Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1882-04-26
The Dining Hall in the Thirteenth
Century.

Tables for meals in the thirteenth
century were simply boards placed
on irestles, aud removed when the
repast was over. On the table at
the dais was silver plate, then a
rare Injury, restricted To the higher
classes, the articles being spoons,
knives, plates, and goblets. There
were no forks, for only one fork had
ever been heard Of as a thing TO
eat with, and this had been the
Invention of the wife of - Doge of
Venice, about two bupdred years
previous, for which piece Of re.
fnement the public rewarded the
lady by considering her as proud as
Lurifer. Forks existed, both in the
form of spice forks and fire forks,
but no one ever thought OF eating
with them until they were intro.
duced from Italy in the reign of
James the l., and for some time
after the use of them marked either
traveller or luxurious, efieminate
man. Moreover, there were no
knives or spoons provided, for help.
ing oneself from the dishes. Each
person had a knife and spoon for
himself, with which lie helped him.
self ut his convenience. People
who were very delicate aud par.
ticular wiped their knives on
piece Of bread before doing so, and
licked their spoons all over. When
these were the practices of fasti.
dious people, the proceedings Of
those who were not such NAV be
discreetly left to imagination. The
second table was lett in much
more ordinary manner. In this in.
Stance the knife was iron and the
spoon pewter, the plate wooden
trencher, (ucvcr changed) aud the
drink cup of horn. In the midst Of
the table stood a pewter salt cellar,
formed like q castle, aud very much
larger than we use them now.
This salt cellar acted as barome.
ter, not tor weather, but for rank.
Every one of noble blood, or filling
certain Offices, sat above the salt.
With respect to cooking, our fathers
had some pecnliarities. They ate
many things that We never touch
such as porpoiscs and hcrons, and
they used all manner of green things
rs vegetables. They liked their
bread hot from me oven, ito give
cold bread, even for dinner, was u
shabby proceeding and their meat
much undcrdonc, for they thought
that overdone meat stirred up an
ger. They mixed most inconGruous
things together; they loved very
strong tastes, delighting in garlic
and veIuicc; they never appear to
have paid the slightest regard TO
their digestion, and they were. in
the most emphatic sense, not teeio'
talcrs. The dining hall, but not
the table, was decorated with
flowers; and singers, often placed
in gallery at one end, were EN-
ploved the whole time. a gentle
mau usher acted as butler, and a
woman was always at hand to keep
out strange dogs, snuff candles and
light TO bed the guests who were
not always in a condition to find
their way without his help. The
hours at this time were 0 or III
O'Clock for dimes except on fast
days, when it was noon, and 8 or
1 for supper. Two meals a day
were thought sufficient for all men
who were not invalids. The sick
and women sometimes had a "fear
supper at 6 O'Clock or later. AS
to breakfast it was meal taken
only by some persons, and then
served in the bed chamber or pri'
vate boudoir mt convenience. Wine,
with bread sopped in it, was n