SC - Book: A Feast of Words

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

"A Feast of Words: Banquets and Table Talk in the Renaissance"
by Michael Jeanneret, Jeremy Whiteley (Translator), Emma Hughes (Translator)
Paperback / University of Chicago Press / October 1991 / $21.00

Anyone familiar with this book? I found it while meandering around 
Barnes & Noble
http://www.bn.com

"Synopsis
The first part of this study considers "the Renaissance banquet as 
alimentary experience: Food, diet, hygiene, nutrition, cuisine, 
gastronomy, appetite, and table manners. . . . The Renaissance feast 
provided both an outlet for hedonistic pleasures and the occasion for 
disciplining natural drives into refined behavior. . . . Part 2 takes 
up talk at table. . . . Renaissance banquet literature, like the six 
dialogues of Erasmus's Colloquies set at table feasts on words, takes 
up elements of philology, lexicography, linguistics, and semantics." 
(Am Hist Rev) Index."

While my persona is Near Eastern (and i'm collecting related stories 
for table talk), i figure Renaissance table talk is more appropriate 
than such standards as "my job, my car, waddaya thinka (title of 
latest popular exploding movie), didja catch the latest episode of 
(popular sitcom), how about them (fill in popular sports team)", et 
al ad nauseum.

Gotta fill in all the space in my mind left by all the stuff i've forgotten,

Anahita Gauri al-shazhiyya bint-Karim al-hakim al-Fassi