Thou art a glutton – by necessity

“You are going to eat a lot this evening,” assured professor Matt Rolf, dressed in a red and gold medieval costume. Long tables snaked maze-like through Heritage Commons, and scholars and students packed the seats – some dressed in beautiful period costume. The Medieval Feast began with a hand washing ceremony. Members of the Medieval Society, one of Plymouth State University’s many clubs, lined up to wash and dry the hands of each diner. They hold water in a pig-shaped clay jar, and some students are on towel-duty. All watch carefully to make sure water isn’t sloshed everywhere. Finally, once that finished, the feasters sat down for a short introduction and the first course began. The first thing served was a mushroom soup served in a bowl made of bread. Though many dislike mushrooms, after sipping the richly spiced, thick grayish soup, they happily downed the rest – using pieces of the bread bowl as croutons. Sodexho staff, dressed in blue livery moved from guest to guest, offering hot, spiced apple cider or grog, a cranberry-based alcohol. The second course consisted of salad greens in an Italian dressing. Some lucky people claimed the few orchids that decorated the salads – these, too, are edible. Although the taste fails to impress some, others want to try it for the sake of eating a flower. An occasional alto note floated over the din of scholars discussing the Holy Grail and students underway with an experiment: do grapes float? Seven Times Salt, a small band of musicians who specialize in ancient music from Cambridge, Mass, returned this year to perform. A lute-player and a singer strolled through the maze sharing their talent while hungry people anticipated the next course. Chicken leg quarters smothered in lemon and orange, coupled with spinach tarts and a medley of root vegetables. The spinach tarts came like a small pastry – but who puts spinach in a desert? It was surprisingly good; smooth with just a little hint of tart. To prepare for the final course, the staff served plates of sliced lemon, meant to cleanse the palate. These, too, came with edible orchids. Then came the final course. The chef, specially brought in by Sodexho, presented it proudly – a huge side of beef. Feasters made a long line, and awaited their cut. Along with the meat, they could choose to have a “pevorat” sauce – a gravy-like sauce – leeks mixed with almonds, and a bulgar wheat side dish which resembled a thicker form of cream of wheat. Baked apples served as the desert, and stuffed feasters gobbled them down happily and relaxed in their seats. Idle conversation once again filled the hall. Eventually, this quieted for the closing ceremony. The organizers lead the hall in a Latin song, to honor – and poke a little fun at – professors and retirees. Then, everyone joined together to sing Robin Hood, and the feast wound down. People gathered their complimentary mugs, and bid each other farewell for another year. Dr. Naomi Kline commented, “I love the student involvement. It makes our forum different from any other medieval forum I’ve been to and I’ve been to many. And this one is the best one!” Truly, ’twas a feast fit for a king – or any hungry student.