SCA and Feasts - Stories Anyone?

[supernova]

...You have to go to school to tell the teacher that "Yes, Child is correct and the history text is wrong" (and seriously think about going in garb)

"No, Principal Soandso, she wasn't making it up as a desperate cry for attention.  Her parents really ARE a King and Queen, and I'm the captain of her personal guard..."   

     - saphie

[supernova]

So are these the same groups that hold Renessance Festivals?

Nope, not quite the same as the Ren Faire.  For one, we're a non-profit educational organization rather than a for-profit corporation; for another, we don't have spectators.  Anyone can come to an event, but they have to make an attempt at medieval dress--which makes them participants, not 'tourists.' 

Enjoy the Web site, and feel free to ask any more questions you may have!  We do love talking about ourselves. 

     - saphie

[ginlyn32]

Must one be invited to an event by another member or can one just show up?

Regarding membership, do they have a class to introduce new-comers to the group or does one just have to research all that?

I liked the part about the names. That was interesting.

I didn't realize how much work you guys put into doing that!

About costumes, can you order them somewhere or do they all have to be home-made?

Do people try to do Lord of the Rings names like Eomer or Aragorn?

Ginger

[VorFemme]

and then there is SCA barbie  http://www.gmpiv.com/Humor/Medieval_SCA/SCABarbie.html

I need to find an SCA chapter with kids wanting period authentic doll clothes (or reasonable facscimiles thereof) - I bought a number of patterns off of eBay because it would be so much cheaper to make doll clothes than clothes to fit me.........

Then I remembered that most Barbie doll pattern pieces range from the size of coins to paper money with small seam allowances - and I wear bifocals.

[kathrynne]

Then I remembered that most Barbie doll pattern pieces range from the size of coins to paper money with small seam allowances - and I wear bifocals.

Olde eyes. It really stinks, doesn't it?

I actually had LASIK in '05 because after 37 years of taking off glasses or looking over glasses to read, I just couldn't adjust to having my reading lens on the bottom of my eyeglasses. Now I'm 20/15 for distance and need cheap readers for close-up. What an adjustment.

It used to be I couldn't read streetsigns until I was on top of them. Now I can navigate great, but can't pluck my own eyebrows. 

[Venus193]

Must one be invited to an event by another member or can one just show up?

Regarding membership, do they have a class to introduce new-comers to the group or does one just have to research all that?

...About costumes, can you order them somewhere or do they all have to be home-made?

Do people try to do Lord of the Rings names like Eomer or Aragorn?

Ginger

Usually, one is invited by an existing member.  That person usually also obtains garb for the newbie for the occasion.

Since garb must conform to period standards in terms of closures (e.g., no zippers), it's made for each individual.  If you can't sew there are usually people who will do so for pay or barter for another service.

I suppose that LOTR names are attempted, but I don't know if they are accepted.  I've been out of the scene for a while.

[Suze]

Must one be invited to an event by another member or can one just show up?

Regarding membership, do they have a class to introduce newcomers to the group or does one just have to research all that?

I liked the part about the names. That was interesting.

I didn't realize how much work you guys put into doing that!

About costumes, can you order them somewhere or do they all have to be homemade?

Do people try to do Lord of the Rings names like Eomer or Aragorn?

Ginger

You can just show up at an event - but I would suggest first looking around for a chapter in your area. Go to a couple of meetings (ours are once a month) so you can meet people on a more casual basis. Most of our business meetings are no costume required.  Also you can find a friendly face to tell you about what is going on before you get to your first event.

That also gets you info on newcomer stuff.  You are mostly on your own as to how much research you WANT to do.  You can find any amount of help if you ask. 

You can buy or make your costume - your choice - however, I have found buying can be very  expensive, if your taste in garb goes up.  Start simple.  Of course I have known ladies to show up to theire first event in Elizabethan, too.

Names can get tricky - you should try to pick out a name that *could* have existed prior to 1600 AD but not someone famous or a fantasy name. 

You could by a Catherine of Penny Whistle but not a Catherine the Great or you could be Hagar the Smelly but not Hagar the Horrible.  So no Lord of the Ring names. 

You might meet someone with those kind of names but they are either not "official" or they have been in since year one when no one cared about it.


There is a website call the Academy of St Gabriel that has a LOT of articles about names.  Just don't pick a name right away because it "sounds medieval"  Believe it or not Gwendoline is NOT medieval.

We had one of our guys go by "Tim - just Tim" for a couple of years before he "became" Timothy the Just (sometimes a name just "finds you")

I have found that if you start to look at "costume books" (otherwise known as art books, the ones with ALL the great Master's paintings in them) and find a style that you like, one that you think that you would be comfy in. Find out when and where it was painted and go from there.  (French, 1400's) you can then forget about looking at names from Sweden in the 800's.


ACK - this got long - sorry, the Herald in me comes out at times, We do like to hear our own "voices" 

ETA- At least this is how it works in the Middle Kingdom -  I am from Ohio - The name thing though is Society wide.
Where about do you hail from Ginlyn32? just the state would help us figure out where you would belong.

[ginlyn32]

Must one be invited to an event by another member or can one just show up?

Regarding membership, do they have a class to introduce newcomers to the group or does one just have to research all that?

I liked the part about the names. That was interesting.

I didn't realize how much work you guys put into doing that!

About costumes, can you order them somewhere or do they all have to be homemade?

Do people try to do Lord of the Rings names like Eomer or Aragorn?

Ginger

ETA- At least this is how it works in the Middle Kingdom -  I am from Ohio - The name thing though is Society wide.
Where about do you hail from Ginlyn32? just the state would help us figure out where you would belong.

I am from the Atlanta, GA area. Smyrna to be exact.

Ginger

[Suze]

Ginger - you would then "belong" to the Kingdom of Meridies and the Barony of the Southdowns.

http://www.meridies.org/index.htm

http://www.south-downs.org/

and wonder of wonders the end of next month is a newcomers event in your area (I think, havent looked at a map to see how close it is to you yet) (Ok - I looked - seems a reasonable distance to me)

http://www.asbrand.com/owlsnest/events/newcomers7.html

There are site fees and if you want to eat feast (a lunch at this one) a charge as well but for a single person that would only be $11.00 total, and the $3.00 parking pass.

The non-member surcharge is a society wide thing right now to help defray the cost of running this circus on wheels.  If you decide you like what we have to offer and join the SCA you won't have to pay that anymore.  I suggest that you pay the $3.00 for your first event and see if you like the way we play first.

I still suggest going to a meeting or two first. You can meet a few folk and get a feel for our circus.

(you know- our group always jokes about finding members for other shires. I think that this is the longest distance award for sure)

[minnaloushe]

And nothing is more period than stew.

Stewed meats with herbs and savories?  Oh yes, incredibly period.  But modern "stew," combining meats, vegetables and starches, actually isn't period--just FYI.    I used to think so too, till I started researching and redacting my own recipes.

Easy quick recipes...  absolutely!  Buy a copy of "Pleyn Delit" (authors are Hieatt and Butler).  Everything in there is totally authentic and most of it is really yummy!    Or Siobhan Medhbh O'Roarke's "Travelling Dysshes" is really useful too, although not as many recipes--but it does have a really exhaustive "period/not period" foods list in it.

Cariadoc's Miscellany, online, has a lot of great stuff in it too; and you don't have to wait for Amazon.    http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/miscellany.html

     - saphie

Ohh, I'll have to look those up!

I love cooking and history, but am not a member.  I also love subjecting friends and family to what they refer to as Minnaloushe's Adventures in Dining. So one day, surfing the web I found Cariadoc's Miscellany and thought WOW! Real Moorish Andelusian food! Mwahahaha.

The Saffron Soup is still requested. The Badî'i - well, let's just say it was remarkable, just not in a good way.  it wasn't until I reread the recipe to see if I could find out what happened when I realised I almost tripled the Lavender. Ugh. The next time I made it, I used a scant dusting of lavender and didn't add the eggs at the end.  I could not convince people it was the same dish. 

Lately it's been the Book of Gode Cookery.  Half the fun is trying to puzzle out the recipe!

[supernova]

Oh, goodness yes, working out the redaction for yourself is (to me anyway) half the fun!

I love Cindy Renfrew's "Take a Thousand Eggs or More" for that.  In the second (larger) book, she's done the translations but leaves the redactions up to you.  Yay fun!!! 

     - saphie

[Gwywnnydd]

How about:

You know you're in the SCA too long when....

...you describe the neighbors as "Lord and Lady Winston"
...you don't know any songs composed after 1600
...you sign your societal name on checks
...you enter a restaurant and say "6 On Board, please."

...you drive more miles in a year than your friends fly.

and my personal favorite:
...you see a yellow bouncy castle with anthropomorphic cats in livery painted on either side of the door, and what bothers you is *not* that it's BRIGHT YELLOW, *not* that it's a plastic bouncy castle, but that the cat's livery doesn't match the period of the castle.

[Gwywnnydd]

OK - with the thread highjack on worst food ever

I thought that we might have enough stories 'tween us for a new thread.

Best Feast
Worst Feast
Most "Interesting" Feast or the "What WERE you thinking of feast"

Hmm. In the "Interesting" category, there was the time that His Majesty decided, all on his own, to cram several hours of court business into the feast, in between the removes. The third course (rabbit) was 1.5 hours late. And dried out. The cook came >< this close to killing him for that...

[Suze]

We had a 6pm start time for a feast once that His Majesty held up till 9pm because he wanted to play rapier after court (Court then Feast then Dancing)

No one was happy - and you would have thought that with His Majesty being a diabetic he would have had a *tiny bit more thought* for the rest of the populace. 

At the very least he could have made a token apperance and told us to proceed without him.

HER Majesty was NOT AMUSED either.

I have been told that was the LAST feast he did that at. (do not tick off the Queen, especially if you really are married)

And then there was the time that we had several young "ladies" decide to do the "Can-Can" dance during feast - not only is it out of period I think that one of them was not wearing underpants.  Didn't look that close but what she was flashing didn't match the rest of her costume. 

That feast also went over long. Started at 5pm was still going on at 10pm when we left site.

[Gwywnnydd]

And then there was the time that we had several young "ladies" decide to do the "Can-Can" dance during feast - not only is it out of period I think that one of them was not wearing underpants. 

Well, that's historically accurate for the dance .