[Sca-cooks] Food in "Cries of London", was medieval fast food

[Christine Seelye-King]

There's an article in at least some editions of the Larousse
Gastronomique about the Street Cries of Paris (and the vendors
performing same). <snip>

Adamantius

Many composers wrote 'Cries', including Orlando Gibbons and (maybe) Thomas
Morely. Here is the text from one such 'Cries of London':

	God give you good morrow my master, past three o'clock and a fair
morning. New mussels, new lily white mussels. Hot codlings [cooking apples],
hot. New cockles, new great cockles. New great sprats, new. New fresh
herrings. New haddocks, new. Now thornbacks new. Hot apple pies, hot. Hot
pippin pies, hot. Fine pomegranates, fine. Hot mutton pies hot. Ha' ye any
old bellows or trays to mend? Rosemary and bays, quick and gentle. Ripe
chestnuts, ripe. Ripe smallnuts, ripe. White cabbage, white young cabbage,
white. White turnips, white young turnips, white. . . parsnips. . . lettuce.
. . Buy any ink, will you buy any ink, very fine writing ink, will you buy
any ink? Ha' ye any rats or mice to kill? I ha' ripe peascods, ripe.
Oysters, oysters, oysters, threepence a peck at Bridewell dock, new
Wallfleet oysters. Oyez! If any man or woman can tell any tidings of a grey
mare, with a long mane and a short tail, she halts [limps] down right
before, and is stark lame behind, and was lost this thirtieth day of
February. He that can tell any tidings of her, let him come to the Crier,
and he shall have well for his hire. Ripe damsons, ripe fine damsons. Hard
garlic, hard. Will ye buy any aqua vitae, mistress? I have ripe
goose-berries, ripe. Buy a barrel of Samphire. What is't ye lack? Fine
wrought shirts or smocks. Perfumed waistcoats, fine bone lace or edgings,
sweet gloves, silk garters, very fine silk garters, fine combs or glasses.
Or a poking stick with a silver handle. Old doublets, ha'ye any old
doublets? Ha' ye any corns on your feet or toes? Fine potatoes, fine. Will
ye buy any starch for a clear complexion, mistress? Poor naked bedlam, Tom's
a-cold, a small cut of thy bacon or a piece of thy sow's side, good Bess.
God Almighty bless thy wits. Quick [live], periwinckles, quick, quick,
quick. Buy a new almanac. Buy a fine washing ball. Buy any small coal? Good
gracious people, for the Lord's sake, pity the poor women, we lie cold and
comfortless night and day on the cold boards in the dark dungeon in great
misery. Hot oat cakes. Lanthorn and candlelight, hang out maids for all
night.
And so we make an end.