Section IV - PARTICIPATION IN A FEAST
- A GUIDE FOR DINING

Making feast reservations - An SCA Pastime
Reservation Forms
Check-in OR Saying Howdy to the Trolls
Refunds; Seating; Feasting Service
Courses; Servers; Entertainment;
Food Fights; Toast; After Feast; Cleanup
Basic Rules of Courtesy for the Feast Hall

Well, not all the instructions are for cooks and servers. This next section is for the many people who wish to attend a feast but don't know where to begin.

Making Feast Reservations - An SCA Pastime To make sure that you have a spot at the feast you should always send in your reservations and money no later then 2 weeks before a feast. If it is a group with a reputation for wonderful feast you may wish to reserve your spot 4 to 6 weeks early. I once had the honor of autocrating and feastocrating Crown Tourney. Among the many other duties that occupied my time was the job of collecting the feast reservations. It amazed me at the number of people that did not know how to make a feast reservation. Gentles mailed in cash, forgot to send money in any form, forgot to include their names, and in general did not know what they should include in a feast reservation. Below you will find some of the do's and don'ts of making feast reservations.

DO:

  Include your name, both your legal and SCA name.

  Include how many tickets you need.

  Include a check or money order to cover the cost of the feast ticket(s). In most groups it isn't a reservation until its a paid reservation.

  Include the number of children that will attend the feast. Those that pay and those that are small enough not to pay. You may also wish to inquire about seating arrangements. Some groups have non-paying children sit on parents laps, others at the end of the table.

  Include any restrictions you may have such as allergies, but please keep in mind that an autocrat may not be able to accommodate you. Most autocrats will try to help in some way, but your restrictions are your responsibility, after all who knows them better then you?

  Send a self addressed stamped envelope if you expect a reply from the autocrat. Postage adds up.

  Be pleasant. A short chatty letter wishing an autocrat well and a good event could make their day.

  You may wish to offer your services and talents for the event, keeping in mind its an autocrats job to decide if they will need your services or talents.

  If possible type the request, a reservation can't be made if the autocrat can't read your writing.

  Send in your check or money order early.

DON'T:

  Write forsoothly. It may confuse the autocrat to your real intentions and you may not get the feast reservation. Also, bear in mind, that some forms of calligraphy are very hard to decipher, especially if you are just beginning to practice that art.

  Send cash through the mail. The mail may lose your reservation and cash can not be replaced or canceled.

   Get upset if you call the night before an event and the autocrat has no tickets left. Plan ahead.

  Send snide or nasty letters to an autocrat about conditions under which you live. It is not the autocrats fault you have allergies. Sometimes the only thing an autocrat can do is tell what dish's in a feast to avoid. People with extreme allergies may wish to inquire about off board seating, this allows you to enjoy the feast while eating your own allergy free food.

  Send a three page letter with the vital information scattered through the text. Autocrats are a busy lot, with little time to spare.

   Write for a refund and then show up demanding to know where your tickets are (don't gasp, this happened). I as an autocrat resold them, miscommunication can happen in the best of circumstance, don't add to the confusion by playing feast ticket tag.

  Send in your feast reservation after the cutoff date with the money for the lower price. Don't argue with the trolls when they ask you for the difference.

  Expect special favors just because you "personally" know the autocrat. Play fair. Don't put your friends in awkward situations.

As you may have noticed I like to make forms. They make life easier. So here is a form for making feast reservations. You may wish to use it, discard it, modify it or ignore it. In any case I hope everyone has a better understanding of what an autocrat needs in a letter for a feast reservation.

FEAST RESERVATIONS

Legal Name(s)
SCA Name(s)

Number of Feast Tickets _________Cost per Feast Ticket $_____________
Number of Site Fees _________Cost per Site Fee $_____________
Number of Non Paying Children _________
Number of Paying Children _________Cost of Child's Tickets $_____________
Amount of Check or Money Order $_____________
Special problems or restrictions:
Please send me the following information about:
Groups may also want to put an all inclusive reservation Form in their Seneschal Flyer Packet or in the online WebPages.
Reservation Form
SCA Name _______________________________________________________________________
Legal Name ______________________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________________________
City __________________________________State _____ Zip _______________________
Phone ________________________________ Email _______________________________
_____ Site Fees(s) X $0.00 per person = ______________
_____ Feast(s)
Before Cutoff Date X $0.00 per person = ______________
After Cutoff Date X $0.00 per person = ______________
Lunch Reservation X $0.00 per person = ______________
Feast for Children 10 and under half price
Before Cutoff Date X $0.00 per person = ______________
After Cutoff Date X $0.00 per person = ______________
Non Member Fee X $3.00 per person = ______________


Merchants Only
Type of Merchandise __________________________________________________________________________
_____ # of Tables(s) X $0.00 per table = ______________
Make Checks payable Shire of XXXX, SCA Inc.

The only reservation is a paid reservation. Please include a list of all legal names of people that are included on this form. If you would like your own flyer or a confirmation please enclose a SASE.

Mail this form, check or money order to:
(Please do not send cash through the mail)
Name
Address
City State Zip
Questions regarding feast and site fees please contact:
Question regarding merchanting please contact:
Any other questions please contact:
Our online flyer is located at:

Check-In Saying Howdy to the Trolls

When you arrive at an event there is a Troll table at which everyone, including fighters, need to stop. This table is generally located at the main entrance to the event. They have waivers, information on where everything is located, they take the money for site fees and feast tickets, and they hand out site tokens and feast tickets. If you were not fortunate enough to get a feast reservation, your name may be on the waiting list. If it is not on the waiting list, you may wish to put your name on the waiting list, even if you are very far down on the list, miracles sometimes happen.

If a feast ticket has not been picked up by a certain time, the autocrat may release the tickets for resale to the waiting list. They generally wait until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, before reselling the tickets, as they want to make sure they have given everyone enough time to get there. If you have reservations and you know that you will be arriving just before the feast starts, you may wish to arrange for a friend to pick up your tickets, or call the autocrat and explain the situation and ask them to tickets until feast starts.

Refunds

No one will hold a feast until all people have arrived. They do hold the beginning of feast until Their Royal Majesties arrive. If you are not the King or Queen and are late, expect to have the first course gone. It has been eaten by the hungry folks at your table. Demanding a refund at this point is ill mannered. It is not the autocrats fault you couldn't get there on time. Also, demanding food to be provided from the kitchen may also be considered rude. The food may already be out on the tables with none left in the kitchen to send you.

If you have sent in reservations and then due to circumstances beyond your control you are unable to attend you may call or write for a refund. Most of the time your request will be honored. If you do not show up at an event and the autocrat resells your ticket you may get a refund check (make sure your return address is on your reservation request).

There is always a "however". Groups use the reservation money to purchase food, help pay for the feast hall, etc. Sometime they can't refund the money until after the event. Most groups balance the books before refunding, so try to be patient. There has also been the rare occasion in which refunds could not be given at all. For any number of good reasons a feast may not break even, in which case the group doesn't have the money to send back to you. This is unfortunate, but it happens. If they can not refund your money, try to keep your temper in check, offer your condolences on the groups bad event. Always try to compromise, always try to be gracious.

At several events I have witnessed stragglers coming to the feast late, were unable to sit with their friends, so decided to set-up another table. Then demanded that they be given food. This is really bad form. Most feast are set-up to be served per table, like family style restaurants. There wasn't enough food to stretch to yet another table. In one instance the person setting up the table wanted to know why his feast gear had not been placed on the table when it had been sitting there all day (as if the autocrat had nothing better to do then to pamper him), and then when the autocrat said "sit at the tables set-up already" demanded his money back. This was neither polite, chivalrous or smart. Please remember that this is a feast, dishes are planned for a specifically, there is no short order cook in the back ground waiting for you to order off the menu. This is not McDonalds. Play fair, don't be a brat, and when having problems try to work with the groups crew to find a solution.

Seating

Sometimes a group makes up a seating chart that allows you to sign up for a particular table. This is not always the case. If they do not have a sitting chart and are relying on what is known as "carnival seating", you will need to find a place to sit when they allow you into the feast hall. Sometime they allow people into the feast hall long enough to put their feast gear down and then leave. You or someone in your party may wish to loiter about the feast hall doors. If you do not get to sit with your friends, sit where you can and make new friends. Besides, I have never been to a feast where there wasn't time to get up from table, stretch, move around and say hello to friends across the hall.

Feasting Service

You are expected to provided your own service. Some ideas on what you may wish to bring are a plate, bowl, spoon, eating knife, goblet and napkin. You may also have a two pronged fork, chop sticks, salt and pepper, a candle in a candle holder, matches or a lighter, a table cloth and tasting cup. If you do not have any of those things you may wish to visit the merchants during the day. If you do not find what you need, you can ask around the people you know, some folks bring extra feast gear with them to loan out. If you can't find anyone with spare service you should contact the local Gold Key officer and see if they have any loaner service. Failing that, see if the kitchen can provide you with a plate and regular utensils. Don't worry no one as eaten off the floor yet.

Courses

A feast is served in what is called Courses, and generally consist of two or three courses. There may be two to three dishes to each course. That adds up to a lot of food, so you may wish to pace yourself. Food in the Middle Ages was not broken up into the courses that are now the modern norm. Food was sent to the table as it was prepared and ready to be eaten. Dessert may be in the first course and the salad could be in the last course.

Try everything at least once, if you don't like it, don't eat anymore. Most SCA cooks try to consider modern taste when designing their feast, but you may be unfamiliar with the types of food that they are preparing. Not to many cooks that I know serve dishes that although are very period, are not very appealing. On the other hand I have been served, and in a few cases have eaten, beef tongue, tripe, fish pudding, and game meats. Come to think of it our shire has prepared and served goat, venison, rabbit, whole pigs and wild duck.

Servers

Your server is there to provide you with food. They may or may not share your table. They may or may not be getting fed from the kitchen. You should inquire about such things. If the servers are to "beg" their tables this means that they are to eat the food left on the platters after everyone at the table has had their portion. Try to feed them well. They are working for their supper. Do not abuse your servers. They are not getting paid for this job, and you are not their betters. Manners are very important, whether you are addressing a server or a King, you should respect everyone. I was at an event one time were our server was a Countess. Several people made snide remarks to her, not knowing who she was. The remarks included such things as "peasant", "wench", "I intend to be King someday, so you better serve me well" and "The service is better at McDonalds." The Countess had three tables and was working hard, she had learned that the SCA and chivalry runs on service. It is an honor to serve, be it a king or a pauper. Finally, I complained to the Count about the bad treatment his lady was receiving. He came by and it was a joy to see so many jaws drop in unison. The rest of the feast was pleasant, with best manners prevailing. The point to this story is that good manners should have been used all along, practice graciousness. It's an art everyone should try to cultivate. Within the Middle Ages everyone was in service to someone else. Serving was considered an honor and a right. Sometimes great disputes broke out over who had the right to serve their liege lord.

Entertainment

Bards, singers, dancers, and fools may entertain you at a feast. You should be polite while they are performing and be quiet. However, if there is little in the way of entertainment get to know the other people at your table. One of the greatest assets about going to an event is visiting with and sharing ideas with people you don't normally get to see. If you are an entertainer, you should check-in with the Trolls or the Autocrat and offer to perform at feast. You may or may not get the opportunity. Sometime all of the talent is local, sometimes all of the talent arrived that day. Entertainers may also request to be strolling entertainers, at which they go from table to table and perform. Generally they are rewarded with food.

Food Fights

These are strictly forbidden. Outside of showing disrespect for the hard work of the cooks, it can stain and even completely ruin clothing. Especially clothing made of satin, velvet or silk. However, some groups allow food fights, as long as the food is limited to unbuttered bread chunks

Toast

There are several toast that are presented through out the evening. The first is traditionally to the King and Queen, the second to the Prince and Princess and all the Prince and Princess' from various Principalities. After that it is whoever wants to present a toast. If you decide to present a toast try to be nice about it. None of this "... and the horse they rode in on..." stuff, (even if that is my personal favorite). Toward the end of the feast someone generally hauls out the cooks and the cooks are given a toast. They more then deserve this recognition. The cooks are not getting paid for the privilege of serving you a good meal. Be gracious when the food is so-so. Be supportive when they have had a bad day. Be down right nice if everything is wonderful. Do tell them it was a good feast. But don't toast the cooks until you have eaten the food. It means more if they think you know what you are talking about.

After Feast

Once the feast is done, you should put away your feast service. If the kitchen is providing the option, you may get to wash them in a kitchen sink. Do not wash your dishes in a restroom. Sometimes there is no facility to wash your service at the feast site, so I always try to take a plastic grocery bag, I know its not very period, it is however very practical. Sometimes the host group will provide plastic bags for you to take your gear home in.

Clean Up

Remember that the host group has prepared the feast, served you, and has worked very hard to make your evening enjoyable. And the work has not ended, so if you hear someone asking for help, please be gracious and volunteer. This may include breakdown of tables and chairs, pushing a broom around the floor, etc. Generally a feast hall is also the revel hall, which has to be taken down in order to proceed with court and dancing.

I hope that you have a great time at feast, I always do. Remember the keys to a good feast are the same as everywhere else in the SCA. Be gracious, courteous, and volunteer to help.

Basic Rules of Courtesy for the Feast Hall

I always strive to gracious, some times failing miserably, but I think a word here about courtesy is appropriate. Especially at feast. I often find myself in feast halls that are cramped or have poor ventilation and at these times I remind myself that a sense of humor is in order.

   If Royalty is in attendance, the feast will not start until they are seated at table.

   If you leave the hall remember to bow to TRM's if you cross in front of Headtable.

   No Smoking, tobacco may be in period, cigarettes are not, most halls are now smoke free.

   Throwing food is considered very bad manners. At some events it is appropriate and will be limited to bread. Remember, to respect those around you. Garments are expensive and feast wreak enough havoc to finery without miscreants intentionally flinging food.

   Clean up your table as quickly as possible at the end of a feast, most sites must break down the tables in order to have room to dance. The more people helping in this endeavor the sooner the dancing will begin. Volunteer.

   Never clean your service in the bathrooms or other type of wash basins. They clog up the plumbing. If the site is washing dishes or has a basin set-up for washing dishes, by all means take advantage of it. If not take your dishes home and clean them there, plastic grocery bags come in handy keep several in your feast basket.

   Say "clear" before pulling daggers. This includes feasting knives.

   Drinking may be fun, but obnoxious drunks are still obnoxious drunks. Save the heavy drinking for a post revel, preferably one where you can crash and sleep it off.