Culinary Symposium

[ysabella_dolfin]

It was really rather transformative and just such a great experience!

Hard to describe... I got off the plane aroun 11:30 am and Master Eduardo picked me up at the airport, we headed back to his place where I got this gorgeous lasagne lunch and we just... well pretty much chatted non stop. We are so alike in many ways (only he is far more classy

Comments

[anonymous]

I am happy to help with the research track before the event but next year I want to give one paper and take some classes and teach. So moderating the research track (even part of it) is probably out. It took up a lot of my time and if I do it next year I won't be able to take or teach anything. But let's see. Vittoria can more than handle the moderator role.

Can't wait for next year and for AnTir West War to talk about the tracks etc.

[ysabella_dolfin]

I am feeling pretty creative and inspired about the whole thing. Since I have so recently been to cooking school, I have some ideas for how to run some of the hands-on stuff that I think will be efficient for the space... like the classes ARE part of the meal plan for the participants so we are not juggling space, I think it will be really helpful for newer cooks to see how we do this whole food for a crowd thing... I can do like a "period spitting" class for meats cooked outside on a grill and if someone does a "pie making" class those things keep just fine on the sideboard until lunch or dinner... A bread making class would be perfect for later in the day bread for meals. It will just take some fanagling (dare I say, outright manipulation) of the classes. BUT, I also think it will save people money if the event pays for the "lab fees" (I can order the products thru my vendors) for the classes that are feeding the group. Then we can just add some period salads, pickles and cured items to round it out.

[ayeshadream]

There are things I'd like to have done differently. There were improvements from the first year, but there were also more complications than I would have hoped. I also wish I had more time and energy to just hang out and enjoy everyone's company.

I'm SO excited for your plan. It will be awesome and I'll actually get to take classes this time!! Squeee!

[ysabella_dolfin]

I didn't notice anything amiss... if anything was "complicated" it was that it was so much more successful than you may have anticipated and the extra bodies on site might have strained the capacity of some of the stuff. That seems like a GOOD complication to have :)

[anthraxia]

ENVY

[ysabella_dolfin]

Awesome! Will you make it to West/An Tir? I thnk we will try to have a big planning meeting there and Juanna and I will set up a communication group soon. I will talk to her about it the first weekend in May (at our Beltane)

[ayeshadream]

Darling E- if Eduardo's vehicle winds up being too full perhaps we could carpool down? I really, really want to go to AT/W this year, even if it means skipping "church" camp with the family. :)

[joeguppy]

I am heartbroken that I couldn't go this year. That whole time and money thang just BITES! I wanna geak with more period foodie types! I love my peeps, but there's always room for more serious-period-foodie-geaks!

[ysabella_dolfin]

You would have loved it... there was some serious geak-i-tude.

[joeguppy]

I can't tell you how frustrating it is that we don't do more period food geakery down here. Thank the gods for my local cooking guild (which is meeting tonight, fortunately). I'm bummed to have never met Eduardo. I have heard wonderful things. So you met Countess Alys Catherine, eh? I met her some 20 years ago, when she was teaching a class on comfits at Pennsic. Serious candy-fan, that one! She knows her period sweets and such!

[ysabella_dolfin]

I know I can come off as a flibberty-jibbit, so I am not surprised when people write me off as such (brassy blond with the tits banging the Babalisious Bellatrix can come off in so many unfortunate ways) and Alys C and I are SO different, but by the end of the weekend, we were having some great conversations and I was very grateful to get a different perspective on British period food (which I tend to write off as bland pies and pottages). She inspired me in several ways. I WANT to make beautiful pies.

You and Master E have a few things in common (including ex-wives) and he is doing some amazing things with Martino that I think you would really get a kick out of. Have you considered coming up for West/An Tir war and staying with Juanna and crew in the Period Food camp? I think you would absolutely freak out over how f*cking cool it is.