[SCA-AE] Food/ Resturants at War

[Ruth Morrisson]

Greetings from Myfanwy!
I agree with Glynis.
Alastar and I run a food booth at Gulf Wars, which is a week + the weekends at 
either end, and has running 2500-3000 people (at least the ones we've been 
at).  That's 1/4 the size of Pennsic and for half as long.
We serve sausage rolls, quiches and tarts, pastries, loaves of bread and some 
drinks.  Medievaloid at best (ironically, the bread is the worst seller, and we 
mostly just do it as special orders for camps).  We are buying pre-cooked (MSG-
free) sausages, frozen cookies and croissants, and pre-made frozen tart shells 
(which have to be gotten in advance and brought down in a freezer since we 
can't easily get them in Mississippi since they're not available through Sam's 
Club).
Not only do we have to deal with hauling equipment down there and back, hiring 
staff and so on -- unlike cooking a standard feast in a hall with real kitchen 
facilities -- but we *also* have to deal with mundane food sanitation issues at 
what is basically a camping event.
This year we did a better job of estimating the amount of how much to 
purchase/order at the Hattiesburg Sam's Club, but that's partly because sales 
numbers seemed to have stabilized and partly because we developed a good 
rapport with the Sam's Club meat and bakery dept. managers and can cut orders 
if necessary.
And frankly, businesses like Beast and Boar are meeting the demands of what 
their customers demand.  If people were less likely to want fries and coleslaw at 
Pennsic, the food court merchants would of necessity have to adjust their menus 
-- or go broke.  People may *say* they want more medieval food, but they seem 
content with what's being served them.  Even in our camp at Pennsic this year, I 
think I'm the only one who really tried to cook period food (Fartes of Portingale 
and Compound Sallat; and the Fartes were cooked ahead and frozen, then re-
thawed and reheated, while most of the little fiddly bits of the sallat were served 
separately so people could pick what they wanted to add or not).
---- Original message ----
>Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 06:57:18 -0700 (PDT)
>From: glynis fox <glynisfox at yahoo.com>  
>Subject: [SCA-AE] Food/ Resturants at War  
>To: discussion at aethelmearc.org
>
>
>>We go to great lengths when doing feasts to make period and good 
>>tasting food.....why is it so difficult to have something of that 
>>caliber at an event attended by so many who look for such?
>
>The ongoing discussion of"period" foods at war as been of great interest to 
me. 
>The Sated Tyger was long ago when the event drew 2-3 thousand people, and 
most 
>people cooked in camp, except for one or two meals, unlike now.
>So sadly I doubt we will ever see a full service resturant with period dishes 
>for many reasons. The last  evening feast at War Practice was a logistics 
>nightmare for me..and that was around 500 people! Can you imagine prepping 
food 
>for thousands?! The Beast and Boar and Medieval Munchies do most of their 
prep 
>work off site, and start months in advance; as do most of the other resturants. 
>It would basicaly be difficult to cook from total "scratch" at Pennsic in such 
>large amounts. And the expense would be very cost prohibitive for the venue; 
the 
>ingredients, spices and methods of cooking are very different from modern 
>resturant cooking and more costly; also, they need to meet payroll and 
overhead 
>like any other business, unlike feasts cooked by volunteers at other events. 
>I will suggest some dishes that Beast& Boar might be able to do to Paul, as 
side 
>dishes he may be willing to try. 
>
>But for a true period meal, I suggest hiring/ coaxing/ bribing one of the SCA's 
>fine cooks to do a period feast in your camp as a "special household night"; 
>more control over the menu and a very pleasant evening for you and your 
family 
>and friends!
>
>THL Glynis of the Inn of the Laughing Fox, House Clovenshield
>
>
>      
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Lady Myfanwy ferch Rhiannon
Ruth Morrisson
myfanwy at consolidated.net