Among the 13th century table manners, one book tells diners not to pick their teeth with their knives, and to "refrain from falling upon the dish like a swine while eating, snorting disgustingly and smacking the lips."
--Lance Gay, Scripps Howard News Service
Gay points out, however, that the medievals could practice their good manners on many more interesting foods than we have at table today, including "starlings, vultures, gulls, herons, cormorants,
swans, cranes, peacocks . . . , dogfish, porpoises, seals,
whale, . . . hedgehogs, . . . [and] lamprey eels.".
Whale, it's whats for dinner.
I think I'd like to eat whale, porpoise and seal meat.
There's a post idea: Strangest meats you have eaten. I've eaten shark, stingray, rattlesnake, swordfish, quail, buffallo, elk and moose.
Posted by: Rob B. | November 30, 2005 at 09:03 AM
I'd most definitely pass on the lamprey eel. Oh no.
Strangest meat?- alligator. I used to work in a Louisiana fishhouse (yes, in Detroit - many of our residents are transplants.) I thought it was chicken (tasted like chicken.) I've eaten elk. I'm not really for alternative meats.
Posted by: Carin | November 30, 2005 at 09:28 AM
Probably the most "alternative" meat I've ever eaten was pheasant. I didn't like it -- too grainy and too gamey.
Posted by: gail | November 30, 2005 at 09:38 AM
Plus, I was afraid of biting into a shotgun pellet.
Posted by: gail | November 30, 2005 at 09:39 AM
I've had gator and liked it a lot.
I can agree with the pellet chomping fear, Gail. I did that once, right on a filling. That chafes more than a little.
Posted by: Rob B. | November 30, 2005 at 09:45 AM
Me, almost no alternative meats. Only a bite of squirrel back in high school. Ick. Dark and stringy. I can barely eat meat at all anymore. Just some occasional chicken and fish. My gross out threshold on animal flesh is low. Which makes me an outcast with people like PB and he will come and throttle me now.
Posted by: Julie | November 30, 2005 at 09:47 AM
I don't like venison either. Just game in general. Because it tastes like game. Which is where we get the term "gamey."
Posted by: gail | November 30, 2005 at 10:38 AM
Among the 13th century table manners, one book tells diners not to pick their teeth with their knives, and to "refrain from falling upon the dish like a swine while eating, snorting disgustingly and smacking the lips."
Well shit, what am I gonna do now?
Posted by: CraigC | November 30, 2005 at 11:11 AM
I had whale blubber in Japan once. I think it tasted pretty good but it was so small (about the size of my pinky fingernail) that I was more curious as to how it could possibly be the centerpeice of the meal.
I'd like to try some lamprey eel on my turkey sandwich.
Posted by: MC | November 30, 2005 at 12:14 PM
Have you ever had fugu?
Posted by: gail | November 30, 2005 at 12:17 PM