SC - Servers eating free

[Peters, Rise J.]

Siegfried said: 

>     BTW, I've always been put off by the obvious mundane appearance of
> serving in aluminum pans / trays, though they're so bloody 
> convenient. But I
> found that if you treat the outside of the pans with acid, 
> they take on a
> gray, tarnished patina which is much more period looking. In 
> a candle lit
> hall, that's going to look a lot better than a nice shiny pan . . .

I know the tendency to think this way; I often think this way myself:
"period" means unfinished, duller finishes, wood, horn, acid-etched glass or
metal.  But looking at some period serving items and pictures of period
serving items, it looks to me like the real goal in period was "as shiny and
glitzy as possible."  Lots of gold, silver, glass; lots of servants to
polish things.  I think to really give an impression of period serving
vessels we'd be decorating the outsides of the pans with hot melt glue to
make filigree and then spraypainting them bright gold and silver.

=Cait