SC - Medieval Times

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

>What is *Medieval Times*?
>Phillipa

Anyone here listen to the Public Radio show, "This American Life"? A 
few months back, there was a show in which the host, Ira Glass, took 
an Englishman who is a professor of Medieval history at a good 
university in Chicago, where the show is produced, to visit a local 
"Medieval Times". The Brit *liked* the place!

"Medieval Times" is owned by a corporation. There are quite a few of 
them around the US - big warehouse-like buildings tarted up to look 
castle-oid. You are greeted by the King and Queen who don't even 
speak as well as we do at Ren Faires. You are assigned a color, given 
some sort of disposable thingy to wear in that color, which is the 
color of the "knight" in the joust for whom you will cheer.

They serve what they tell you is medieval food - roast chicken and 
vegetables and bread - then in a puff of smoke Merlin the Wizard 
appears and announces the joust. Everyone is overly miked - or much 
of what they say may well be on tape. There are, IIRC, four jousters. 
On different evenings, a different one is chosen to be the "bad guy". 
They do the joust. It's a lot like the ones at the big Ren Fairs.

There's more inauthentic scenic color. The professor said that even 
though most of it wasn't at all authentic in the details, he felt 
they had captured the spirit of Medieval pomp and hospitality.

But, hey, don't take my word for it. Have the Virtual Experience:
http://medievaltimes.com/

Anahita al-shazhiyya