[Sca-cooks] Re: serving wenches (was newspaper reporter needs help..)

[she not]

 What is the most common -but wrong - way medieval feasts are depicted?

That people were rude, crude, and lewd - grabbing food and getting it 
all over themselves, belching loudly, groping the serving wenches - 
there wouldn't have been any serving wenches at a feast - and 
brawling in the dining hall.

And yet..in Norse societies, both wives and daughters of the house, or lacking those, female servants  were expected to serve mead or ale in hall..I think it's the Havamal that has the precise table of fines assessed for groping a maiden, depending on where the grope landed..fines are in direct ratio to distance from the floor, except that no fine is due for gropes.. ahem..above the thigh..apparently on the assumption that she must be cooperating at that point.

.And if there was no brawling, why were weapons prohibited?

And if they weren't rude and crude, why do ettiquete books have to tell diners not to scratch their privates before sticking their hand in a common dish or blow their noses on the tablecloth?

And as for lewd..have you never experienced a medieval attempt at humour?

(according to "1066 and all that", honi soit qui mal y pense is latin for "lady, your stocking's falling down"- so let me put your garters on for you..or something like that, anyway..)

gisele



"all men are intrinsical rascals, and I am only sorry that not being a dog I can't bite them."   Lord Byron
		
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