90 minutes - 2 hours unless Special event i.e. Coronation.
90 minutes, more or less.
Why not go with a happy medium and say two hours?
1 to 1-1/2 hours, I think. I've never timed it. It depends
on how many removes... uhm, er, courses. A table should not have
to wait long after they finish one course before the next comes out.
How long the feast is altogether, is less of an issue for me than the length
of time between courses. Long waits between courses can kill an otherwise
pretty good feast for me.
A feast should last only as long as it takes to eat. If there are
20 courses, 2 hours is not unreasonable. If the feast is a simple
affair, I don't want to sit there more than an hour tops, particularly
if the hall is overcrowded and stifling.
I agree with those who said 90 minutes.
About an hour and a half, maybe two.
IMHO, that is a very subjective question. I have been to short feasts that
were excellent, long feasts that were excellent, and exact opposites
of both. Some long feasts I have attended were simply that way due to a
large number of courses/removes being served. I generally don't like "get
it all on the table fast" types of feasts... for me, that usually means
I have not had enough time for the previous course to 'settle' and for
me to be ready for the next one.
About an hour and a half will do. Much longer and I lose interest
in eating.
I've attended a feast that was 5 hours long. Never bored. Had
a great time. In general 3 hours is just fine.
1.5 to 2 hours seems ok, as long as things are spaced well and there are
fun people to talk to during any down time.
Long enough that we get a chance to enjoy the food, not so long that we
get bored. 90-120 minutes? We do want to dance and revel before midnight!
1 to 1 & half hours is fine. I get wanderlust for middle eastern revels
and bardic circles.
Around 2 hours if it is early in the evening, less as the evening wears
on.
Unless announced that the feast is going to be a Grand Chef attempt, usually
consisting of many more removes than normal, I personally look for a feast
to last up to an hour and a half. After that either I have had my
fill, or I just ready to move on to the next thing on the list (like the)
revel. .
Exactly - 2 hours is a reasonable timeframe.
This all has to do with the cook and his/her personality and connection
to the people.
I want to have a rather connected experience that includes enough food
that I feel it was worth my effort and $$ to be there, and it should be
well prepared and in a reasonably continuous tempo. It can't be given
in absolutes. it just has to make sense and flow with what is happening
in the hall. When the food timing lags behind the people, the people
lose interest, and the illusion/ambiance suffers.
1 to 2 hours.
1 and a half hours is about my limit. Anything beyond that is too
long.
I prefer between 90 minutes and three hours, though I will happily sit
longer if there is a dearth of great food, entertainment, and good company.
No longer than it takes people to eat in a relatively unhurried fashion.
If it runs more than 2 hours the food had better be what's taking up all
that time and it had better be worth it. Sometimes it is, and that's okay.
1 1/2-2 hours is the absolute longest it should last.
For a feast that is the culmination of an event 1-2 hours would be fine:
but it should be front loaded so that people are *fed* early and have time
to talk and socialize and "nibble" later. For a feast that is a bridge
to later activities 1 hour is the max!
If it goes too long, there's no time for dancing! Hour and a half
to two hours is enough.
Depends on what is happening, what is the purpose of the feast, etc. I
have been to court feasts that lasted and lasted and lasted with another
six removes to come and no end in sight. I have been to the same
event next year, the feast was longer but the whole experience seemed to
last 10 min and left me wanting more. What made the difference...a
well planed menu, and I admit a court that tried to entertain the populace
as well as do court business.
Around 1.5 to 2 hours would be perfect.
Truly, it depends upon the feast. Some that last only an hour are
too long while others that last three (or more) hours are over far too
quickly.
2 to 3 hours is good, it gives me time to mingle and talk to people at
others tables between courses.
I think 2 hours is about right. If there is more than a 15 or 20
minute break between courses, I start to realize I'm too full to eat anymore!
It depends. If it is "only" for eating food, at least two hours should
be allowed (when I go to a restaurant it takes me about an 1 1/2 by myself,
with friends, 2 is not hard to do). If there is entertainment between the
courses, 3 hours would not be bad. Time depends a lot on how many dishes
are served. There should be enough time between the courses to not feel
rushed, but not so much time that one sits there twiddling one's thumbs.
Depends on the event. I don't think it's a problem how long
a particular feast runs, but what else is going on. A 2 hour feast
with lots of "dead" time will seem longer than a 3 hour feast with a court,
entertainment, etc. Pacing between courses is important. Too
much time between and the natives tend to get restless. :-)
If there's entertainment - 2 hours is good, 3 hours can be too long if
the food is slow in coming out of the kitchen. I've found that a
3 hour feast sitting around waiting for something to eat and looking at
your empty plate can be an eternity. But a 3 hour feast, with good
dishes to eat, with some decent entertainment can be quite short.
Depends upon whether there is entertainment between courses and how many
courses. 1 hour strikes me as much too short. Average 2.
2 to 3 hours seems good if there is entertainment between removes.
Ideally, 2 hours, with 15 minutes on either end for finding your spot/cleaning
up, would be perfect. In reality most of the feasts I've been at
have been slightly longer. This contributes to the 'dragging-on'
feeling you often get at feasts. It helps to schedule something else
(dancing, populace moot, bardic circle, court) right after it so you can
get everyone out of the feast hall in a timely fashion and let feast workers
clean up. On the other hand people are not at their most alert after a
feast and may not participate very effectively in these activities.
;)
About 20 minutes from start to finish of each course. Four courses,
including dessert, is a maximum except for events where the feast is the
main attraction.
How long doesn’t seem important, just that its steady, I’ve spent up to
3 hours in a feast where the plates never sat empty for more than a few
minutes. I have also walked from a feast where the removes were almost
a half hour apart. In one feast I actually went to sleep between
the first and second Removes.
Between 1.5-2 hours. Generally I gauge it by how long I can keep
my family happily at table for Christmas dinner. After 2 hours they
get fidgety. I've noticed the same thing at feasts.
That depends. Personally, I think the critical factor is avoiding long
waits between courses, but I prefer if "feast" fades gently into "revelry"
without a sharp dividing line as soon as dessert is served where "feast
is over, clear your tables and get out of here so we can clean up".
Not less than one nor more than three hours, with rare exceptions.
An hour and a half, max. I speak as both cook and diner. Anything
over two hours and folks will be wandering out.
An average of 15-20 minutes per course.
Two hours sounds about right. If a musical event is planned afterwards,
longer is fine.
I don't think an hour long feast is too short if entertainment is sparse
but ideally it should be between 11/2 to 21/2 hours, kind of odd timing
but my best approx.
Feast should last at least 1 hour and should not exceed 3 hours unless
extensive entertainment are planned.
Depends on what else is going on. If we're dancing between courses, 10
hours would be great. If it's just food, an hour would be great, so we
can dance after.
Depends on what else is going on. I've seen 5-hour feasts work very
well because the event was structured around them, but it's not the way
to bet in general. One hour is probably too short. 1.5 to 2
hours is probably about right as a very general rule.
I think about an hour and a half, on average. If the hall is advertised
to be available for dancing or gaming after feast, that should be taken
into account. If the event cumulates with feast, then it should last longer.
I've found that about 2-3 hours is good.
Between 1 and 2 hours.
3 hours is far too long. 1 hour is... a bit short. An hour and a
half to 2 hours is approximately a good time for a feast to be served.
Provides enough time to enjoy the current remove without dragging it out
or rushing into the next one.
I think this really depends on the kingdom you live in. I used to live
in (one kingdom) and at the weekend events, I was fine with 3-hour feasts
because I wasn't going anywhere afterward. Where I live now, because of
drive times and schedules, long feasts are a problem. Generally speaking,
though, I think a feast should be gauged by the number of dishes. Ten minutes
per dish, average. So a feast with three courses of three dishes each would
be about an hour and a half long. More than two hours is too much food
and time.
One to 1.5 hours. Long enough to feel filled and entertained.
This does not include setup or cleanup time for the feast hall.
It doesn't matter as long as there's always something going on. A
feast with no time lags feels too short, a feast with dead spots feels
too long.
1 hour is fine for a 1-course feast. For each additional course served,
I would be inclined to add 30-45 minutes. I am not proficient at
table-hopping, so I tend to sit in my seat until the feast is done, so
after 2 1/2 to 3 hours I get very restless.
Two hours tops.
1 hour feasts are too short. 3 hours is pushing too long. Having lived
through 5 hour feasts, I will never choose to do that again!
1-1/2 hours at least; depends on if there is entertainment between removes,
or if there is dancing after; this is a variable.
1 hour is appropriate for a simple feast that isn't intended to be a centerpiece
of the event; several hours or all day would be appropriate for a re-creation
of a major medieval feast.
Again, depends on the event. My sense is that allowing about 45 minutes
per "remove" is about right.
I enjoy long feasts, with multiple courses and entertainment between.
No rushing.
How long does it take you to eat your usual dinner? For some people
they can eat a whole supper in 20 minutes flat. Others take longer
- savoring everything. If you look at a course as equal to a “simple
dinner” then 25-30 minutes per course is just about right.
3 hours to long. 1 1/2 hours would be OK, if food was served between everything
else i.e.: entertainment, toast, speeches.
No longer than 3 hours, 2 is better.
Depending on the number of courses, no more than 2 hours, perhaps a bit
longer if there are more courses than usual.
Maybe 1 1/2 hours.
More than 2 hours is way too long. 1-1.5 hours is a good range.
One hour is OK, over two an a half and it is a series of snacks.
Roughly 1.5 hours, too short and no time for food to settle between courses,
much longer and my attention span is gone.
I do not prefer the "all-day" feasts, with activities between courses.
There never seems to be enough time for anything. Depending
upon the theme/size of the event, the feast should last between 1-3
hours. Huge Midwinter feasts should probably be longer
Between 1 and 2 hours, depending on what is planned for later. A grand
feast like 12th night might consume (pardon the pun) most of the
evening. Usually, I prefer a short feast with dancing or games afterwards.
Feast really shouldn't run longer than 2-3 hours. It should start
on time (which is rare). People want to get out and about after feast
and party with their friends and don't want to be in feast until 11pm.
If it starts on time at say, 7pm and runs 2 1/2 hours, you can still have
a full night of play.
1 hour is definitely too short, with entertainment or in feast court 3
hours is not too bad, but if it was because the feast was poorly timed
and we spent most of the time waiting it is WAY too long.
Our last feast lasted about 2 hours with three removes. However, my
wedding feast lasted at least four, which was a bit too long.. (I never
knew weddings could be so EXHAUSTING.)
Feast should start before court and run during court.
2 hours or any longer we're getting into numb bum.
Depends completely on what else is going on. With enough suitable activities,
10 AM to 10 PM isn't too long. For a buffet with not even a single musician,
anything over an hour is waste space.
The SCA is more family now than ever before. Anything over two hours is
much too long to expect children to sit and behave. If they would
serve enough “normal” fare in the first two courses the kids could eat
and then we could leave while the rest of the adults stayed at finished
the feast.
1 1/2 to 2 hours. If it's longer it needs entertainment.
1-2 hours for just a meal, 3 or so if entertainment is part of the program.
1.5 - 2 hours. Perhaps a bit longer if good entertainment is provided
in the middle.
That depends on the time of the start of the feast, the distance home,
the entertainment if any.
1 1/2 to 2 hours. Maybe longer if there is lots of food and some entertainment,
less if it there aren't many dishes being served or if there is supposed
to be dancing afterwards. I've been to too many events that had dancing
scheduled that never took place because the feast dragged on such a long
time.
2 hours is perfect.
Depends completely on what else is going on. With enough suitable activities,
10 AM to 10 PM isn't too long. For a buffet with not even a single musician,
anything over an hour is waste space.
The ending time is more important to me than how long the feast was.
I want it to end so that I can attend to other activiites, i.e. dancing,
bardic circles, etc. I hate feasts that go “over-time”. If you want
a long feast, start it earlier in the evening.
If the feast starts at 7:00, it needs to be over by 9:00 and I mean OVER.
Tables cleaned, hall cleaned, etc. To achieve this the meal would
need to last around 1 1/2 hours MAX.
Question 5 - How long should a feast last?