[Sca-cooks] Middle Eastern Food

[David Friedman]

I think there is a real problem with "middle eastern" in the SCA. 
Belly dancing is a popular modern activity with a lively culture 
around it, and it's a lot easier to carry over dancing, costuming, 
and much else from that current culture than to research and recreate 
things from the period middle east. The result is that people in the 
SCA tend to think of "middle-eastern" as "dancing and drumming," and 
most SCA "middle-eastern activities" don't have a very large 
contribution from the historical islamic culture in them.

I don't know what the origin of "hafla" is, historically 
speaking--and I doubt that many of the people who put on haflas in 
the SCA do either. But it's a  common event in the modern subculture 
and  I suspect that's where it is coming from.

>So I suppose I should ask for documentation.  :-))  Although one of the
>teachers (yep wiggly classes) has a handout that talks about this activity
>being childbirth exercise, and women dancing for women.  And strictly no
>alcohol.
>
>Aldyth
>
>On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 10:25 PM, David Friedman 
><ddfr at daviddfriedman.com>wrote:
>
>>  The gentleman who is cooking and teaching that area has yet to give me
>>>  sources.  When he does, I will certainly post.  And as I am still learning
>>>  about it, what culture would do a Hafla?
>>>
>>
>>
>>  The culture of modern belly dancing.
>>
>>
>>
>>>  Aldyth
>>>
>>>  On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 5:35 PM, David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.com
>>>  >wrote:
>>>
>>>    I am so enthused!!  From a left handed sort of way.  Our group is
>>>>  hosting a
>>>>
>>>>>   cooking collegium in April, and the overwhelming choice was middle
>>>>>  eastern
>>>>>   food.  For the past week the challenge has been narrowing the field of
>>>>>   study.  Most of the cooks who have volunteered favor Turkish, or Mughal
>>>>>   Indian.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>   Do they have Mughal sources other than the _Ain i Akbari_ and the The
>>>>   Ni'matnama Manuscript? I haven't tried working from the latter.
>>>>
>>>>   --
>>>>   David/Cariadoc
>>>>   www.daviddfriedman.com
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>>
>>
>>  --
>>  David Friedman
>>  www.daviddfriedman.com
>>  daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/
>>
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-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com