Interesting article

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_a ... 640930.ece

Wonderful fun. Except for the kidneys and ox tongue, I wouldn't mind trying a few of the dishes -- but not in those quantitied. Of course, as a few of the commentors note, while all these dishes were set out, not everyone ate everything. Serving a la française was, as one person noted, more like a buffet than a series of courses. but serving a la russe (a series of courses) was becoming increasingly popular.

Of course, at a time when almost no one had elevators, cars, or central heat, a lot more calories were burned. When I toured the kitchens of Hampton Court Palace, the guide mentioned that during the time of the Tudors, the average per-day calorie consumption was around 5,000, just to maintain, with the numbers going up from there if one were to cut a figure like Henry VIII's.

A few favorite restaurants were mentioned, particularly Simpson's and Rules. So should you get to London, you can eat in Edwardian splendor, if not quantities. I highly recommend both spots. (I believe it is Simpson's in the photo).

Thanks for posting the link to the article. I did not envy the quantities, and I know I'd miss veggies, but I surely did find the variety intriguing and most appealing.

Additional note. He mentions Simpson's not being open to women in the Edwardian era. Interestingly, on my last visit, when I dined in the Grand Divan, the main dining room these days, I learned that the reason I had never dined in that room when traveling with my parents or living in England as a college student is that the Grand Divan was not open to women until 1987! We ate in the lovely, bright rooms upstairs -- so we got into Simpson's, just not the old, wood-panelled main dining room.