Thursday, November 24, 2011

Aether Salon - Victuals

Sunday saw the start of the "new" Aether Salon - or at least the new management of the Salon, and the new design for the Salon, created by Mr. Blackberry Harvey.

Baron Klaus Wulfenbach introduced the Salon and welcomed the large and enthusiastic crowd. In lieu of the usual lecture about no weapons, incendiary devices, and so on, the Baron glowered at us, briefly locking eyes with each person, and growled, "Don't make me come over there!" It was oddly effective.

Aether Salon  Victuals 005

The day's topics was Victuals - vittles, as they say in Deadwood - and the speaker was New Babbage's own Miss Ceejay Writer.

Aether Salon  Victuals 003

Miss Writer, aided by the slide projector behind her, spent about an hour discussing some of the food preservation and preparation techniques over the ages.

Aether Salon  Victuals 008

Pictured, Fanny Farmer

Aether Salon  Victuals 001

Sir JJ Drinkwater and Mrs. Breezy Carver-Fabre.

Miss Writer then discussed the contributions of Louis Pasteur in developing techniques to reduce bacterial growth in food. She also noted the development of canning - first using iron cans (deucedly difficult to open - apparently the use of firearms in the kitchen was frowned upon), then steel - and the invention of the can opener. Preservation in glass came next, though, as several in the crowd noted, it was less sporting when one could identify what was for dinner through the glass than when one had to take a guess as to what was in the steel can.

Aether Salon  Victuals 004

Other kitchen inventions followed, including that of the waffle iron. To be honest, my stomach started rumbling quite loudly at that point, rendering the rest of the lecture difficult to hear.

I did hear the word "popovers" mentioned (a kind of individual Yorkshire pudding, for those on the other side of the pond), which set off my stomach once more.

Aether Salon  Victuals 006

Mr. MacKnight Culdesac standing behind me

Aether Salon  Victuals 002

Miss Rhea Riel, Miss Trout Suppenkraut, and Captain Static, all part of the delegation from the Scoundrel Fleet

Aether Salon  Victuals 007

Part of the large and enthusiastic audience

Aether Salon  Victuals 009

Miss Darlingmonster Ember and Miss Solace Fairlady, illustrating the adage that couples begin to look like one another


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was so funny. We came in from different venues and sims. Only to find we were dressed in the same designer outfits.

:D

Rhianon Jameson said...

That's even better proof of the adage! Same tastes, too. :)