feasts-free-msg - 9/30/04
Who gets in free to feasts.
NOTE: See also these files: event-rev-msg, demos-msg, evnt-stewards-msg, privvies-msg, gate-guards-msg, event-ideas-msg, hotel-events-msg, tokens-msg.
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This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.
This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
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Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: hwt at bnr.ca (Henry Troup)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Who eats free?
Date: 3 Nov 1994 20:48:40 GMT
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd., Ottawa, Canada
Time for a new topic:
if your group does feasts at events, who gets a free meal?
Possible answers are:
- no one
- the Crown
- some set of important people
- everyone [some of Cariadoc's events]
So, what do you do?
In Skraeling Althing, we run to about 10 (of 150-200) complementary
tickets: Crown (2), Tanist and ban-Tanist (2), Coronet (2), Heirs of
Ealdormere (2), Landed Barons of Ealdormere (6) - not all of these show up,
at every event, because that adds to 14, soon to be 16.
--
Henry Troup - hwt at bnr.ca (Canada) - BNR owns but does not share my opinions
"I DO have a life, but I find that I'm quickly replacing it with the internet."
(Eugene A. Houseman)
From: mjc+ at cs.cmu.edu (Monica Cellio)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Who eats free?
Date: 4 Nov 94 05:52:09 GMT
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, School of Computer Science
>if your group does feasts at events, who gets a free meal?
In the Debatable Lands (AEthelmearc), typically the crown if they show up,
probably the prince and princess of AEthelmearc if they're there, and the
head cook and maybe the autocrat. Our baron and baroness do not, so far
as I know. (But it's been a couple years since I last autocratted an
event.)
We do not have explicit policies on this.
Ellisif
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: a-mikem at ac.tandem.com (mckay_michael)
Subject: Re: Who eats free?
Organization: Atalla Corporation - San Jose, CA.
Date: Fri, 4 Nov 1994 19:14:15 GMT
Our Canton (Caer Darth; Santa Cruz, CA) has a yearly Poachers Feast. One
of the features of this feast, aside from the fact the nobles only dare show-up
if they are disguised, is that no tickets are reserved for any high faultin'
majesty (to say nothing of giving them something for free). The fact that we
have had to "state" this policy over and over, shows how ingrained the customs
in the West are. Every feast I've worked with (with the exception of the
poachers feast, and since my lady is currently head of the West Kingdom Cookere
Guild, this is quite a few) gives free tickets to any reigning royalty. Free
tickets for Barons and the like are less common, our barony usually does not
do this (but don't forget, feasts are much less common in the West Kingdom then
elsewhere in the knowne world; of the 15 or so major events that our Barony
does, only 4 of them have feasts).
Seaan McAy Caer Darth; Darkwood; Mists; West (Santa Cruz, CA)
From: sco at mchr.nteltec.com (Stephanie)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Who eats free?
Date: 4 Nov 1994 23:24:44 GMT
Organization: Primenet
I am not sure about the rest of the Principality but in the Barony of Twin
Moons, the royals always have a free feast, including the Baron and Baroness
and any visiting Barons and Baronesses. Also, the kitchen and serving staff
if generally given the feast for free as a thank you for volenteering to
help out. The autocrats usually end up getting the feast for nothing as
someone pushes food in their direction and commands them to eat.
Isabel d'Estella
Baronial Scribe
Barony of Twin Moons
Kingdom of Atenvelt
--
Stephanie Valencia
NTT
sco at mchr.nteltec.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: rorice at bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (rosalyn rice)
Subject: Re: Who eats free?
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington IN
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 1994 09:04:46 GMT
Greetings from Lothar,
At our feasts we generally work it this way:
The cooks, the winner of the tournament, his/her consort, and any
visiting royalty eat free. The servers eat at half-price.
However, things are a bit more complicated than they might
appear. The cost of the cooks' and the servers' dinners are factored
into the overall feast budget at cost per portion. (Generally 50 cents to
$2.00 under advertized price, depending on the head cook's whim.)
The cost of the free meals given to the various VIPs is actually
absorbed by the autocrat's budget at the minimum advertized price. This
is part of the autocrat's prize expenses and miscellaneous costs.
Usable leftovers from the feast are given to the cooks, the servers,
the clean-up crew, and other people who have impressed the head cook with
their dilligence in preparation, food service, or clean-up.
So, actually, the people eating the feast and the people attending
our events subsidize these free meals in the cost of their feast tickets or
site fee.
There ain't no such thing as a free feast.
Lothar
From: folo at prairienet.org (F.L. Watkins)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Who eats free?
Date: 6 Nov 1994 00:03:37 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
In the Barony of Wurm Wald, the rule of thumb is that royalty
gets in free, including feast; generally, tourney winners get
free feasts (or refunds if they've already paid); and that's
about it. The Baron and Baroness definitely do NOT get any
freebies; in fact, I usually pay the full fee just for the
honor of serving head table (one of the few privileges of
being Baron).
Of course, this is all up to the autocrat (except for the
royalty and baron parts). As always, when royalty is present,
they choose who will sit at head table (although this generally
includes the winner of the tourneys).
And now for the part that burns my butt: as I said above, I
serve head table. My wife, who is generally merchant liaison,
sits at the feast. Only once in fifteen years has she ever been
asked to sit at head table as local baroness; on the other
hand, neighboring barons & baronesses are often asked to sit
at the head table at our events.
Sorry. Just had to get that off my chest...
Yrs, Folo (just back from an NWTA Board meeting and feeling
really, really tired...)
--
Damin de Folo - F.L.Watkins - folo at prairienet.org
Baron Wurm Wald (MidRealm) - Commander Baldwin's (NWTA)
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 14:57:36 -0600From: "Decker, Terry D." <TerryD at Health.State.OK.US>Subject: RE: SC - Feast Budgets>Chimene wrote:>What are folks feeling about fees for kitchen staff? The evolving policy>here locally, as I understand it, seems to be that if (a) it's a day event>and you never make it out of the kitchen, you don't pay a site fee, a feast>fee, or anything else; if (b) it's an event where you work the kitchen, but>there's enough event left over around the edges that you get to play, you pay>the site fee but eat free. >>=CaitlinTraditionally in Namron, kitchen staff and servers get fed and when I'mdoing the feast and planning the entertainment, so do the entertainers.For some reason, I've always had good support for my feasts.If I remember correctly, our sainted Baron Bjorn was the one who startedthe tradition of feeding the help.Bear
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 14:09:13 -0400
From: "Peters, Rise J." <rise.peters at spiegelmcd.com>
Subject: RE: SC - site fee entitlement was After feast
>>Several have mentioned this and it makes me wonder:
> If staff don't pay, at what level does one cease to be a staff member
> and become a paying attendee volunteering for a task?
The rule that I've applied, when autocrat, is that if you are working at the
event in a capacity that means you aren't going to be free to participate in
the event itself, you don't have to pay. That means, if you are getting
there when the site opens, going to the kitchen, and basically staying there
until feast is over, you don't pay. If you are going to the event, and
taking some time out of attending to pitch in, you pay. Going to a dressy
event and not even bothering to take anything but kitchen grubbies? Clearly
you aren't attending the same event the people in their fancy stuff are!
By which, I don't mean to start a debate about whether it's more fun in the
kitchen or out; clearly I think "in," since I'm a rational hedonist and
that's where I spend my time. But there's a difference between "going to an
event" and "going to cook at at event." In any case, it's the autocrat's
call.
For weekend-long events, that means that in general everyone pays, since
there's fun to be had around the edges of the time spent cooking (at least,
the way we run things there is).
Cait, in Storvik
Date: Tue, 13 Apr 1999 15:40:55 -0400
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: Re: SC - site fee entitlement was After feast
>Several have mentioned this and it makes me wonder:
>If staff don't pay, at what level does one cease to be a staff member
>and become a paying attendee volunteering for a task?
>
>In our barony, everyone pays to attend. For any event, most of the
>sponsoring canton is staff in one way or another. Often members of
>surrounding cantons serve just as much or more than some canton
>members. The royals who are obligated to attend don't pay, other
>royals might not.
At our Baronial events, it is customary for the Autocrat and Feastcrat to
get in without paying the event fee. Other freebies include the Royalty
(but not their entourage, we just had a go-round about that one) and
sometimes we have winners of something that are given free events for a
year or the like. But other staff members all pay, as do significant
others of the Feast and Autocrat. I am the one who really instituted the
no fee for the Feastcrat, I plain refused to pay for the priveledge of
working my butt off and taking time off of my mundane Chef's job to boot.
I have insisted on this becoming a tradition, and we have stuck to it.
Christianna
no longer a professional chef, but I did play one on TV!
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 19:26:34 -0400
From: "D. Clay-Disparti" <Clay at talstar.com>
Subject: Re: SC - site fee entitlement
In Trimaris the Autocrat/s, Chief Cook/s, royals, the major kingdom officers and
others are given free kingdom events. The Royals and their guests are free at
feast (you are told to add at least ten free diners to your portions for the
head table). At the local level it is at each groups discretion.
Isabella
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 12:59:35 -0700
From: kat <kat at kagan.com>
Subject: Subject: Re: SC - site fee entitlement
Bonne of Traquair asks:
> I think that is the attitude around here. I was just curious to know
> how those places that have this policy manage it. Are only "titled"
> positions eligible for free admittance? (cook, autocrat, gatekeeper)
> or further down the line? What about the MoL? any deputies?
Well, in our Barony, when you buy a ticket for a feast, you are buying a
*seat.* On that philosophy, all the folks who *sit* and eat pay full
price. All those who stand in the kitchen *the whole time* and cook pay
nothing--they wear grubbies and don't bring feast gear or claim a chair in
the hall. (Of course they get fed; they also get chocolate, love and
undying gratitude; and sometimes footrubs and breakfast in the morning. No
joke.)
Traditionally, servers pay half-price, and it's the Autocrat's decision
whether to throw in half-price tickets in the bribe--- I mean, incentive,
for the entertainment.
Attendant Royalty get free tickets (they are at head table and hold court
between courses, which after all *is* work) but their entourage are never
comped; they pay full price like everyone else. Sometimes, if there's a
tournament, two free feast tickets get thrown into the prize basket for the
winner, and he/she and partner get a seat at head table as well; that, too,
is determined by tradition of particular event and by the Autocrat's
decision.
Anyway, that's how we do it in Darkwood. My two cents.
- kat
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 15:58:41 EDT
From: Vanishwood at aol.com
Subject: Fwd: Subject: Re: SC - site fee entitlement
As with darkwood, our shire follows the same procedures, except that since
most servers are from our group they do not pay for feast at all and
entertainers pay full price if they are sitting at feast.
Ethelwulf / shire of vanished wood
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 08:53:57 -0600 (MDT)
From: Mary Morman <memorman at oldcolo.com>
Subject: SC - site fee entitlement
On Wed, 14 Apr 1999, THL Caitlin Ruadh wrote:
> > I plain refused to pay for the privilege of
> > working my butt off and taking time off to boot.
>
> This has always been my case - when one autocrat gave me a hard time about
> it, I agree to pay the site fee, but not the feast fee, since the fact is
> that I never manage to sit down and eat at my own feasts anyway! When that
> event made money, the autocrat was smart enough to refund my site fee!
>
> Ruadh
I take a different outlook. I always insist on paying site and feast fee
even though I know I am not 'attending' the event when I am head cook. My
philosophy is that -everyone- should pay, and if I, the cook, am paying
for the privilege of working my butt off, then what excuse can others make
for -not- paying.
I see it as a matter of if you open the door just a crack, you'll soon
have it wide open and hordes of non-paying attendees rushing in. I'd
rather keep the door closed, and am willing to put up the money to back
that philosophy.
Elaina
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 1999 11:00:16 -0400
From: Christine A Seelye-King <mermayde at juno.com>
Subject: Re: SC - site fee entitlement
> I was just curious to know how those places that have this policy
>manage it. Are only "titled" positions eligible for free admittance?
>(cook, autocrat, gatekeeper) or further down the line? What about the
>MoL? any deputies?
Nope, just the autocrat and feastcrat. As I said before, Royalty get in
free (Kingdom Law, I think, at least I hope so) and the occaisional
freebie we give away as a prize, and that's it. As the significant other
to my lord's last feast (and main Artistic Coordinator of the event) I
paid the full fee, but he did not. It isn't difficult at all to draw the
lines.
Christianna
<the end>