Cook's Symposium

This was my second ever Cook's Symposium. click here Mom I didn't take the camera tho when I find the link to everybody else's pictures. I will link to them, especially the shots of Helewyse (my sausage muse) when she quartered a chicken in about 30 seconds flat. I will never pay for somebody else to cut up my chicken again.

So--we left Ypsi about 8:40 and got to Kazoo in great time but then a cute (but fierce looking) cop wouldn't let us off the freeway where we wanted to so we took the grand tour all around Kalamazoo including a quick jaunt through the "Holiday Parade" they conveniently forgot to tell us about. Rollo has the best toys--his GPS on his phone pointed out that we were still off by two miles--we corrected course and finally got to the site about ten to 11; thus effectively missing Hauviette's 16th C Ottoman class. Serious bummer. Okay be flexible--next class? YAY Helewyse and the afore mentioned "Knife skills" class--dude..she is a goddess. The care and feeding of one's knives is an important thing and I trust the daughter of a butcher. I learned much--had some basic beliefs confirmed and got reprimanded firmly for putting my knives in the dishwasher. CAVEAT: The fact that they get their own space, not touching anybody else or anything only earned tightly pursed lips. Okay so then I finally found Faillen and Kassia (I knew Vickie would be in the lunch tavern) and we scooted off to different classes.

Rollo's Anglo-Scandinavian Feast class (really more of a guided discussion brainstorming session) went really well-- and I repeat I have never met a Viking I didn't like. We had a great discussion centered on the reason FOR feasting and how the SCA feast is really a hybrid animal--a mythical beast perhaps? I learned that the Oseburg Burial Tripod is really prly an honorific grave site token thing and not actually a functional kitchen item. I don't care cuz the replica somebody brought along was sooo damn sexxxy--sigh

I didn't make Alys Catherine's comfit class but that is okay cuz I spent a VERY happy two hours in Giles' class learning about period food preservation. Giles shared an anecdote he found during his research that is a little icky--but I like icky and I'll bet I have you attention now eh? Okay so these archeologists are working and they find some sealed amphoras--yay for them--bad form they pop the tops off and discover 10,000 year old honey--and damn! It still tasted good--second brave (but scientifically irresponsible) archeologist wants to taste ancient honey too and dips his hand down in further into the jar for a bigger scoop and pulled up...( i had guessed a cat) EWWWWW BABY HAIR!!! EWWWWWWW. They mummified a kid in the honey!!!

I of course start thinking it had to be a slave kid or something cuz wouldn't an honored heir (hair heir get it? bad pun) get better treatment than a cooking jar full o honey? Then I start thinking oooh maybe they murdered the kid and this is where they hid the body---hmmm I think I smell a short story--or an Amelia Peabody plot!
Later in the class a tiny light bulb went off over my head when I realized..I OWN A CHIMNEY!!! EEEEP!!

I bought the CD with the facsimile cookbook and everybody's handouts (Oh--in case you were wondering? Vikings don't give handouts--they take them!) Can't wait to check it out--it better be Mac friendly!

Rollo and I split after Kassia & Faillen announced that we would be getting together for a whole new holiday twixt xmas & newyears--- GLUTTONY DAEG!! (More details later)

We hit Bell's YUM for dinner. They moved the general store to the front of the block and we did NOT go in--that would have been too much unsupervised fun--I finally tasted the 8000 batch that is like $15 for a freaking six pack and found it to be a tangy yummy VERY strong ale. They served it is a tiny little brandy snifter--which was clever cuz that shit was heady--wowsers!

We got home a smidge before nine and I, pathetic geezer that I am-- was asleep by 9:30.