SC - table eating utensils

[Stefan li Rous]

Ras said: 
> In a message dated 3/23/00 4:36:05 PM Eastern Standard Time, Aldyth at aol.com 
> writes:
> 
> << The fundraiser also featured no silverware, as they thought 
>  medieval man ate without utensils. >>
> 
> Actually, they did eat without utensils other than a knife until relatively 
> late in period. This is the reason why you only use your right hand to serve 
> yourself food with (your left being used for personal cleansing).

Hmm. Yes, I believe this left-handed thing was a tradition in the Middle East.
Do you have any evidence that this was ever done with any consistancy in
the non-Moslem parts of Europe?
 
> Since the truly rich had spoons (which were, in fact, sometimes distributed 
> to guest but are almost never distributed at SCA feasts), I use only my knife 
> at feast table and my fingers 

Spoons seem to show up an awlful lot in various records. With the large
number of bruets, soups, stews, blanc mange(?), frumenty etc, I'm having 
trouble imagining eating without a spoon. Spoons are not that complicated
and don't have to be made of fancy metals. Quite serviceable ones can
be easily made from wood, bone or horn. Do you have any evidence showing
that the less off than the truely rich didn't have spoons? Even the
peasant eating a porridge or gruel had to have something, I think.

- -- 
Lord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris             Austin, Texas           stefan at texas.net
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