gifts-4-staff-msg - 12/1/06
Gift suggestions for members of the event stewards or headcooks staff.
NOTE: See also the files: evnt-stewards-msg, hotel-events-msg, tokens-msg, largess-ideas-msg, event-maps-msg, reservations-msg, feasts-free-msg.
************************************************************************
NOTICE -
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
I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.
The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.
Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
************************************************************************
Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 16:15:13 -0800
From: "Laura C. Minnick" <lcm at efn.org>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gifts for Assistants?
Morgan Cain wrote:
>>> OK, I need some wisdom, since it has been a LONG time (but once) since I have been head cook. This is only my second feast since moving to Ansteorra!
All of my volunteers are experienced cooks, so don't need utensils etc. I have thought of bags of fun spices. I *am* planning to give some homemade soaps, possibly some chocolate lip balm, and a facecloth. They are all new to period cooking, so I am thinking of adding a copy of "Pleyn Delit." Any other suggestions?<<<
James likes to give staff (cook staff or autocrat staff) bottles of
Powder Forte, Powder Douce, etc. He's had people ask to work in the
kitchen again with the "Are you giving out spices again?..."
'Lainie
Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 19:34:21 -0500
From: johnna holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gifts for Assistants?
Actually there are some great buys on things
like mulling spices and packaged food treats
right now... I don't know when the feast is
but this stuff might do. I used to give second-hand
cookbooks, like the classics that I had picked up
cheap (editions of Beebe, Henisch, etc.) I also
believe that one can never have too many quality
potholders or mitts. Local gift certificates to
the best deli in town might do very well too.
Johnnae llyn Lewis Johnna Holloway
Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 19:54:52 -0700
From: grasse <grasse at mscd.edu>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: [Sca-cooks] RE: Gifts from Sca-cooks digest, Vol 1 #1175 - 16 msgs
May I humbly suggest things to pamper tired feet, chafed hands, aching
shoulders, in the form of bath salts, lotions, and massages.
One of my feasts I had a massage therapist come through and take kinks out of
my crews shoulders, backs. The best was the 10 minute foot rub after things
had been served.
Gwen Cat
Caerthe
Outlands
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2001 02:40:56 -0600
From: Stefan li Rous <stefan at texas.net>
To: SCA-Cooks maillist <SCA-Cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Gifts for Assistants?
Morgan asked:
> All of my volunteers are experienced cooks, so don't need utensils etc. I =
> have thought of bags of fun spices. I *am* planning to give some homemade =
> soaps, possibly some chocolate lip balm, and a facecloth. They are all new=
> to period cooking, so I am thinking of adding a copy of "Pleyn Delit." An=
> y other suggestions?
For this past Bryn Gwlad Yule Revel, which I was the Event Steward
for, I gave my staff members various spices. Since one of the things
we were encouraging at this event was for folks to try their hands
at making some period food dishes for the pot-luck feast, I thought
this would fit in well.
What I did was bottle up various spices, two or three bottles of
each type. I then put them in a colorful basket and walked around
to my various staff members during the event and let them choose
the bottle that they wanted. I did arrange things to go to the
folks I thought had put in the most work first, so they got the
best choice. However, I had more bottles than I did people, so
everyone had a choice of items. Surprisingly, the less common
spices such as Grains of Paradise and Long Pepper were not the
first ones chosen, even by the cooks. There was only one person
who couldn't find a spice they wanted.
Next time I will do this further in advance, as I ran out of time
to package things, so folks only got one bottle when I had originally
planned on a set of two. Also, I must not have bought as large a
quantity of spices from the Pepperers Guild at Pennsic as I originally
planned on before Pennsic as I didn't have as much of some as I
thought I had. I had originally planned to get enough extra that I
could have some to hand out as prizes, thank yous etc. Oh well. I
guess I'll buy more at the next Pennsic.
--
THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas stefan at texas.net
From: "Olwen the Odd" <olwentheodd at hotmail.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Gifts for Assistants?
Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2001 18:44:30 +0000
I worked in a kitchen with a fellow known as Bear (not the one on this list)
before he moved out of the Barony. He gave his kitchen staff a small silver
charm of a bear. I still wear mine.
Olwen
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 10:18:11 -0400
From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] thank you presents for staff members
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Stefan li Rous asked:
> makes me wonder what other such gifts have you made for or given to
> the staff members who have helped you at an event? Or if you have
> worked as a member of an event staff, what kinds of things would you
> like to recieve, other than at least a "thank you".
Gifts I have been given over the years --- charms,
necklaces, scrolls, baskets, thank-you notes, pottery,
candles, lots of things, including promises to help out when needed
in the future. When I have been in charge,
I usually have made it a practice to give books. I buy duplicates
of things to give as gifts. The last time I gave out Peter Brears All
the King's Cooks to someone who helped with a luncheon.
What I have always liked is being acknowledged in the feast/menu
notes for any donations or research help with my name spelled right,
a prompt check if I am being paid back for making something, and/or
the elusive tax letter if I ended up donating something.
Johnnae
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:21:03 -0700
From: Susan Fox-Davis <selene at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] thank you presents for staff members
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Stefan li Rous wrote:
> makes me wonder what other such gifts have you made for or given to
> the staff members who have helped you at an event? Or if you have
> worked as a member of an event staff, what kinds of things would you
> like to recieve, other than at least a "thank you".
I was given a meter-long wooden spoon, painted upon the bowl with a
stocky, brown-haired Angel [resembling myself, says my lord] and on the
back of the bowl with the name and year of the Twelfth Night whose feast
I captained. What could I do upon presentation but drop into perfect
form and start throwing rising snaps with it? Many of the fighters in
the hall fell over laughing at that point. See, I understand fighters!
This spoon remains a treasured keepsake and hangs in my kitchen, never
to be used for stirring.
However, sometimes the small tokens mean the most. A lady gave me a
finger-ring of carved bone when I ran the "Viking Brunch Bar" at a
Scandinavian-themed Twelfth Night. She was Swedish by birth and said
that the rice pudding with lingonberries* took her straight back to her
childhood, it was =just= the way her mother made it. What higher praise
is there? I treasure this tiny item as well, which says "I did it
right."
Selene Colfox
* Not to be a spoon tease: just a basic pud of white rice, whole milk
and sugar, cooked for a long, long time until thick and mildly
caramelized. Sprinkled with a little cinnamon and a little cardamom.
The secret ingredient, as usual, is TIME.
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:41:51 -0700
From: Susan Fox-Davis <selene at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] thank you presents for staff members
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
On the other paw, what I GIVE to my staff members: special goodies that
only the kitchen crew gets to eat and I almost always pay their site fee
out of my own pocket. Pay to play, but not pay to work. That's just
me.
Selene
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 23:36:21 GMT
From: "morgana.abbey at juno.com" <morgana.abbey at juno.com>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Barm Brack
To: Sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
<snip>
As for staff gifts, I gave my staff towels. A nice clean hand towel
for everyone. And a nummy bit that only we had.
Morgana
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 06:58:13 -0600
From: "caointiarn" <caointiarn1 at juno.com>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] thank you presents
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
>> Morgana mentioned: I did bake barm brack (tea loaf) as a prezzie for
>> the kitchen staff at Harvest Raid this upcoming weekend.<<
> Which, makes me wonder what other such gifts have you made for or given to the
> staff members who have helped you at an event? Or if you have worked as a
member of an event staff, what kinds of things would you like to receive, other than at least a "thank you".<
> Stefan
I have given out bottles of homemade Cordials, cookbooks (esp for those
wanting to know more) and aprons, besides making sure there were yummies
(and a lunch) for the kitchen staff. I have gotten some dandy things myself
which are dear to me -- esp since I was thinking I didn't do anything
special. A Scully cookbook, a Scottish stirring stick, a pen box, to
name three . . . .
Caointiarn
Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 17:10:37 -0400
From: Jane Boyko <jboyko at magma.ca>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] thank you presents for staff members
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
> makes m wonder what other such gifts have you made for or given to the
> staff members who have helped you at an event? Or if you have worked as
> a member of an event staff, what kinds of things would you like to
> recieve, other than at least a "thank you".
I have given out medieval cookbooks and food history books, little tiny
containers of saffron, hand-made beeswax candles, bamboo paddle spoons,
napkins, napkin rings, a book on armour and for some people a copy of the
most recent Cook's Illustrated. It depends on who is helping me during the
day and how much help I get from certain individuals. For the people who
volunteer on the day I usually give smaller items like the napkins, candles
etc. For those who have help throughout the weeks preceding he feast I
usually give something larger such as the books. It always depends on my
budget and what I am able to find.
I usually give a gift when I teach a class as well. When I teach a cooking
class I try to give spices or something small. When I teach embroidery I
have given out specialty threads, wooden needle cases etc.
Largess I have received have come in the forms of pins, buttons, cloth and
spices but these are usually from people who ate feast not who I have helped.
If I have forgotten that someone gave me a gift for helping in their kitchen
then I am truly sorry for my faulty memory. I am usually pretty good at
remembering.
For the most part I try to give out a gift that will help people in the game
we play either in helping to create a medieval environment, or add to their
persona's possessions and/or in providing more thought for research into
cooking or embroidery.
Marina
Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2006 01:32:22 -0400
From: "Mollirose" <mollirose at bellsouth.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OOP - Cake Recipe Request?
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Your comment reminded me that we gave our first time feastcrat a special
"present" at this last event. We created a graphic with the phrase Actus non
facit reum nisi mens est rea (I never intended to kill anybody) and put it
on an apron. She wore it proudly. Oh and feast was wonderful.
Molli
> Nah. It's Greek, from "ambrotos" meaning not mortal. Which probably means
> it won't kill yah, but no other guarantees.
>
> Bear
<the end>