Culinary Historians: "History of the Table" 1/14

Culinary Historians of Chicago Presents:

“History of the Table”
A program by
Eva Eliscu
Restaurateur, instructor, collector of historical kitchen implements

Saturday, Jan. 14, 2006
10 a.m. to Noon
at
The Feltre School*
22 W. Erie St., Chicago

Imagine dogs running around an ancient dining hall as people ate, or guests standing at attention, invited for the “privilege” of watching as the seated nobility leisurely supped (no wonder there were revolutions!). There’s a lot more to ancient table customs than we could ever dream of, as our speaker Eva Eliscu will show, while she lays out her historical and colorful collection of historical table settings, along with related culture and customs. Highlights of Ms. Eliscu’s talk will include: The dining hall and the dining room, now and then; why the dinner plate is round; the purpose and placement of the napkin; history of bread and salt on the table; introduction of the fork; social background and seating arrangements; Talleyrand’s lesson in serving beef; and food and poison -- why there were dogs in the dining hall.

Swedish-born Eva Eliscu, an avid enthusiast of table history and customs, teaches courses at the Feltre School, including the History of Tea, Coffee and Cocoa. The Feltre School was founded in 1992 as a nonprofit private and independent school to provide comprehensive instruction in the liberal arts to individuals of diverse ages and backgrounds. The school is located in a vintage brownstone, and our program will be held in the school’s library. Complimentary continental breakfast will be served.

*PARKING: Metered parking on the street will most likely be available at $1 per hour; you can also park at the Ontario Place garage, Wabash and Ontario, for $11 (but you must you get your ticket validated at the Feltre School for this rate). The School is also easily accessible by public transportation.

This program is hosted by the Culinary Historians of Chicago. Cost of the program is $10, $5 for students, and no charge for members of the Culinary Historians (http://culinaryhistorians.org/). To reserve, please call Barb Olson, (708) 788-0338. Or e-mail your reservation to: rsvpchc@yahoo.com. Please leave your name, telephone number and the number of people in your party.

Eva Eliscu provided these recommended readings on table settings:

Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver: Stories of Dinner as a Work of Art
Carolin C. Young

The Art of the Table: A Complete Guide to Table Setting, Table Manners and Tableware
Suzanne Von Drachenfels

Beautiful Napkin Folding
Horst Hanisch

Cooking for Kings : The Life of Antonin Careme, the First Celebrity Chef
Ian Kelly

Eight Centuries of European Knives, Forks and Spoons
Klaus Marguardt

The Food Chronology: A Food Lover's Compendium of Events and Anecdotes, from Prehistory to the Present
James Trager

Food in History
Reay Tannahill

Food in Painting : From the Renaissance to the Present
Kenneth Bendiner

Matters of Taste: Food and Drink in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art and Life
Donna R. Barnes, Peter G. Rose, Albany Institute of History and Art

Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners
Margaret Visser

Salt : A World History
Mark Kurlansky

Savoring the Past : The French Kitchen and Table from 1300 to 1789
Barbara Ketcham Wheaton