[Sca-cooks] Teens in kitchens was New Pennsic Rule - Update from the Source!

[Euriol of Lothian]

I love having kids helping in the kitchen, especially the teens. Sometimes it 
can be a challenge with younger kids, but I do try to find something within 
their abilities.

Last year I cooked lunch & feast in a field kitchen, and it was the Barony's 
teenagers & pre-teens who cleaned-up and packed down that filed ktchen with one 
adult who knew were things went. Those kids were awesome that day (and they 
usually are)

Earlier this year a did an all day sideboard and I had two teens at my house the 
night before doing the prep cook. These two just finishing up their second year 
at the county vocational school culinary arts program. They made getting the 
food preped so much easier, and one broke down 40 pounds of chicken leg quarters 
to drumsticks and thighs as well as a 10 pound brisket into stew meat.

My oldest son was one of these teens and has decided on a career to be a chef 
based on how much fun he has working in the kitchen at SCA events.
 Euriol 



----- Original Message ----
From: Elaine Koogler <kiridono at gmail.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Mon, July 12, 2010 8:48:53 AM
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Teens in kitchens was New Pennsic Rule - Update from 
the Source!

I sincerely hope we don't get to this point.  I, for one, would not welcome
having an additional adult in my kitchen, so if this were the case, I'd
probably not have kids working in my kitchen, a tremendous loss, IMHO.  I
haven't had many young people who wanted to work with me, but the ones who
have, have been every bit as responsible and careful as any adult.  After
all, it was an adult who managed to chop off the end of her finger...not a
kid!  I would have problems allowing younger children to work in the
kitchen...I'd probably find something fairly safe and set them to doing it
at a table outside the kitchen.  But I would still welcome their help so
long as they were careful and worked safely.

Kiri

On Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 3:36 AM, Stefan li Rous
<StefanliRous at austin.rr.com>wrote:

> Regina Romsey commented:
> <<< Teach your
> kids to go nowhere with strangers unless they have checked with their
> responsible adult (talking to strangers just isn't really likely to
> endanger them any more than it did me in the 1950's).>>>
>
> Sigh. I guess it must be the parent's, and only the parent's, job to do
> this.
>
> If you will remember, when I tried to post an article to the Florilegium,
> by Lady Gormlaith, recently a teenager herself (then aged 20 years old),
> warning the teens in the Society what to watch out for and who to be careful
> of, she was loudly criticized on her local and kingdom lists and I was told
> by an SCA officer and a number of individuals that I should remove the
> article and it shouldn't have been posted because it gave a bad impression
> of the SCA. When the pressure grew too great and she thought it might
> adversely affect her father's future in the SCA, she requested its removal,
> and I did so.
>
> I will note, that few on this list were of that opinion and many, including
> some experienced parents, had no problem with the article.  Thank you for
> your support
>
> This was that file:
> SG-SCA-Youth-art (10K) 6/22/09 "Survival Guide for an SCA Youth" by Lady
> Gormlaith Bebbin Kathleen HRothgarsdottir.
>
> So now it appears we are so afraid of the possible dangers to our children
> that though we are scared to tell the children about the dangers, or to let
> other people know that we might possibly have a reason to warn our children
> about such dangers, we are going to restrict what they can do or at least
> make sure they have a guardian with them. Well, at least we'll enforce this
> for classes. After all, we know that classes are the only places at Pennsic
> that parents let their children go without them or a responsible adult being
> present.
>
> If the danger is that great, I would think that such dangers should be
> discussed or at least brought into the open.
>
> It's as if there are dangers in the kitchen, so children can't be allowed
> in the kitchen without a parent or specified responsible adult, even if that
> adult has never been in a commercial kitchen and has no idea what a meat
> slicer or a deep fryer looks like and you aren't allowed to explain what the
> safety issues and rules are to either of them. After all, you might give a
> bad impression of a commercial kitchen. Only the parent is allowed to teach
> their children safety and the parent will know all the dangers to look out
> for.
>
> Stefan
>
> --------
> THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
>  Mark S. Harris          Austin, Texas
> StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
> **** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****
>
>
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>



-- 
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invisible to the eye."
--Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
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