Behind the Scenes

Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 14th November 2024

Characters: Oselle, Mimm, Juma, Casib, Amarella
Description: Oselle and her staff prepare for the Hatching Feast.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 3, day 19 of Turn 12
Notes: Mentioned: Saibra
There's a menu at the bottom if anyone needs food inspiration for their Hatching posts. :)

Hatching Feasts meant that the Weyr had to feed not only its own population, but an influx of guests and family from elsewhere. Thankfully, the time between when a Clutch was laid and the eggs hatched was predictable.

Unfortunately, there never seemed to be enough time.

Even worse was having a gold egg on the Sands. All eyes would be on Dragonsfall Weyr, and Oselle refused to entertain the possibility that things would go wrong and she'd let Saibra down. This was the Weyrwoman's night, and a celebration to welcome the newest goldrider to the Southern Continent.

"The three herdbeast we butchered are cured and ready to break down into roasts today, and the storage caverns have two hundred dry aged steaks ready for the head table," the head butcher, Casib, told Oselle. He was a short man with scarred hands and a creased face, and he had several large parallel scratch marks on his arms that looked suspiciously like firelizard claws. "I'm almost done with making the fresh sausages."

Oselle nodded. Steaks for the Weyrleaders, Wingleaders, Masters and visiting Lords and their families. Sausages and roast herdbeast for the rest. "You have enough wood set by?"

"The woodsheds are full, Headwoman," he said, grinning. "I've even got redwood chips set aside for the smoker."

There was nothing worse than running out of fuel for the giant hearths and cast iron stoves that would cook their feast. Already she felt sweat dripping down her back from the heat of it; the Sands felt like the middle of a blizzard compared to the Kitchens on a feast day. The Headwoman turned to her head cook, Juma. "How is the fish course progressing?"

"We have barrels of salted whitefish soaking and ready to be poached, and we'll have individual fish pies for the head tables and fish chowder for everyone else," Juma replied.

"We're planning for several thousand buns the day of the Hatching, and I've got pie crusts made and set aside already," Mimm said. She was the Master Baker in the Weyr, a short woman with close-cropped hair and arms like tree trunks. "I've got forty spiced cakes set aside too, and baskets of cookies." She frowned. "Although the next child I find with their grubby hands in my cookies is getting a whack from my rolling pin, I don't care what you tell me."

"Absolutely no hitting children," Oselle replied calmly. Next to firelizards, weyrbrats were the worst nuicense in her domain. "Is the toffee brittle done?"

"All done-- again, so long as those brats leave us any," Mimm muttered. "We burnt a few more batches than I anticipated, so we are low on sugar. I'm hoping that the next tithe train will bring us more."

The Headwoman made a note of that. A sugar shortage would have all the klah and tea drinkers ready to riot. She turned to her assistant, Amarella. "Table linens are washed and folded?"

"Everything has been moved to the storage cupboards nearest the Dining Cavern for when the dragons start humming. The feast day cutlery for the high tables is polished, although we are missing six of the glass pitchers we usually use for water." She frowned. "I think some of the dragonriders have been hoarding them in their weyrs again instead of using the pottery ones."

"I bet you a quarter mark that it's in a bluerider's weyr," Mimm said.

Juma sighed. "Why is it always a bluerider?"

Oselle hid a smile; why _was_ it always a bluerider? "If you can't find the missing pitchers by Hatching Day we'll mark them as broken and I'll order more from the Smiths for the next feast. Along with more spoons." Spoons got put into pockets and dropped off the cliff with some regularity. Oselle suspected that half the missing spoons were stolen by guests to the Weyr as mementos. "The decorations are ready?"

"The bunting is pressed, the tapestries are aired out and the flower gardens are ready to be picked," Amarella assured her. "I've got the cleaning staff working at half duty in the weyrs so that they can focus on the public areas; those pitcher-hoarding blueriders are just going to have to suffer for a few days extra before they get their weyrs cleaned."

"If anyone complains, send them to me," Oselle told her. "And I am reminding everyone that the Lower Caverns will be at a quarter of the usual staffing the day after, and anyone working that day gets two days off sometime in the near future in lieu. We've all worked very hard for this. And Mimm, I give you full permission to use your rolling pin on anyone who complains about feast-day leftovers."

The Master Baker grinned. "Suddenly I'm very excited to be on duty the day after the Hatching."

Oselle nodded and turned back to her endless lists.

~*~

Menu - High Tables
Fresh seeded buns
Tiny dragontails in pastry with several types of mustard
Fresh greens with berries, cheese, oil and vinegar
Individual fish pies
Roasted fingerroots with herbs and nuts, fried squash flowers
River grains and herbs cooked in broth
Steaks and sausage with green herb sauce and smoked berries
Assorted cheeses and fresh fruit
Spice cake, redfruit pies, cookies, toffee brittle, white cake with berry coulis

Menu - Weyr Hosipitality
Fresh seeded buns
Tiny dragontails in pastry with mustard
Fresh greens with oil and vinegar
Fish chowder
Roasted vegetable medly with herbs
Roasted tubers in butter
Roast herdbeast and sausage with green herb sauce and smoked berries
Assorted cheeses and fresh fruit
Spice cake, redfruit pies, cookies, toffee brittle, white cake with berry coulis

Last updated on the November 19th 2024

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