Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

At one point yesterday I was talking to a few attendees of the festival, and one pointed to the pewter drinking vessel hanging from my belt and asked, "Is that a real goblet?"

I know better: I should expect questions like this. Didn't someone write a filk song involving all the "is that a real ..." questions they've gotten as a historical re-enactor (starting with "is that a real fire?")? But no, I was caught unprepared, a bit stunned actually, and didn't have an apropriately witty answer handy. I was too busy thinking, "Did he really just ask that? What could he have meant?" (I did go into my stock "goblet patter" on autopilot[1].)

So even though we didn't get asked, "Are you in a play?" while putting gas in vvalkyri's car on the way up, I think being asked whether the pewter goblet I so often drink out of is "real" counts to make yesterday an Official Re-enactor Day. (We did get asked "Why are you dressed that way?" in Tamber's, a cool restaurant in Charles Village (mix of 1950s diner food and Indian) that a few of us stopped at on the way home. But not with the magic "Are you in a play?" phrasing.)

Me, I'm still trying to figure out what would make a chunk of pewter shaped like a goblet not be a real goblet. I should stop trying before I give myself a headache.

(Maybe Fred will share his extra-cute "Are you in a play?" story.)

[1]"This," holding up the goblet, "is the most important piece of equipment a minstrel can carry. Ya see, bein' a minstrel, ya never know when someone's gonna' pour you a drink. And if you don't have one o' these," pointing to the goblet then pausing to look at the ground, "It gets all over yer shoes."