SC - Carved Vegetables

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Elise Fleming wrote:
> 
> Greetings!  Someone asked about documentation for carved vegetables.
> Gervase Markham, _The English Housewife_, 1615 has "Sallats for show
> only."  It says, "Now for sallats for show only, and the adorning and
> setting out of a table with numbers of dishes, they be those which are
> made of carrot roots of sundry colours wel boiled, and cut out into
> many shapes and proportions, as some into knots, some in the manner of
> scutcheons and arms, some like birds, and some like wild beasts,
> according to the art and cunning of the workman; and these for the most
> part are seasoned with vinegar, oil, and a little pepper..."  Hope this
> helps!
> 
> Alys Katharine

Hey! That's interesting...Why, if they are "for show only", are they
seasoned with the things that are used for salads meant to be eaten?

Is there another possible interpretation of the expression, "for show
only" that I'm not considering? I suppose some sharp-eyed types might be
able to look at a "show" sallat and say, "Yo! There's no vinegar and
pepper on this puppy! What kind of a banquet is this, anyway?" Display
foods through the centuries have often been of an inedible nature, which
is why they were for show only. These could include the lacquered
leftovers sometimes used to pad the menu at Imperial Chinese banquets
(and kept well out of reach of the guests), wax fruit, wax or plastic
tempura in the windows of some Japanese restaurants, and the modern
repertoire of the food stylist (e.g. instant mashed potatoes and Elmer's
glue for vanilla ice cream).

Does the expression mean they are only for special, "showy" occasions?

What do people think about this?

Adamantius