The Rituals Of Dinner - The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities and Meaning Of Table Manners
2 journalers for this copy...
I got this fair-condition softcover from the ongoing book-sale at the Pelham NH library. It's a detailed, chatty, entertaining book on table manners (mostly in Western culture, but with many nods to practices in the Orient, the Arctic, certain tribes in Africa, and more.
The author cites ancient sources and modern etiquette advisors, and sketches the possible reasons for the development of many of the common table-rules - and highlights those that are dramatically different from one culture to the next, useful info for travelers! The relationships between hosts and guests, the expectations of invitations and responses, family manners vs. public ones, and the practical details of, say, learning to use a fork or chopsticks - it's all here, and more.
I especially appreciated the in-depth description of how ancient Romans, Greeks, and others managed to dine while lying on one side on couches; it opened my eyes to some previously-confusing Biblical passages, among other things. (There are tiny details too, which make sense if one simply thought about it, but I never had: the preference for hot-from-the-oven food seems to have developed along with the fork, since prior to that, picking up hot food with the hands was too painful. There's a funny anecdote about a "monstrously greedy" Greco-Roman banqueter who was said to have dipped his hands in increasingly hot water to train them to endure the pain - so that he could seize the piping-hot food before it cooled enough for other diners to try.
From ancient banquets to airline food, from sacrificial animals to frozen meals, to methods of distributing food among a community (a tricky question when there's one slaughtered animal to be split among many, as the amount of edible meat on different portions varies a lot), the book's full of fascinating information and insights. Even simple things such as whether a culture considers it polite to leave a bit of food on the plate or to never, ever leave so much as a grain of rice highlights the ways in which we structure our habits around meals!
The author cites ancient sources and modern etiquette advisors, and sketches the possible reasons for the development of many of the common table-rules - and highlights those that are dramatically different from one culture to the next, useful info for travelers! The relationships between hosts and guests, the expectations of invitations and responses, family manners vs. public ones, and the practical details of, say, learning to use a fork or chopsticks - it's all here, and more.
I especially appreciated the in-depth description of how ancient Romans, Greeks, and others managed to dine while lying on one side on couches; it opened my eyes to some previously-confusing Biblical passages, among other things. (There are tiny details too, which make sense if one simply thought about it, but I never had: the preference for hot-from-the-oven food seems to have developed along with the fork, since prior to that, picking up hot food with the hands was too painful. There's a funny anecdote about a "monstrously greedy" Greco-Roman banqueter who was said to have dipped his hands in increasingly hot water to train them to endure the pain - so that he could seize the piping-hot food before it cooled enough for other diners to try.
From ancient banquets to airline food, from sacrificial animals to frozen meals, to methods of distributing food among a community (a tricky question when there's one slaughtered animal to be split among many, as the amount of edible meat on different portions varies a lot), the book's full of fascinating information and insights. Even simple things such as whether a culture considers it polite to leave a bit of food on the plate or to never, ever leave so much as a grain of rice highlights the ways in which we structure our habits around meals!
I'm adding this to the Biographies of Things bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop after the Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy!
As a full time homemaker, the ins and outs of meal prep and presentation are daily on my mind. This fun history of etiquette will likely be quite entertaining!
I'm nowhere near finishing this but am going to be putting it aside for the holiday season so I can read some festive tales. Just wanted to leave a little note about where I am so far--cannibalism. Ew. If the rest of this book is as researched and detailed as the bits on cannibalism, I will know way more than I ever needed to about The Rituals of Dinner by the time I'm through.
Cannibalism bits = strong stomach required.
Cannibalism bits = strong stomach required.
