post-baitcon feedback

[quietann.livejournal.com]

My personal issues with baitcon are in my personal journal; however, there are a few things that IMHO need to change:

• Separate dishes/mixing equipment/etc. for any ice cream product containing meat. There are a lot of people involved who nominally keep kosher, and it's discomfiting to know that one's ice cream might have been prepared using the same equipment as, say, the chicken liver ice cream. (for that matter, I'd just ban meat-containing flavors entirely, but that's not my decision to make.)
  
• More whole wheat (not just wheat, whole wheat) bread, less white bread. We ran out of whole wheat by lunch on Saturday. (this suggestion passed on from Gregorian, who was amazingly polite about it, but still really would have preferred whole wheat bread for his peanut butter sandwich...)
  
• More tarpage for shade protection (may not be an issue if baitcon isn't at Mink Hollow anymore, but...)
  
• Re-reinforcement of the "modest dress" (ahem) requirement in and around the main area. There was one person in particular who seriously violated this. (insert serious snarkage here; I am trying to be polite.) Dancing naked in the rain, as usual, should be granted leniency.
  

Comments

A Couple Of Ideas

[(Anonymous)]

Before anything else, I have never been to Baitcon so you can take anything I suggest on this with a grain of salt. Preferably some Penzey's salt, but you get the idea. I *want* to go...

Somebody else mentioned (x-thread) labelling before the ice cream gets to the freezer. I think this is a good idea.

As a rule of thumb, people attending know their allergies and food restrictions and, I believe, let the people running things know what they are, yes?

If this is the case, then perhaps a color coded list of allergens/food issues could be drawn up pre-Con and appropriate color-coded tape labels can be put on each batch of ice cream? Red for rose-fruits, white for dairy and brown for chocolate, for example.

For example, gorp ice cream (which is not something I'd like but would be a good example) has dairy, peanuts, raisins, chocolate, vanilla and sugar. The pre-Con list shows five people with peanut allergies, seven who can't have dairy, two diabetics and one person with chocolate issues. So, the container is labeled for "Dairy, Peanut, Sugar, Chocolate" and stored. When it comes out to the table, assuming the tape stores well and doesn't peel off, people can clearly see what the allergens are by comparing the colors with a handy dandy chart. And of course there'd be the name.

I saw Bait mention greasy containers. While it (again) means more work I believe a quick vinegar wipe would render a section suitable for tape.

"But what about a last-minute attendee with unique allergies? That could wreck it." Agreed. Leave one or two colors open ahead of time and fill 'em in at-Con.

"What about scoops?" All I can suggest is having enough for a batch of 20 ice creams, then washing them thoroughly while getting the next batch. This way every ice cream has a clean scoop. I know, it's more work and may not be practical, but it's the best idea I have right now.
Also, since some scoops on the market have color handles, perhaps some of those could be used for vegan or kosher issues.

Re: A Couple Of Ideas

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

Erm, this was me. I forgot I wasn't logged in.

Re: A Couple Of Ideas

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

Interesting idea. Only quibble is that just about every ice cream would need that Sugar label, save the couple made with honey or splenda.

Re: A Couple Of Ideas

[teddywolf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know. Admittedly I don't know of anybody with an allergy to sugar, but some people might want to stick to sugarfree or honey for diet purposes.

Still, at this point it's just an idea. If you can think of a better way to deal with the sugar wrinkle I would love to hear it - my ideas do not flourish in a vacuum :-) And if the total idea is good enough, it might be used if it's not too much work maybe? :)

Re: A Couple Of Ideas

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

There's been some discussion in other threads of indexed ingredient lists...

(Baitmom can't do sugar nowadays; Hobbit and I made Splenda - B.R.I.C.K as a sugar free alternative)