Greek Dining Etiquette History

The handshake is a gesture from the Ancient Greeks — “Certainly no rigid etiquette prevented practical jokes of a serious kind. We read in Plautus of an unfortunate parasite having a pot full of ashes flung at his head at dinner, for no other purpose than to raise a general laugh against turn. Some anecdotes are told which confirm this view.”
—Photo source, Pinterest 

The Greeks at Table

A strange custom prevailed with the Greeks and the Romans, of the gaests carrying away with them the viands that remained uneaten. Martial has an extremely witty epigram on this; but the drollest account of it is in the “Symposium” of Lucian. The party consisted of learned and dignified philosophers whom, of course, the author intends to satirize. Up to a certain point the remnants were fairly divided, but unfortunately one chicken more plump than the rest, attracted the attention of one of the party who had no just claim to it. The proper owner would not let go, so they both tugged at it; a general tumult ensued and the guests grasped the birds by the legs and hit each other in the face with them, pulled beards, shouted and pelted with cups. That such scenes really took place at the dinners given to Roman clients is seriously affirmed by ‘Juvenal’ and in one of the satiric plays of Aeschylus, a guest complains that a certain vessel was broken over his head, “by no means as fragrant as a pot of spikenard.” 

Indeed, it would be a rather curious inquiry how far drunkenness was sottishness or mere excitement, for it is obvious that such a term is but relative, and it is likely enough that the Greek temperament was easily roused to fury by a very small amount of alcohol. Certainly no rigid etiquette prevented practical jokes of a serious kind. We read in Plautus of an unfortunate parasite having a pot full of ashes flung at his head at dinner, for no other purpose than to raise a general laugh against him. Some anecdotes are told which confirm this view. One Philoxenus, a a poet of Cythera, was dining with Dionysius. Observing a small mullet served on his plate, but a large one on that of the host, he took the cooked fish in his hands and applied it to his ear. “What are you doing?” asked the host. “ I am writing a poem entitled ‘Galatea,’ and I want to learn from this fish something about Nerene! But it says it was caught too young, whereas the big fish on your plate followed in Nereus’ train and knows all about him.” The host laughed, and ordered the fishes to be exchanged. 

A certain Spartan was dining at a table on which sea-urchins were served. He took one, and not knowing how to manipulate it, put it into his mouth and crunched it shell and all. After making a wry face over it, he exclaimed, with true Spartan bravery, “ Filthy eating! I am not going to turn a coward and give you up now, and I shan’t take you any more!” Rather a neat repartee is recorded of one Philoxenus, a parasite. Observing that the host supplied black bread, he quietly said, “ Don’t put on any more of that or you will make the room dark.” Another seeing an entree that was being carried ‘round stop at the host inquired, “Am I tipsy or is it a fancy of mine that these things are going round ?” The extraordinary fondness of both the Greeks and Romans for almost every kind of fish is well known. 

In the time of the Emperor Tiberius, says Athenaeus, lived one Apicius, a wealthy gourmand. He was particularly fond of prawns, and used to live at Minturnae, on the shore of Campania, for the sake of these crustaceans, for which he paid large sums as they are there very large. Hearing that still bigger prawns were caught off the coast of Libya, he sailed thither without waiting a single day for fine weather. Arriving after a bad voyage, he was visited by fishermen who had somehow heard of his object and brought to him their finest prawns. “Are these the very largest?” he asked. “Have you none larger?” On their replying in the negative he exclaimed, “Captain! back to Italy directly; and mind! don’t lose time by touching land!” The Eastern custom of reclining at meals on sofas or divans was almost universal with both Greeks and Romans, and this is generally represented on the Greek vases, though sometimes the guests are seen sitting. “ The heroes,’’ says Athenaeus, “ sit at the banquets, and do not recline.” The sofa soon became an important article of furniture, and a great deal of art and ornament was expended upon it, as well as on the tapestry coverings. — Placer Herald, 1881

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia