[MR] Serving feasts (fwd)

[Craig Levin]

Robert of Canterbury:

> I have recently been asked to coordinate serving a feast for an
> upcoming event and the autocrat wants it to come off with a lot of
> pomp and ceremony.  Is there anyone in the tavern who might be able 
> to give me some advice on how to handle serving in a truly grand manner?

You may want to look in such books as Huizinga's _The Waning of
the Middle Ages_ for some descriptions of the really over-the-top
meals/pageants of the dukes of Burgundy. For a somewhat more...
fictional example, consider the descriptions of feasts in _Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight_. 

Basically, think big, and think _loud_. People loved to show off
that they could afford to hire a band, and so food was often
brought into the hall accompanied by brass music. People were
seated (typically by precedence, it seems) in procession, which,
again, might be accompanied by music. 

The big shots would have someone to carve their meat personally
(FWIW, I have done so for Master Herveus-it is both my duty and
my pleasure). 

There may also have been a bit of food art (subtlety, warnour,
whatever) with every course. Yes, I said course, not "remove."
For more on that, see:

http://www.oldcolo.com/~memorman/course.html

Pedro
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Craig Levin				Librarians Rule Oook!