Feast: A History of Grand Eating

Rating:
Summary: Feast: A History of Grand Eating
Review: British cultural historian Strong describes major European feasts throughout the ages. Presented in historical sequence, they reflect many changes over time in food, room arrangement, and place settings. Strong talks about manners as well. His book is, of course, about the wealthy and royal groups who could afford to present feasts. The author discusses royal public dining (especially in France), where the king was often the only one eating. There is no discussion beyond Europe; the book focuses especially on France and England, and the Roman and Greek influence on those countries. Strong ends by showing that the feast has disappeared in modern times in private homes, and has now moved to restaurants, hosted by the new moneyed rather than the political elite. This scholarly presentation is well done, with some interesting discussion of changes--and the lack thereof--over time. The book is a useful addition to the literature on European feasts, related table manners, and methods of presentation. Food is not discussed in detail, but changes in eating and serving utensils are traced over time. A number of illustrations enhance the text.

Rating:
Summary: An inviting history of grand eating
Review: Roy Strong's Feast is inviting history of grand eating examines the social history and cultural phenomenon of entertaining and feasts; from its early heyday in the 9th century when a Babylonian emperor invited 70,000 guests for dinner, to modern times. Engaging historic black and white photos pepper a culinary history which provides plenty of insights on the background and evolution of the idea of the feast and the culinary celebration of food.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun - even on an empty stomach!
Review: The next time you invite people for dinner, stop and think about what you do to get ready. Inviting the right people, planning an exciting menu, decorating the table, arranging the seating plan, the order of the courses : all of these are vestigal remnants of formal dining practices over the centuries.

This is a fun book to read. It's a non-scholarly round-up of many, many academic articles that have appeared on the subject of dining along with a summary of some of most significant historical works on food, dining, entertainment and medicine.

If you are interested in food, the evolution of table manners and the developmental history of your family breakfast room, then this is a jolly good read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and only wished I could jump in a time machine and appear at one of the amazing Italian Renaissance jamborees! Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun - even on an empty stomach!
Review: The next time you invite people for dinner, stop and think about what you do to get ready. Inviting the right people, planning an exciting menu, decorating the table, arranging the seating plan, the order of the courses : all of these are vestigal remnants of formal dining practices over the centuries.

This is a fun book to read. It's a non-scholarly round-up of many, many academic articles that have appeared on the subject of dining along with a summary of some of most significant historical works on food, dining, entertainment and medicine.

If you are interested in food, the evolution of table manners and the developmental history of your family breakfast room, then this is a jolly good read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and only wished I could jump in a time machine and appear at one of the amazing Italian Renaissance jamborees! Highly recommended.