Castle Cake proudly perched on its arranged platters high above the tables that wound through Heritage Commons like a straight-edged “W”. Its sister castles dotted the landscape – each a bastion of sugary goodness unchallenged in a land of apples, purple grapes and loaves of bread. Like shining Camelot, its reign was short.
The revelers came and the world changed – the Medieval Feast began. They swarmed inside in packs – with the occasional straggler bringing up the rear – like an invading army; hungry and excited, each having paid the $27 for the meal. History will note that on Saturday, April 28 at 5 P.M. the siege of Castle Cake began.
Feasters wearing all manner of clothing; monks, knights and scholars chatted across the table with students dressed in regular street clothes. They munched on the fruit and bread until one decided that he wanted cake. His knife sheered off part of a wall.
“I called dibs on part of the gatehouse, haha!” said student/druid Corey Booth as he chopped another piece away from the castle. Few of the other cakes were faring any better – all of them showed battle scars.
Professor Matt Rolph, the advisor for Medieval Society- the organizer of the Medieval Forum- called everyone to order for the traditional hand-washing ceremony. Members of Medieval Society lined up to clean the hands of every guest. Rolph cautioned, “I know because we have so much education between us, we can do this in an orderly fashion.” He gathered a roomful of light-hearted laughter; most knew how the hand-washing ceremony went.
Much to everyone’s surprise, though, things went pretty well. Everyone got seated, and Rolph though, things went pretty well. Everyone got seated, and Rolph took the time to introduce Dr. Naomi Kline and Dr. Karolyn Kinane, a new professor of Medieval Studies, who many have hopes can help rebuild PSU’s Medieval Studies program. Rolph also took the time to give out awards to professors he felt had earned recognition for their contributions to the forum, and to academic understanding of Medieval times.
Amidst the applause, Sodexho serving staff wearing blue livery trimmed with red and gold carried out trays of bread bowls filled with wild mushroom soup. The thick gray soup didn’t wow everyone, but even some who didn’t care for mushrooms found it to their liking. Musical group Seven Times Salt added to the atmosphere with their melancholy music of the times.
By then, the once-mighty Castle Cake was gone – only crumbs remained like scattered rubble. Some members of Medieval Society took the time to salt the platter of the razed confection – a final insult to its former splendor.
The next course served up was roasted venison and apples. While many discussed the implications of eating Bambi, most were able to overcome their initial hesitation. The taste was described as similar to roast beef, but much more tender.
A medley of root vegetables was next on the menu. Carrots, potatoes and other similar plants were chopped up and mixed together in a sauce. While people were digging in, others took the time to snap some photos.
“That’s so getting Facebooked,” yelled one student to another, who was vainly reaching for the camera after it had caught him in an embarrassing position. Others, not satisfied with the destruction of a single castle, set upon another.
People grabbed for fresh slices of lemon served up by the catering staff. These were used as pallet cleansers, to get the tongue clean for the last course of the night – chicken and poor knights, which was roasted chicken breast served on top of bulgar wheat.
The night wrapped up with Rolph thanking Sodexho and other individuals for making the Feast possible. One student stood up and asked the crowd to thank Rolph, too, for his Herculean efforts in bringing everything together. The crowd responded with a standing ovation. Guests were also told that the handmade cups that they had received their choice of hot cider or mulled wine in were gifts from the Forum for each of them.
At last, singers moved to the front of the room to sing “Gaudeamus Igitur”, modified with an additional two verses by Forum Poet Laureate, Phil O’Mara. The fourth verse was composed in honor of those retired, or who will retire within the year; and the fifth was dedicated to PSU, the hosts of the Medieval Forum, which draws scholars from across the world to share their love and their knowledge of those simple, yet fascinating times.