[Sca-cooks] MisRepresenting the Outlands was snails....

[V O]

And I say that schmalz is not a weird "period" food.  It is something that 
people know what it is today.  And yes we do try more than just the plain old 
honeybutter.  But try to put something other than recognizable meat, meat and 
more meat on a menu, with a starch to round it out and just a bit of veggies 
here and there.  


You are also one of the cooks with a reputation for food that people will eat.  
Look around, now, how many new cooks are there, and who is going to give them a 
chance to do a feast with out a known cook backing them.  Aldyth is correct in 
the fact we have gotten very insular, there are only a few cooks that anybody is 
willing to take a chance on, and those cooks tend to keep it to what they know.  
 When you cook, I know it is going to be German.  


Did you notice what happened at 12th night?  As soon as feast was served the 
room cleared out and left maybe 100-120 people.  And after that, everybody left, 
poof, gone.  There were maybe 20 off-boarders, they didn't even stay.  We can't 
even keep an event that is traditionally a "Feast" event going.  How hard was it 
to even find an autocrat for it?  No bids, no ideas, if Jethro (the Scenachal) 
hadn't stepped in to be autocrat, it probably wouldn't have even happened.   We 
didn't even finish court.  It was just resessed, it was never closed, no long 
live the King, Queen, Outlands................  Everybody just, left.

That's pitifull.  

The last 12th night I cooked was for 280 people, not including the freebies and 
that was small compared to the normal at that time of 300-350.  When I helped 
Hannah plan the food for this one I had to fight to make her believe that she 
should plan to cook for 120 to 150.  And that included the freebies of the Crown 
and B&B's.   By December 18th we had less than 20 reservations to feast, that is 
3 weeks before the even!  Did we even sell out at the door?  I never heard.  
When was the last time we had a 12th night feast that sells more than 150-170?  
8-10 years?  


There is a sense of apathy about feasts.  I have heard rumblings of we should 
just do away with them at events.  I can't imagine doing an all day feast, as 
there are in other Kingdoms.  We would be laughed out of the planning meeting, 
and loose our asses on the costs, because no-one but a few willing, hardy souls 
would be willing to pay for it and show up.  Especially if we didn't have 
something like a hard-suit, fighter something running with it.  


Come out of the Kitchen Gwen, and look around.  We have a problem and it needs 
to be addressed.  


I like Aldyth's idea of introducing foods at A&S's, and the others here who have 
suggested starting small and having tasteing tables at events.  That at least 
would be a step to get the attitude of "period" food is bad, out of peoples 
minds.  


Mirianna

 
----- Original Message ----
From: Cat . <tgrcat2001 at yahoo.com>
To: sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org
Sent: Thu, January 27, 2011 6:34:05 PM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] MisRepresenting the Outlands was snails....

Sorry Mirianna,
as a fellow 'Northern Outlander' I have to disagree with you.  
While a feast of only unusual foods might have trouble selling except to a 
select audience,  a feast with tasty period food including some 'unusual' items, 

has no trouble (other than the usual propensity of Outlanders to not reserve in 
advance.

For instance at the last Crown Tournament I cooked for, I included Schmalz (the 
pork drippings version) in the appetizer/on the table nibbles course.  Yes a few 

tables did not touch theirs, but others practically licked the bowls (and yes, 
it was identified in the menu :-)  And no honey butter to be had :-)

Purr
Gwen Cat