Every cook in the SCA should be ready to give out a list of the ingredients in their dishes-- and every person in the SCA with allergies and reactions should be aware of what to look for.
I wish this were more promoted.
As a responsible webwright, I asked a cook for an ingredients list in advance of an event, with the caveat that (a) yes, you might change a few ingredients and we can announce that this is a tentative list and (b) the autocrat staff will help post the details and ingredients for you since yes, you're very busy.
The list I got back included: "Cookies" as an ingredient. When I inquired "What kind of cookies? What kind of ingredients?" the cook answered, "Anyone will be able to eat these." I gave up, and most of the people with food issues didn't bother with the feast OR the revel, because there was zero "off-board" setting (which means you couldn't attend if you weren't eating the feast, unless you paid $15 for the feast even if you didn't eat). Needless to say, it wasn't my favorite feast.
I routinely know I won't be eating most of the food at a feast [keep kosher, and I'm allergic or intolerant of beef and cow-dairy, but other dairy is fine]. My roomie is vegetarian (even sometimes vegan), so she never attends feasts. Our household head has an allergy list out the wazoo, carries 2 epi pens and her allergy list in both english and spanish, and is pro-active (and good-natured) about it all. But all of us keep it to ourselves, make no fuss, and read labels. And we like to dance and play music and sing, so we really would like to attend feasts/revels, and just take care of our own food needs.
We don't ask much: * Ingredients Lists. * Off-board seating (the ability to quietly bring your own food to take care of yourself and not make a fuss).
no subject
I wish this were more promoted.
As a responsible webwright, I asked a cook for an ingredients list in advance of an event, with the caveat that (a) yes, you might change a few ingredients and we can announce that this is a tentative list and (b) the autocrat staff will help post the details and ingredients for you since yes, you're very busy.
The list I got back included: "Cookies" as an ingredient. When I inquired "What kind of cookies? What kind of ingredients?" the cook answered, "Anyone will be able to eat these." I gave up, and most of the people with food issues didn't bother with the feast OR the revel, because there was zero "off-board" setting (which means you couldn't attend if you weren't eating the feast, unless you paid $15 for the feast even if you didn't eat). Needless to say, it wasn't my favorite feast.
I routinely know I won't be eating most of the food at a feast [keep kosher, and I'm allergic or intolerant of beef and cow-dairy, but other dairy is fine]. My roomie is vegetarian (even sometimes vegan), so she never attends feasts. Our household head has an allergy list out the wazoo, carries 2 epi pens and her allergy list in both english and spanish, and is pro-active (and good-natured) about it all. But all of us keep it to ourselves, make no fuss, and read labels. And we like to dance and play music and sing, so we really would like to attend feasts/revels, and just take care of our own food needs.
We don't ask much:
* Ingredients Lists.
* Off-board seating (the ability to quietly bring your own food to take care of yourself and not make a fuss).