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[msmemory_archive]

Random/Diary


How do I get myself into these things? I wonder sometimes. Anyway, here I am Head Lady In Waiting to Princess Svava. Thank God I'm naturally organized, since this will be a learn-as-you-go position. I've "retained" for other royalty, but suddenly everything I thought I knew has evacuated from my brain.

Mass. Grand Chapter of Eastern Star this weekend. What a snafu that is! I hear they double-booked the Lowell Auditorium and we have to take down all our decorations and booths in between Friday's business meeting and Saturday's. Yes, indeedy, this is a good reason to be glad I'm not on the Hall Committee - grapevine says they'll be doing setup at 4 a.m. on Saturday. (Presumably so they'll be done before the 7:00 a.m. photographer's call.)

Naturally, my Assistant Grand Warder (that's "usher" to anybody else) gown has not arrived from the manufacturer. Will it be here for Thursday? Fine with me if it isn't, then I can't be an usher.

Didn't plant my geraniums on Saturday, because the day was so hot and sticky. Didn't plant them yesterday because it was rainy. Better plant them soon!

Must come up with chore list for Justin for the three weekends I'll be away. He says he'll do one chore each weekend, I'm kind of hoping he manages more than 3 in 3 weeks. :)

Playing catch-up here at work, finally paying for the week+ of blah inertia during the peak of the fibroids' inflammation. The new drug seems to be working, hurray! Still, I SO don't want to be here.

Comments

[tpau]

what's a fibroids' ?

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

A fibroid is a lumpy growth. I have fibroids in my uterus. They caused my female cycles to be irregular and unpleasant. Any other details you want let's take to private mail.

[tpau]

that sounds less then fun :(

[johno.livejournal.com]

Drop the LuckyB a line, she had them a few year ago.

There are various options for dealing with them.

J enjoys one of the sideffects of one of the treatments...

[the-nita.livejournal.com]

I've "retained" for other royalty, but suddenly everything I thought I knew has evacuated from my brain.


something to consider from a cook: find out what events she's planning on going to, what things she likes to eat, what she hates & what she's allergic to (and preferrably, what entertaining she's planning on doing at the event) and let the event steward/head cook know asap - they'll appreciate the effort, it'll help things run a tad smoother, and they're MUCH more likely to handle last minute requests/changes with more grace, as they'll know you've been trying to keep everyone in the loop

(been in the position of having last minute requests dropped on me that weren't last minute for those making the requests WAY too many times)

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Royalty make demands of the cook, as if by divine right or something? That doesn't sound like good behavior. (I've been in for a long time, but never hung with royalty, or cooks, that much.)

[the-nita.livejournal.com]

Often it's not so much demands as a lack of awareness that the little thing that would make their day isn't so little from the kitchen. The other problem is that the attendants often misinterpret a minor whim of the royalty to a demand of the kitchen, and forward it as such.

I've been known to inform people who don't provide me with notice what, in small words, they can expect. Which has proved helpful over the long run - the current king & queen, when prince & princess, were worried to ask me (three weeks in advance!) if it was okay to ask for something else for them, as they were allergic to half the feast and didn't want to eat the main dish in the other half.

we dealt with it, as they had given me lots of notice....

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

The latest trend is for the royalty to state their allergies and preferences on Their website. Balfar and Luna had a long list of allergies, sensitivities, and preferences. Luna was a hard one to cook for, since she could not have most fruits. Kelson and Geneviere state (wonderful Crown!) that they have no allergies, and would like to sample as much period cuisine as possible.
(http://www.eastkingdom.org/trm/preferences.php)

So far, I think svava has only said "no eggplant, no cucumbers," which I suspect means no squashes generally, and she and Thorson together have asked that High Table in particular, and other tables if possible, be given a menu card with ingredients.

Well, duh

[the-nita.livejournal.com]

have asked that High Table in particular, and other tables if possible, be given a menu card with ingredients.


That is something I think I started doing 2 or three feasts back now - only I give them to the servers, post them outside the kitchen & give them to Troll, on the theory that it will mean I don't have anyone wandering into the kitchen asking if *blart* is in the feast...

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

It varies from royalty to royalty. My Princess had a long list of things that would set her off into a life-threatening asthma attack. Her original dictation to the allergy list was pretty strongly worded (I toned it down, and we had a problem only once, and that was avoided by us taking responsibility for our own issue and double checking the feast menu). Her Prince, however, would eat anything that wasn't moving, with the exception of pork and rabbit. I've even been at a feast where between the King and Queen, and in coming and out going territorial Hignesses, there was Kosher issues, gluten issues, allergy issues, and "I'm just a picky eater" issues, and the head cook decided that she was going to make each dish served acceptable for everyone at head table. It was a nice thought, but she didn't need to be that accomdating... the entire feast suffered for it.

Letting people know your prefereences just makes it easier for everyone invovled, again, if and only if you give the event staff plenty of notice.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I'm not likely to be Royalty, but if I had issues (and I do, actually) I'd bring my own back-up food. Ah, well, different styles/personalities.

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

We did offer to bring our own food, but most groups were of the opinion that they should be able to help with the royalty. I'm going to go on more about this in my own journal. No need to clutter up msmemeory's stuff. ::Grins::

[jducoeur]

Actually, I'm not wholly sure I agree. This is one of those "modern brain / period brain" things. The modern brain says that it's unreasonable to warp the feast around any individual's needs, but the period brain says that This Is The Royalty, Dammit!, and They should get what they want. The Royalty's desires aside, most *cooks* strongly prefer to cook something the Royals can eat -- like any artisans, they want their stuff to be seen and appreciated by the people in charge.

See siderea's recent notes. One of the points she makes, quite correctly IMO, is that people like to be *useful*. And in a club like ours, utility to the Royalty is quite intentionally emphasized. It's part of the game. As such, I think that the Royalty actually have a *responsibility* to eat the feast if possible: it's an implicit part of the social contract. So it makes sense for them to publicize their limitations as much as possible...

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Publicize, yes. Demand, no. Fortunately it sounds like the types who demand are few and far between.

[rufinia.livejournal.com]

Thank God I'm naturally organized, since this will be a learn-as-you-go position. I've "retained" for other royalty, but suddenly everything I thought I knew has evacuated from my brain.

Well, mostly, for me, it was a "know what they need and have it ready before they realize they need it." I also lived with mine, which is a whole different dynamic. (and not something I suggest, which I'm betting jducoeur would appreciate.)

Any help you need or want, I'm happy to provide what I can. Just let me know!