Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-11-04
A ROMAN DINNER. g.
Oone q the Customs Of Eating and
DriAklog IN the Olash Ttme. -
From the Western Monthly.

kEOIU inc WeBteGu A1O0tuIy
The ordinary Roman dinner party was
not large; the rule was that the guests
should not be less than three, the number
of the Graces, nor more than nine, the
number of the muses.. The tables were
made of rare woods, finely carved, and
sometimes entirely Of precious metals.
Table cloths were unknown. Those who
dined neither used knives nor forks,
but helped themselves with their fingers;
nevertheless, a. soups could not be eaten
in this primitive way, necessity, tho moth
er Of invention, devised spoons To handle
a hot dinner without burning the fingers,
required as much dcxterity % the ju8gler
displays in playing with heated pokers.
Gentlemen with tender dieits and impress
like thimbles, which enabled them to put
a finger into the hottest pie, With impnnity.
After each dish they prepared themselves
for the next course by dipping their Ang-
ers into ewers Of water, carried
around by servants, and drying
them on napkins, each guest
bringing his own napkin with him. Veal
thy persons are said to have used very
costly kind Of asbestos napkin, which,
when soiled. they threw into the fire; the
hre cleansed it without consuming it. Re-
fined epicures sometimes wiped their
hands on the long hair of the oup. bearers, =
custom that ia very common in the Orient,
and recalls the Office performed by Magda-
len to the. feet of Jesus. The Romans
began the day with an early breakfast Of
bread, seasoned with salt and eaten with
olives, dried grapes or cheese. At noon
they took warm lunch Of eggs, fish, etc.,
together with their favorite beverage,
called calda, q sort Of punch composed OF
water and wine, seasoned with spices end
sweetened with honey. This drink was to
the Romano what tea and coffee are to us.
The wine in the mixture being considera-
bly, diluted, possessed only very mildly in
toxicating qualities, SO that it could be
used quite freely without unpleasant effects;
and Cowper's description Of q tea-party,
where
| 1.-THE bubbling and loud Kissing urn
Throws Up = steamy column, and the cups
That cheer but not fnebriate wait on each, "
would correspond very well to calda- party
of Roman ladies nineteen centuries ago.
Several calda. urns of bronze have been
found at gPompeii. The. principal meal
(culled ctsna) was eaten about 4 o'clock,
and lasted several hours. People. like the
elder Pliny, who dined only three hours,
| WeIO sCOE0AuoSeOs 4oAu0AA0Olv uuktA 0uV
time-saving In Ponpeii there are numef.
cradle information % to tho bill of fare,
In the centre If the table, for example, isa
large dish containing four peacrcks, so ar.
ranged AZ to form stately dome with theil
tails; here and there are Holsters, each hold
ing something In its claws; one has blu,
egg, another an oyster. third stuffed rat
fourth has q little basket of grass. hoppers
or some similar appetizing delicacy. Their.
are also four plates of fish, several pleas
ants, hares and squirrels, each holding it,
head between its paws; besides peaches
melons, and other fruits, q variety of veg
etables, fantastic forms Of pastry, and dit
ferent kinds of wine. In order to equir
the table as magnifcentlv as possible
many articles were provided, not becaus,
they were agreeable to the palate, but be
cause they added to the splendor and cost
liness of the banquet. Dishes, too, which
would excite in US the most intense dis
gust were held in high esteem. A man i
represented as drinking from . cows horn
pierced at the smaller end so Is to allow
thin stream of wine to flow into the mouth q
he holds it up at arms length-a method o
imbibing still practiced by the commo,
people Of southern Italy. Other cups wer
| 1d00lO0e0s Dv the WHIMSICAL fancy OF tn
potter, into the head of a pig, O ram,
alag, or some other animal; many Of then
are Of cheap material (olay), but all sho,
by their excellent workmanship that the
were made by good artists. One advantaQ
of such . drinking vessel in the eye of
veteran tippler would be that, owing to i,
peculiar shape, it could not stand uprigh
, and when once filed it must be emptied b,
fore II could be set down again on the tabl,
Among the Greeks it was not customary toll
vito women to dinner parties, tho the Syb,
,ites didgo, and, according to Tlutarch, use
, to send the invitations year beforehand
; In order to give the ladies' ample time [
] dress for the occasion. Butamong the r,
: mans women were not only admitted
. to banbuetsI as is evident from sever
T. Pompeiian paintings, but, il we may belle,
what contemporary poets say of them, we
also especially proud of their drinking; an
Shakespeare is true to Roman customs whe
he makes Cleopatra boast Of such triumph
3 over Antony:
u ERE the ninth hour drunk him to his be
Then put my tires and mantle on him, Will
I wnra his Az or6 pl,liupsn