Author Topic: Princess Academy  (Read 5588 times)

Offline Janilew

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2020, 12:28:48 »
Is this a princess academy or a pastry school? They seem unsure.

Academy for sure! Pastry could just be one of the classes like music.

Offline Oliver

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2020, 15:56:45 »
Is this a princess academy or a pastry school? They seem unsure.

I guess it's meant to be like a finishing school?

Offline Macruran

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #12 on: May 02, 2020, 19:33:16 »
It's where they learn to have their cake and eat it too. :bdaycake:
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Offline Ismene

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #13 on: May 03, 2020, 09:42:29 »
I guess it's meant to be like a finishing school?

I think so, but in their future lives as rulers, are they supposed to go down to the kitchens periodically and whip up a croquembouche? I love baking and little Playmo desserts, but I think it's an odd choice for a pseudo-historical theme presumably set in one of those time periods in which it was a source of pride to not have your daughter cooking (since it meant you could afford to hire staff, and hopefully a skilled chef). In any case, baking in a hoop skirt looks super dangerous.

Offline Oliver

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #14 on: May 03, 2020, 10:21:38 »
I think so, but in their future lives as rulers, are they supposed to go down to the kitchens periodically and whip up a croquembouche? I love baking and little Playmo desserts, but I think it's an odd choice for a pseudo-historical theme presumably set in one of those time periods in which it was a source of pride to not have your daughter cooking (since it meant you could afford to hire staff, and hopefully a skilled chef). In any case, baking in a hoop skirt looks super dangerous.

 :lol: :lol: I hadn't thought of that! I guess the problem is that what upper-class women did learn (varying from 'almost nothing' to quite a lot) would be pretty limiting in terms of sets - 'Princess and Latin Tutor' etc.

Baking in a hoop skirt was super dangerous, numerous women burned to death after their crinolines caught fire

Offline Macruran

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #15 on: May 03, 2020, 15:56:05 »
Did noble ladies bake? Interesting question, which probably depended on the date and the location. Because, and you might be surprised to learn this, the word "lady" originally meant "bread-maker":



"Lord" was likewise "bread-guarder":



In other words the aristocracy arose from people who were able to literally put bread on the table. It's not inconceivable that at some point in history, the noblest ladies were the hardest kitchen workers!  :viking:

I wouldn't be surprised if fancy baking became trendy among later iterations of the distaff nobility (think Marie Antoinette playing at peasant life), but I cannot say!

O0
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Offline Ismene

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #16 on: May 04, 2020, 09:41:31 »
Did noble ladies bake? Interesting question, which probably depended on the date and the location. Because, and you might be surprised to learn this, the word "lady" originally meant "bread-maker":



"Lord" was likewise "bread-guarder":



In other words the aristocracy arose from people who were able to literally put bread on the table. It's not inconceivable that at some point in history, the noblest ladies were the hardest kitchen workers!  :viking:

I wouldn't be surprised if fancy baking became trendy among later iterations of the distaff nobility (think Marie Antoinette playing at peasant life), but I cannot say!

O0

'OED rates it "not very plausible"' so I guess the etymology is still up for debate. My Anglo-Saxon dictionary is not offering further insights, thus I'm unclear if the lady is actually making the bread or if she is simply in charge of the food stores. OE garb is probably safer for baking than hoop skirts, in either case.
With the hoop skirts, this theme must be post-Old English. But unreasonable demands for skills are so very fairy tale (e.g. spinning straw into gold).

Offline Macruran

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #17 on: May 05, 2020, 01:47:00 »
'OED rates it "not very plausible"' so I guess the etymology is still up for debate.

Yes, but "not very plausible with regard to sense", and that is a matter of opinion. It makes perfect sense to me, especially as "lord" is undisputedly breadguard - the lady must have been heavily concerned with bread too! Maybe kneading, maybe serving, maybe buttering slices and smothering them with treacle.
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Offline Ismene

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #18 on: May 07, 2020, 09:19:15 »
Yes, but "not very plausible with regard to sense", and that is a matter of opinion. It makes perfect sense to me, especially as "lord" is undisputedly breadguard - the lady must have been heavily concerned with bread too! Maybe kneading, maybe serving, maybe buttering slices and smothering them with treacle.

I could see managing and serving bread, like the queen passing around the drinking horn. I sincerely hope the lady wasn't expected to knead bread for all the underlings. They were more robust back then, but dang, she'd be buff!

Offline Oliver

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Re: Princess Academy
« Reply #19 on: May 07, 2020, 15:43:06 »
I'd assume that nobody who had a large enough household to be making their own bread would be involved themselves. I suppose there could be a linguistic origin, in the sense that 'managing the bread' might have stood in for 'managing the domestic household'?