The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-08-30
Dining with m Ancient Roman.
(From All the Year Round. ]

refined luxury of dining, il was the Romans under
the early emperors They had then acquired a.,
il 10 he more solid learning OF Rome.
Those Romans were good livers. huge eaters,
spd great spendthrifts. Vltellius never squander.
I'd less than ten Thousand crowns at meal ana
NJ one celebrated dinner had on table TWO thou
sspd fshes and seven thousand fat BIRDS As Tor
that monster of extravaganza, Hehogsoulns lGoo-
bleus it ought 10 be) at one special party ne gave
each guest the gold cup from which be had drunk,
and sent each person home 10 q carriage presented
to him for the purpose. Aioanus, dauiish con
sui is said to have devoured at one supper one
hundred peaches, ten melons, fifty large green ngs
aud three hundred oysters. There Is q rumor 700
that the tyrsnt Maxmus used 20 eat forty pounds
of meat per day.
The Romans had their jentsculum. or breakfast, |
soop after they rose and this early snack consist
ed Of bread, rsisins, olives, eggs, and cheese.
Their beverage at this meal was mix or muisum
(honey ed wine). The prsdiun was q sort OF iuncn
about noon, but the real solid rep2st was we
coma our dinner, at the ninth hour, about half |
past two in summer. Ii matters little whether we
call it an early supper or late dinner since our
own seven o'clock meal IL open to the same
doubts.
10 the pretty revival at Sydenhsm. From the
center hall, with lis little garden and murmurng
| foun ain, opened the dim bins which served ior
sleeping rooms each with It's curtsined doorway.
! The black walls of the rooms, Opeuing from the
hall and all on one floor, painted with little
| groups OF sea nympbs, and cupids, and trlumpns
ri
~, he I,a,i.n climate was taken into consider
| siio5 and tbele were no stufy carpets or dusty
mattings to retain the dirt and heat.
We will suppose the ninth hour near at handb
s sL e 49, Tbe hnsts Of the ancestors ia the
hall have been busted and rubbed. and the couches
! ire ready ranged in the triclnium COR dining.
| -oouN The gold and silver cups are ranged on
a. bnf1a,s sSd all il ready for the feast even
/ Am 20 The oarlands of roses which are to De
given To The e5ests Al the close Of the banquet.
The couches were SO arranged that they formed
.hras s;des Of sonare and in the midst stood the
| csSer and ivory or tortoise.shell and BRONZE
| tables on which each course was placed, arranged
| 10 res Tbe onests law down on the couches in
an n.comfoItabls Oriental way, three to a couch;
each ensst nTopped no with cushions, leaning on
his LEFT arm The right peipg free to receive food
| and To hold his plate. silk cushions marked the
Isae " Of ssch opssts The host pointed out the
Pnoo;al aots 10 favored Ouests much as your host
SPpss noyv
a. soon as the puests had taken their places
slaves came and removed their sandals, and boys
Win their Ioips girded ODD offered water in bowls,
in which II was the custom for all to dip their
hands Al nod from the host the first course
wonId appear-aeperalIy shellfsh eggs, aud
yeCetabIes-and with it o bill of fare to guide the
appetite of each diner. Every rich man had his
own slave at his back to hand the dishes or to
pass the wine
We can, by help of learned German professor
IA distip uished friend of Drekopf's) and Petro-
Mus, pretty correctly follow preliminary, gus
tato,inm. - which more resembled the conclusion
than the beginning Of an English dinner. Let is
place in the center of the first tray. which was III
lard with tortoise shell, a bronze ass, in whose
silver pspniers piled black and green olives.
On the back of this ass rode portly bronze sile.
nus from whose hands ran down sauce OF
oysters and fish.Gvers upon sow's breast that
h0ated in the dish below. There were also sau-
sages on silver grdirons, the hot Goals beneath
sin ulated by crimson pomegranate pips and Syrian
pums and there was lacertus Ia common nsh)
served up with chopped eggs, mint aud rue.
Spails and oysters were also handed round, gar
nished with asparagus, lettuce aud radlsn. Inc
guests were all this time constantly supplied with
gobets of white wine aud honey "a sort OF Athoi
brose). In fact, this opening OF tne homao pan
quet did not differ very much from the opening Of
modern Russian dinner. wnlcn commences WIN
sardines, anchovies, and a small glass OF brandy
or liqueur.
, The second course would prooaoiy De surprise
-one OF those elaborate PI.Sucsl yones whiJa
! the Roman epicure deighted-pernaps Wnoie
, | pig stuffed with fat thrushes the yJlks OF eggs
: and mincemest. But we will follow Petronius at
his banquet. wooden hen with outspread wings,
| exoujsilely carved was then brought in in bas-
. | ket full of chat, breeding on eggs, which the
J EGGS were found. to everbody's delight, to be of
: baked crust each one inclosing highly-seasoned
= beeca6co. The signal to remove this gustatorium
| Tor course) was given by musicians placed at one
end of the atrium. An ingenious surprise OF this
| kind was once tried on Nicodemus, King OF Bithy
| MA The monarch was passOnatey fond of fresh
heTrinps: and being far from the sea coast in a
: wild region where a wagonful Of gold would moi
; have purchased fresh fish, the kings ingenious
: cook contriyed 10 incose meat in frames of the
shane of the fish and TO season it so as to exactly
. resemble herring. AT Petronius's supper, too
. nc cook served mn wild geese and wild fowl
L VIC on, Of norF Rut ali these surprises. AZ
! nrosnS,v Sss;gnes n reawaken the blunted appe
a. 80 ,aor comnared with the clever thou IN
use 800 cooS rbo took anna live crawflsl
Vi sue ~ cir hall with some sbarn acid m
: sno psintSsu e h;I;an, scsris. De tben covere,
. tne .oesaa nan 'nndsr a nile of natiant deat
% lhese piessos ~ e a.n,a nr;Sofm and cIannia0
- IecIu N .no .,'a. Ill hnr-iaJ Tho AIN on I.
l. ugnI cO'e. Isei hana H. aston,Sbment and nor
It me IoysI ,aVe, "nee 'ue 1855, =. I,s 49, s,,
ror OF tne Isoles at .ne SONNY =, ' ~ Uuo
y poseo oeso creatures oau7eu inuni'e NAAu'0A'N
o ana small lak. ;.-.,;o,.. oorr,s
e On the removal OF tle seconu lnseu,ouls oVs
o We may suppose Dack SLAVES nIpInB .ne sspo
e and handing WAFER sgsIn 70 INC kuesss' w pe
Is hands would by this time require aoiuton' boy
in wearing green serlands would then enter, carry
O. ing between tDem On sur i ~ o,a' AL sln
it phoi@ tnst coulo nor ssanu 0 ,ho us
| 1nhRddp0