Irish Bits
Posted
Fri, 09/12/03
Thanks to the Irish Post (via Irish Abroad), I found a rather quaint article about food served at a castle banquet. According to "Castles, Cuisine & Some Craic" by Malcolm Rogers, guests are piped in to the banquet room and offered honey–rich mead wine while being entertained with music and a bit of blarney from the ever–present butler.
"Everyone then takes their places along banquet tables, and the second round of entertainment begins. The craic has shifted up a gear by this time — gone are the instrumentals and in come the sing-along numbers. The general atmosphere has been greatly enhanced by the large jugs of wine available in seemingly industrial quantities — the serving ladies do not appear to know the meaning of the word 'when.' The serving wenches soon arrive with piles of food, and very good it is. Nothing flashy, mind. We're talking here about the food of the invader after all, a nation which gave the world bread & butter pudding, and, I believe, spaghetti hoops. So there's nothing too fancy in the four courses — soup and wheaten bread, spare ribs, chicken and veg, followed by dessert. Of course, per the mores of the time, eating is only done with a "dagger"; no forks are allowed. But this only adds to the informality of the occasion — you're definitely here for the craic and not the cuisine."
FYI, "craic" is not the Irish version of some mind-altering drug, but is defined as "a fun time and good conversation."
Tags: Ireland
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