Message-Id: <m0pMWkP-0001WaC@vishnu.reed.edu>
To: justin@dsd.camb.inmet.com (Mark Waks)
Cc: carolingia@bloom-beacon.mit.edu, odlin@reed.edu
Subject: Re: Birka 
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 17 Jan 94 14:49:47 EST."
             <9401171949.AA14644@dsd.camb.inmet.com> 
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 94 22:50:36 -0800
From: Iain Odlin <odlin@reed.edu>

>[Positive Birka comments deleted]

  I cannot believe that the only things said thus far about Birka have been
  positive...  Not one person I went to Birka with had a wholly good ex-
  perience.  Nor anyone else I've talked with.

  Specific problems:  With the exception of the feast, the only lighting
  was flourescent -- the resultant headaches were numerous. == There was
  no shower that worked in the female changing room.  Heaven forfend that a
  female fight or fence and then not want to smell like a horse for court...
  == While there may have been more merchants at this year's Birka, the
  "quality" and "selection" of this year's merchants was much poorer.
  IMHO, of course, but whom else can I sspeak for?  The bead and stone
  people from last year were much missed this year, and the "mystical
  elvish healing"-type people were no replacement...  I made a shopping
  list for myself this year, most of the items on which were at Birka
  last year, and could find not one bloody thing on it.  Neither could
  the gentles I went with. == And then there was the feast.  The most
  positive comment I've heard among my friends was "awful."  The "mushroom
  and barley" soup had one mushroom in it and the barleycorns seemed to have
  been replaced with peppercorns ("What's the difference, eh?").  No one at
  my table or the next one over could eat more than four spoonfuls of the
  violent infusion.  But it did have its uses;  when the venison (which I
  had been looking *very* forward to) arrived, it was found to be so bland
  and tasteless that the consensus at my table was that the meat was simply
  broiled all by its lonesome -- no spices or flavouring of any kind.  We
  found, however, that it was made much more edible by soaking it in the
  pepper soup...  I'm sorry to be so terribly down on the meal, but it 
  honestly seemed as though whoever cooked the food hadn't bothered to taste
  any of it before sending it out.  A great dissappointment.

  Now, I'm more than aware that this missive is completely negative thus far.
  This is intentional.  Aside of the play ("I Sebastini Rules!" ;), I found
  little to enjoy at this year's Birka -- whereas I enjoyed last year's
  Birka immensely!

  I'm glad to know that others enjoyed the event, but I'm here to let you
  know that not everyone shares that opinion.

  -Iain Odlin, who got pretty damn tired of that little black haired kid in
   the orange 'surcoat' running around, stomping on people's feet and screaming
   in court too...

  *sigh*