[Sca-cooks] Festins merovingiens -- new cookbook

[Terry Decker]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aruvqan" <aruvqan at gmail.com>


> As long as they didn't pull a Vehling on it. His Apicius sucks donkey hind 
> end.
>

While Vehling's translation is flawed, it is better than no translation at 
all.  Secondly, why would you expect professional historians to produce a 
work less than their professional standards or not be better than an amatuer 
linguist of 76 years ago?

> Look, modern haute cuisine has sod all to do with period cooking in 
> general. The closest thing that Merovingia has to molecular cuisine is the 
> humor theory foods of the tacitum sanitas...
>

Chef Wynants is in his 70s, so entry into the culinary field predates the 
microwave.  He is a classically trained chef and the basic methods of his 
trade are the same that the Romans and that the Merovingians used.   His 
knowledge is a compliment to the linguistic and historical knowledge of 
Dierkins and Plouvier.  The CVs of this group suggest that any work they 
produce will be creditable.

> Now if they were to do the equivalent to Sir Cariadoc's careful research 
> and interpretation that would be one thing, but I have a feeling it is 
> going to be closer to Vehling. The supposed 'process of experimental 
> archeology' by an amateur historian of taste and eating rather bothers me. 
> Vehling was an amateur historian <roll eyes>

Why would you assume that a team of professional academics and practitioners 
would not produce careful research and interpretation?  The limitation I see 
is available contemporary Merovingian information and as French historians 
with access to the documentation, Dierkins and Plouvier have a better chance 
of being right on the subject than Duke Cariadoc or I do.

Frankly, you've stated an opinion without proper supporting evidence, so I 
can't accept it as valid.

In any event, the work will speak for itself.

Bear