The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-05-31
ANCESTRAL APPETITES.
Table Feats Of Some Famous Feeders
Of Byaone Days.

W eJSSHN SoISs
A generation holding critical views
on mans intelligent. or unwise.
choice of parents is not likely TO in
Lulge In ancestor worship. But there
are at least one or two things in which
our ancestors were truly greater than
We Of the present day can ever aspire
TO be. Take them, for instance, at ta-
BILE. If ancient books on table eti-
quctte are to be taken seriously, and
there is no reason why they should
not be. the ancestor was in the habit
Of glawing bones a la CHEN and OF
dispOsing Of them by the simple means
OF throwing them under the table or
over his shoulder. He worked hard
with his hands In the dishes, when
succulent but slippery mOrsel refused
10 come To him by means Of knife and
fork. He used his table napkin for
unspeakable purposes and his fork in
utter fOrgetfulness as comb or tooth
brush. In one sense, therefore, he did
not know how 10 eat. Meanwhile, in
another, he was truly great for the
quantities of food which he caused TO
disappear at single meal were moth
ing short Of marvellous.
The records preserved Of the ances-
tors feats Of the fork (and the finger
are woefully thin, but now and again
one of these very human documents
In the form Of a menu is unearthed
and tells its own story. Such is the
following list Of dishes served In 1884
to wOrihy citizen OF Valencia on the
occasion of his taking unto himself
wife. Across the space Of close upon
the six centuries the cranes and lam
prcys, the pcacocks and boar's head OF
the feast made fine display. This is
the order In which the fourteenth cen
tury wedding breakfast was served:
MENU
Roast crane, venison, lamprey.
Peacock. pheasant. guinea fowl, osprey,
snpe, pike,
Baked pomegranates. burnt almonds, veg
ctables fish.
Eel pie and toast
Gnlautinc Of sprats and cheese cakes.
Peacock. crane. pheasant.
Craytish, boar's head and savouries.
Figs medlars and waters
Wines.
Saint Jangon, Branne, Burgundy and
Hook.
The Italians also were famous feed
ers and seem to have distinguished
themselves In particular during the
early days of the renaissance. The
Bourbons yaliantly followed suit, one
Of the most distinguished successes be-
Ing scored by Louis XIV, of whom an
eyewitness wrote: II often saw him
eat four plates of soup, IA whole pleas
ant. guinea fowl, Il large dish of
salad, several slices of mutton with
garlic sauce, two large slices of ham, a
dish of cake and dessert The threats
Of his physicians finally reduced his
majesty to such mcager fare as two
plates OF pigeon broth ana three roast
fowls. According to Arenberg, the
great king was later in life subject To
attacks OF Indigestion.
The little suppers in the reign of the
next Louis, though on slightly less
gigantic scale. are still sufficiently im-
pressiye. The MarQuse dArtenay, for
instance. put before her guests after
they came from the thca;cr and before
they went on to a dance this collation..
Pigeon soup. with lcuus and carrots.
Chicken broth.
Pattics OF fowl, veal. capon. phcasants,
guinea fowl.
SwCctbrCad and roast pOulCts.
Baked starings. wood pigeons, wild duck
and snipc.
Cakes. Sweets. Fruit
II seems pity no record is preserved
4. o.
ing this supper party.