The Meridies Numerical Results
Be sure to read the Statistical page
& Cautions
Number of people subscribed to the Meridian List at the time of the
first survey: 307
Number of people who took the survey: 50 (approximately)
NOTE: Not everyone who took the survey answered every question. This
breaks down to approximately 16%. The survey ran for one week only (April
2000) .
The Meridian Feast Survey Questions, with the results, are listed below:
Why do you attend feast?
For the food, 18 votes, 45.00%
For the ambiance, 11 votes, 27.50%
For the company of my table-mates, 10 votes, 25.00%
To meet new people, 0 votes, 0.00%
For the convenience of not cooking and cleaning, 1 votes, 2.50%
How important is the feast in relationship to the whole event?
-
The feast is the critical part of the event. If there is no feast, I wouldn't
bother to go., 0 votes, 0.00%
-
The feast is a very important part of the event. Unless I have business
such as participation in a tournament or competition, or perhaps a meeting,
I won't go if there is no feast., 11 votes, 25.00%
-
The feast is important, but not critical. If there is no feast, I am disappointed.,
29 votes, 65.91%
-
The feast not that important, and a small loss., 2 votes, 4.55%
-
Feast? They serve food at these things? Who cares?, 0 votes, 0.00%
-
What? Crammed armpit to elbow in a noisy hall, eating food I don't recognize
with people I don't know? No thanks. I don't attend feast., 2 votes, 4.55%
Do you usually eat feast?
-
Yes, 34 votes, 85.00%
-
No, 6 votes, 15.00%
How long should you have to wait between removes?
-
Zero, 1 votes, 3.03%
-
5 minutes, 3 votes, 9.09%
-
10 minutes, 7 votes, 21.21%
-
15 minutes, 10 votes, 30.30%
-
20 minutes, 12 votes, 36.36%
-
30 minutes, 0 votes, 0.00%
-
45 minutes, 0 votes, 0.00%
-
1 hour, 0 votes, 0.00%
I like the following types of entertainment during feast.
-
None. Shut up and let me talk to my friends., 5 votes, 10.00%
-
Instrumental music., 24 votes, 48.00%
-
Dinner theater., 4 votes, 8.00%
-
Storytelling and bardic singing, 13 votes, 26.00%
-
Sing-a-longs, 4 votes, 8.00%
Do you like to sign up for feast seating at sign-in?
-
yes, 24 votes, 70.59%
-
no, 10 votes, 29.41%
Do you like the "Lamanze" style feast set-up? (First-come, first-served
seating, roughly 1/2
hour before feast.)
-
No. It's chaos. Almost anything else is better, 25 votes, 80.65%
-
Yes - advanced set-up is unfair to people who get to site late. It should
be first come-first served., 6 votes, 19.35%
What do you think of peers being allow to set up before the rest
of the populace?
-
I think it's cool. SCA peers don't get much in the way of real-world privileges.
This is a cheap one. Let 'em have it., 18 votes, 56.25%
-
It makes no difference to me., 7 votes, 21.88%
-
I don't like it., 7 votes, 21.88%
What kind of beverages do you like to be served at feast?
-
Period only - but non-alcoholic, 1 votes, 3.12%
-
Period only - alcohol welcome, 8 votes, 25.00%
-
I don't care about periodicity, just gimme something to drink., 17 votes,
53.12%
-
Gimmie my caffeine.Where's the tea?, 6 votes, 18.75%
What's your most preferred serving method?
-
Single volunteer from each table, 5 votes, 15.62%
-
Volunteer servers serving the entire hall, 1 votes, 3.12%
-
Volunteer servers serving assigned tables, 25 votes, 78.12%
-
Cafeteria style - you go through a serving line, 0 votes, 0.00%
-
Family style - all food is on the table when you enter the hall, 1 votes,
3.12%
I prefer dishes with the following level of "periodicity."
-
I prefer ALL dishes to be redactions from period recipes., 3 votes, 8.82%
-
I prefer for all dishes to be made from period ingredients in a period
style., 4 votes, 11.76%
-
I prefer to have dishes that look period, and for any non-period ingredients
to be hard to detect., 7 votes, 20.59%
-
Generally period dishes that have non-period ingredients are ok. (Example:
I don't care if I find potatoes in my stew.), 17 votes, 50.00%
-
Non-period dishes are fine. I don't care., 3 votes, 8.82%
Bearing in mind that there can be multiple dishes in each course
at the feast, how many
total dishes would you like to see at a feast?
-
Less than three, 0 votes, 0.00%
-
three to six, 1 votes, 3.23%
-
six to nine, 10 votes, 32.26%
-
nine to twelve, 17 votes, 54.84%
-
twelve to sixteen, 3 votes, 9.68%
Does it bother you when the next table over gets different food
than you do?
-
yes, 26 votes, 83.87%
-
no, 5 votes, 16.13%
Which clean-up method do you prefer?
-
Kitchen sink shared with populace, 9 votes, 28.12%
-
Outdoor water tubs provided for populace, 5 votes, 15.62%
-
Populace sink, where available opened to populace, 6 votes, 18.75%
-
Plastic bags and clean-up at home, 12 votes, 37.50%
Do you like advance feast set up, more than an hour ahead of time,
and then closing the hall?
-
Yes, 19 votes, 63.33%
-
No, 11 votes, 36.67%
When do you prefer to eat feast?
-
After court. That's the traditional place for feast in the SCA Saturday,
and anything else just feels "funny.", 17 votes, 77.27%
-
Before court. A full stomach makes it easier to sit still and enjoy the
pageantry., 5 votes, 22.73%
Does it bother you when the High Table gets different or better
food than you do?
-
yes, 2 votes, 6.25%
-
no, 30 votes, 93.75%
Bearing in mind that there are multiple dishes in each course (remove),
how many removes do you prefer to see at a feast?
-
one, 0 votes, 0.00%
-
two , 1 votes, 3.23%
-
three, 8 votes, 25.81%
-
four, 22 votes, 70.97%
-
five, 0 votes, 0.00%
How long should a feast last?
-
Less than one hour, 0 votes, 0.00%
-
one to two hours, 35 votes, 94.59%
-
two to three hours, 2 votes, 5.41%
-
three to four hours, 0 votes, 0.00%
End of Feast Survey on the Meridian List.
Although numbers have their place in the scheme of things, it was the
detailed comments that I found truly
revealing. If I had one suggestion to make I would recommend that you read
over the many comments that people freely shared with me. Comments that
enlightened me to other ways of doing things. Of other viewpoints and perspectives.
Of ideas and concepts I had not yet considered.... even after 25 years
(plus) of “playing the game.” For this is the REAL reason for
the Feast Survey - it is a starting place for the interchange of ideas.
