20 or 120 so be it.

Wow - this is a heck of a lot longer than I expected - my apologies.

Shoshanna