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Author Topic: Eating Utensils  (Read 18231 times)

Ian

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Eating Utensils
« on: 2012-08-30, 01:57:16 »
Is the knife, pricker, and spoon pretty much the standard for eating utensils? 

I'm trying to shop around for appropriate utensils for living history feast purposes.  What do you guys have?  Did people use the pricker like a simple single-tined fork?  Or was it just used to hold meat in place while you cut it, and then you just ate with your fingers?
« Last Edit: 2012-08-30, 02:03:54 by Ian »
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Thorsteinn

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #1 on: 2012-08-30, 03:22:20 »
Place & time?
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Ian

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #2 on: 2012-08-30, 03:30:57 »
Place & time?

Everything with me is always late 14th century England / Continental Western Europe unless otherwise stated.  Assume on campaign.

To take this a step further, what about drinking vessels?  I'm not interested in faire-isms or scadianisms, as I'm trying to stay as close to the living history realm as possible.
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Sir Edward

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #3 on: 2012-08-30, 14:33:11 »
I'm not 100% sure on the pricker. Forks would have been rare, as they were the "devil's tools", particularly as you get into the renaissance. Spoons are obvious, but the predominant etiquette with eating solid foods worked like this (admittedly in a hall, not so sure on campaign):

When entering the hall, you will wash your hands at a wash-basin on the way in. You carefully dry your hands on the towel that is there, careful not to get dirt on the towel itself.

Once everyone is seated, the food would be brought out and placed such that it's within reach of every set of four people. You would use the thumb and first two fingers of your left hand to stabilize the food, while using your right hand to cut that piece off with your knife (so you're only touching the part you're taking). Your left hand places it on your trencher (small plate). There, you use your left hand to hold things still using the same three fingers, and you use the three fingers of your right hand to actually eat.

This accomplishes a couple of things. First, the hand that goes back and forth between your plate and the common food never goes near your face (hygiene issue). While your right hand does get used to cut food from the common serving, it's holding the knife and not touching the food there (it only touches the pieces from your trencher). Secondly, only peasants eat with all five fingers, so it's more proper at your station to use only three fingers.

This action would be repeated as many times as necessary. The trencher is very small, so you're usually only taking and eating one thing at a time, such as a piece of meat, or a hunk of cheese. This is very different than what is done today, where you load up your plate all at once. Back then, that would have been seen as gluttonous.

Like I said, this is courtly manners, so I'm not sure how it translated to the field. I'd imagine that someone in the upper class would try to retain manners to some degree, but knights can span a wider gamut. So I'm not sure.
« Last Edit: 2012-08-30, 14:35:04 by Sir Edward »
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Sir James A

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #4 on: 2012-08-30, 14:48:59 »
I picked up a couple of these: http://www.swordsofmight.com/medieval-spoon-fork-and-knife-set/

Also a few random sized wooden bowls and wooden spoons. It does say 'period correct' .. but from "Swords of Might", I'm taking that with a grain of salt until I verify or refute otherwise. :)
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Sir William

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #5 on: 2012-08-30, 16:30:41 »
I have that hunting trousse kit from MRL...no idea as to historicity, but the hunting knife and smaller camp knife would probably fit- but not the fork, if what Sir Edward tells us is true.  I imagine on campaign the rank and file would eat as they saw fit, officers would probably take their meals with the commander and some etiquette might be applied there.
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Ian

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #6 on: 2012-08-30, 18:00:43 »
Ah crap... I forgot about trenchers/bowls... doh!  I went with this kit here for a knife/pricker:
http://www.bootsbybohemond.net/index.php?option=com_ayelshop&Itemid=66&route=product/product&path=6&product_id=39

Drinking vessels? Are those wooden flagons anything beyond faire fantasies or are they based in reality?
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Sir William

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #7 on: 2012-08-30, 18:18:38 »
Probably something more along the lines of a goblet than a flagon I'd think...that's just a guess at best, though.  That's a nice little set though...might have to pick up a couple sets for me and the wife.  Well...maybe just me as I'd be the only one making the attempt at LH...my wife just likes to observe.  :)
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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #8 on: 2012-08-30, 22:37:11 »
Drinking vessels? Are those wooden flagons anything beyond faire fantasies or are they based in reality?

Oh yes, forgot to write about that part. Wood is OK, as long as it's not overly embellished in a modern way (this is a bit of a judgment call, since renfaire mugs frequently have a unique style). Wooden goblets or tumblers are probably fine. All sorts of hand-made pottery/ceramics work well. And in some of the wealthier cases, even hand-made glass.

The kinds of things to steer away from are mugs made of composite woods, leather mugs, etc. Pewter is questionable, I think.

For an interesting example of one made of glass, check this out:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8765199@N07/4720121743/#
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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #9 on: 2012-08-31, 20:02:11 »
http://www.billyandcharlie.com/misc.html spoons, trenchers, cups and knives are about it. silver or pewter work. glass beakers are always nice. never really wood unless your low class. i cant remember. horn sometimes is used

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #10 on: 2012-08-31, 21:40:07 »
http://www.billyandcharlie.com/misc.html spoons, trenchers, cups and knives are about it. silver or pewter work. glass beakers are always nice. never really wood unless your low class. i cant remember. horn sometimes is used

Ah, cool, it looks like the two-tined forks are acceptable for 15th century, so I should be good to go. :)
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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #11 on: 2012-08-31, 23:19:39 »
well... not for most of it. it's not really seen for eating with. something i think used by cooks but not at the table.

Sir William

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #12 on: 2012-09-04, 15:33:32 »
People ate off metal trenchers in the medieval period?  I thought they were normally hollowed out slabs of old bread.
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Sir Edward

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #13 on: 2012-09-04, 15:38:00 »

Trenchers could be metal, wood, etc. Bread was sometimes used, but wealthier people could afford tableware.
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Sir William

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Re: Eating Utensils
« Reply #14 on: 2012-09-04, 15:39:26 »
Heh...guess I should 'rise' to the occasion, eh Lord Commander?
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