Stranger in a strange land
May. 28th, 2009 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
norsegirlI've long since determined that my introduction to Avacal was rocky at best. I happened to arrive at the height of my SCA activity and figured I could just relocate and keep things rolling along just like they had been. This was a faulty assumption. I have since learned a little bit about what NOT to do when moving into a new group, and I am applying that knowledge to try a different tactic here.
Interestingly, there was a "golden flounce" on the baronial e-mail list this week where someone had a conniption and posted a message with the subject line "please unsubscribe". Now you know as soon as someone posts anything with that subject line that you are not dealing with the brightest bulb in the box (after all, unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of every e-mail message, or if you look in your archives they were delivered to you with your initial confirmed subscription). Anyway, the individual posted the following:
"i have been trying to make contact and communicate with people in bryn gwlad for 2 months now and have recieved no response from your hospitilor nor any single person.based on that reaction even though i will be moving to ansteora this weekend , i consider this to be one of the most un hospitable and rudest baronys in the known world .
YIS.
Name deleted to protect the stupid
permanent member of the kingdom of the outlands"
Wow, talk about a sterling example of what not to do. As many dumbass mistakes as I made last move, at least I didn't make that one, or anything of that caliber. The interesting part was the response that he got, someone suggested some articles that, being a relocating member myself I hopped over to give a read, and I thought were just brilliant "The 'Other' Newcomers" by Lady Wilhelmina Catharin de Rochelle and How to handle the move from one group to another. Those really should be required reading for anyone who wants to move and stay active.
I'm taking my transition really slow. I've been out to one fight practice. I've attended one event and only for a short time. And I've only responded to posts on the mailing list where I could contribute without any risks of a flame war (like "hey, does anyone know where to buy a tent?" "Why yes, I bought mine here and I can vouch that they are awesome and affordable"). So far so good, though at this point I'm going to guess that no one knows my face or name and I'm not even really a fringe member. At least I don't think I've made any enemies yet. It's interesting that as a relocating member, easing yourself in slowly and spending a lot of time testing the waters is the best way to go, while rank newcomers can jump in with both feet and have all their mistakes forgiven. Why are we kinder to new members that may or may not actually stick around and so judgmental of experienced members who have proven their commitment by staying involved even when they move away from their friends and their comfort zone?
In an effort to get more involved, this weekend I've decided to haul out the pavilion even though I have no intention of camping, setting up a table with snacks on it and a bunch of chairs and seeing if I can get anyone to come and sit with me and hang out and get to know the locals. I posted my intention to the baronial e-mail list saying I was hoping to meet the local A&S community and anyone else who cares to come out and socialize and make friends, and so far I've gotten a lot of positive responses and people saying "sounds like fun, I'll see you there". I figure you can't go too far wrong if you offer food.
I've never done this before, nor have I really seen it done anywhere outside a vigil... so I'm not sure exactly what I should put out or how much. On one hand I'd like to go with medieval fare as that would go with my whole "trying to integrate myself into the A&S community" thing, but on the other hand, I'd also like to try cheap, easy and finger-foody. Here's what I've come up with so far:
Non-period offerings:
- Veggies (carrots, celery and green pepper because they're cheap) and dip (mum's recipe)
- Pita wedges and hummus
- chewy trail mix/breakfast bar things (go to Second Cup and order the square that looks like it's made of corn flakes, I've figured out how to make those and they're damn good and tonight's batch was especially good)
Period ideas:
- Grapes if I can find some on sale
- maybe some sliced cheese? I'm not sure about this one as cheese isn't cheap and probably not the best thing to leave out in the Texas heat either.
Tonight I also experimented with a plausibly medieval recipe and made "Shrewsbury cakes" per the recipe listed here. Interestingly, their source was the Florilegium and their technique was completely different. I combined flour, sugar and nutmeg per their instructions and cut in the butter, while the original source recipe suggested creaming the butter and sugar, adding the rose water to that and blending the flour and nutmeg together and then combining the two. Since I did not use a food processor (don't own one and don't want one either) I probably should have gone with the original recipe's method. I also added a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract and a quarter teaspoon or so of cinnamon, just 'cause (the first recipe used those as substitutions, I figured why not add them too). And because it wasn't looking very dough-y I also threw in another tablespoon of rosewater. Finally, instead of cutting them into circles (boooring, and I don't have a circle cookie cutter, yes I know a glass will suffice, but where's the fun in that) I cut them into hearts, flowers and 5-pointed Texas stars (see, look, I really am trying to fit in). The end result was VERY CRISPY and rather sweet. The spices were quite subtle, but that may have been because I chose to test them with chai. Jason liked them well enough to eat two and thought they were a perfect pairing with the chai.
I'm currently poking around Goode Cookery to see if I can find anything else I have the ingredients on-hand to try. Mostly looking at hand-held desserts, so that knocks out all the cakes, tarts and puddings, which doesn't leave a whole lot. If I try something really good I'll report my findings. If you've tried something that worked out really well, please let me know!
As a host, is it my responsibility to supply plates of some sort and maybe napkins, or should people know well enough to bring their own feast gear if they want to put food on a plate? I don't have nearly enough feast gear to share with everyone, but I'm also not really into the whole paper plate thing as it spoils the ambiance, costs money, and isn't too hot for the environment. Also, this is meant to be nibbles, not a free lunch, so providing plates might send the wrong message. Would you provide plates or napkins?
I'm also wondering if I should bring my mosquito mesh to hang from the rafters and cover the table. It would keep the flies off the food (lots of bugs in Texas), but it might also look inhospitable and unwelcoming to human visitors. No, I don't own any of those neat little plate-covering mesh dome things, so that's not an option. Thoughts?
Interestingly, there was a "golden flounce" on the baronial e-mail list this week where someone had a conniption and posted a message with the subject line "please unsubscribe". Now you know as soon as someone posts anything with that subject line that you are not dealing with the brightest bulb in the box (after all, unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of every e-mail message, or if you look in your archives they were delivered to you with your initial confirmed subscription). Anyway, the individual posted the following:
"i have been trying to make contact and communicate with people in bryn gwlad for 2 months now and have recieved no response from your hospitilor nor any single person.based on that reaction even though i will be moving to ansteora this weekend , i consider this to be one of the most un hospitable and rudest baronys in the known world .
YIS.
Name deleted to protect the stupid
permanent member of the kingdom of the outlands"
Wow, talk about a sterling example of what not to do. As many dumbass mistakes as I made last move, at least I didn't make that one, or anything of that caliber. The interesting part was the response that he got, someone suggested some articles that, being a relocating member myself I hopped over to give a read, and I thought were just brilliant "The 'Other' Newcomers" by Lady Wilhelmina Catharin de Rochelle and How to handle the move from one group to another. Those really should be required reading for anyone who wants to move and stay active.
I'm taking my transition really slow. I've been out to one fight practice. I've attended one event and only for a short time. And I've only responded to posts on the mailing list where I could contribute without any risks of a flame war (like "hey, does anyone know where to buy a tent?" "Why yes, I bought mine here and I can vouch that they are awesome and affordable"). So far so good, though at this point I'm going to guess that no one knows my face or name and I'm not even really a fringe member. At least I don't think I've made any enemies yet. It's interesting that as a relocating member, easing yourself in slowly and spending a lot of time testing the waters is the best way to go, while rank newcomers can jump in with both feet and have all their mistakes forgiven. Why are we kinder to new members that may or may not actually stick around and so judgmental of experienced members who have proven their commitment by staying involved even when they move away from their friends and their comfort zone?
In an effort to get more involved, this weekend I've decided to haul out the pavilion even though I have no intention of camping, setting up a table with snacks on it and a bunch of chairs and seeing if I can get anyone to come and sit with me and hang out and get to know the locals. I posted my intention to the baronial e-mail list saying I was hoping to meet the local A&S community and anyone else who cares to come out and socialize and make friends, and so far I've gotten a lot of positive responses and people saying "sounds like fun, I'll see you there". I figure you can't go too far wrong if you offer food.
I've never done this before, nor have I really seen it done anywhere outside a vigil... so I'm not sure exactly what I should put out or how much. On one hand I'd like to go with medieval fare as that would go with my whole "trying to integrate myself into the A&S community" thing, but on the other hand, I'd also like to try cheap, easy and finger-foody. Here's what I've come up with so far:
Non-period offerings:
- Veggies (carrots, celery and green pepper because they're cheap) and dip (mum's recipe)
- Pita wedges and hummus
- chewy trail mix/breakfast bar things (go to Second Cup and order the square that looks like it's made of corn flakes, I've figured out how to make those and they're damn good and tonight's batch was especially good)
Period ideas:
- Grapes if I can find some on sale
- maybe some sliced cheese? I'm not sure about this one as cheese isn't cheap and probably not the best thing to leave out in the Texas heat either.
Tonight I also experimented with a plausibly medieval recipe and made "Shrewsbury cakes" per the recipe listed here. Interestingly, their source was the Florilegium and their technique was completely different. I combined flour, sugar and nutmeg per their instructions and cut in the butter, while the original source recipe suggested creaming the butter and sugar, adding the rose water to that and blending the flour and nutmeg together and then combining the two. Since I did not use a food processor (don't own one and don't want one either) I probably should have gone with the original recipe's method. I also added a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract and a quarter teaspoon or so of cinnamon, just 'cause (the first recipe used those as substitutions, I figured why not add them too). And because it wasn't looking very dough-y I also threw in another tablespoon of rosewater. Finally, instead of cutting them into circles (boooring, and I don't have a circle cookie cutter, yes I know a glass will suffice, but where's the fun in that) I cut them into hearts, flowers and 5-pointed Texas stars (see, look, I really am trying to fit in). The end result was VERY CRISPY and rather sweet. The spices were quite subtle, but that may have been because I chose to test them with chai. Jason liked them well enough to eat two and thought they were a perfect pairing with the chai.
I'm currently poking around Goode Cookery to see if I can find anything else I have the ingredients on-hand to try. Mostly looking at hand-held desserts, so that knocks out all the cakes, tarts and puddings, which doesn't leave a whole lot. If I try something really good I'll report my findings. If you've tried something that worked out really well, please let me know!
As a host, is it my responsibility to supply plates of some sort and maybe napkins, or should people know well enough to bring their own feast gear if they want to put food on a plate? I don't have nearly enough feast gear to share with everyone, but I'm also not really into the whole paper plate thing as it spoils the ambiance, costs money, and isn't too hot for the environment. Also, this is meant to be nibbles, not a free lunch, so providing plates might send the wrong message. Would you provide plates or napkins?
I'm also wondering if I should bring my mosquito mesh to hang from the rafters and cover the table. It would keep the flies off the food (lots of bugs in Texas), but it might also look inhospitable and unwelcoming to human visitors. No, I don't own any of those neat little plate-covering mesh dome things, so that's not an option. Thoughts?
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no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 12:10 pm (UTC)For another period dessert, how about cheese tarts? I've brought them to many SCA events and they're actually a period recipe, I think it was 14th century or so: the actual ones are cheese and bacon, but we have vegetarians in the group- it's basically a tart base (I usually cheat and get the small pre-made ones), shredded cheese and an egg I think. I believe the recipe is online- look for cheese and bacon pasties.
I think veggies and such are fine- from what I've seen at other events a lot of people will prefer them (particularly parents with kids), especially if it's hot out.
I hope it goes well for you. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 06:47 pm (UTC)Interestingly, you can make healthy breakfast snacks using the filling alone and putting it in metal baking cups. They freeze and reheat okay. I used to make those 1 week's worth at a time and take them to work when I was an office-slave. Things that are really yum in them include cheese, spinach and peppers, basically anything you can put in an omelet. I'd alternate between that and home-made oatmeal (seasoned with spices instead of artificial flavours, but still in convenient, pre-measured single serves).
Also, I never cheat and use store-bought pastry. I am the QUEEN of pastry. Seriously, my pastry is some of the best you'll ever try. I can't bring myself to go to that much effort of making whatever filling and then screw the whole thing up by using greasy, tasteless store-bought stuff when I'm so good at it. I'm really a snot when it comes to most pre-made stuff. I can't stand cake mix, or pre-made pizza crusts, or muffin mixes. I'm really a from-scratch kind of gal.
no subject
Date: 2009-05-31 01:40 am (UTC)good luck