[Sca-cooks] what did they do with dirty tableware?

[Stefan li Rous]

Greetings folks.

I got the follow message today. You can also see my answer. But
I'm now wondering how good/complete my answer was. I think the
individual was asking about modern times, though. But if anyone
has any comments, I'd like to hear them.

Thanks,
  Stefan

> > to whom it may concern,
> >      I am writing to you to get assistance with getting an answer to an
> > important question. If you could assist me please let me know. The question is
> > as follows.
> > Where do you place the tableware that has been used?
> >                                                  Thank You,
> >                                              Nicholas Bullard

> If you are talking about today's manners, then I would consult one
> of the modern manners books.
>
> In medieval times, there would likely have been no fork. If you were
> at a fancy dinner, you would have brought your eating utensils with
> you. The spoon you would probably had to one of your servents and the
> knife you would probably wipe off on the tablecloth edge and put back
> into the scabbard on your belt. Until very late in period you would
> have eaten off of bread trenchers. These would be collected by the
> hosts servents to be given to the poor as alms. It was considered
> rather bad manners to eat your trencher. Your drinking glass might
> depend up whether the host supplied it or you did.
>
> Well, I hope that helps.
>
> Stefan

--
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris            Austin, Texas          stefan at texas.net
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****