[Sca-cooks] a period food fight!

[Laura C. Minnick]

Hi there!

I've been reading a book called _City and Spectacle in Medieval Europe_, a
collection of essays edited by Barbara Hanawalt and Kathryn Reyerson. Very
spify book, mostly about civic festivals and processions toreceive the King
or the Duke or whatever, mayoral processions, etc. The last essay is about
Jaen, in Spain, and in the section about Carnival, they talk about teh
distribution of food being so excessive (of chickens, partriges, and kids)
that people started hitting each other with the chickens! There was a mock
battle with 150 men armed with dried pumpkins. (This was in 1463). On an
easter Monday in 1461, there was a huge battle using something between nine
and ten _thousand_ eggs! (Those are some juvenile delinquents, yes?)
Apparently the event in 1464 also involved pumpkins, eggs, and public
banquets outside the walls.

Don't tempt me. It would be sooo easy to show up at a feast, fully armed
with eggs and pumpkins!

Just thought it was interesting-

'Lainie
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